Houthis target Red Sea shipping as US hits Iran

DUBAI, July 23: A Saudi vessel was attacked in the Red Sea as Tehran-backed Houthi rebels claimed to strike tankers in the waterway, Riyadh's state media said Thursday, signalling a potential new front in the US-Iran conflict.

The Houthis had threatened to blockade Saudi ports on the Red Sea -- a key route for oil shipments -- while the five-month war had already led to the effective closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Washington and Tehran have been battling over key crude supply route Hormuz, which led to the collapse of a preliminary deal aimed at ending the war that has sent global oil prices climbing.

The Houthis' claim came as the United States launched fresh strikes on Iranian military targets, prompting retaliatory attacks on US ally Kuwait in the latests round of tit-for-tat fighting.

Kuwait's army said early Thursday it was intercepting "drone threats", following several days of Iranian strikes on the Gulf nation.

The Houthis said they had carried out missile and drone strikes on two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, the Encelia and the Layla, after threatening to blockade Saudi ports.

British naval security monitor UKMTO said the master of a tanker reported being hit by an unknown projectile about 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq, causing a fire that the crew was fighting.

Saudi Arabia confirmed the Encelia had been struck, without commenting on the other tanker.

It remains unclear how fully the Houthis could enforce a blockade, but the threat could compound the shock of the Hormuz closure, endangering Riyadh's ability to bypass the strait for some oil exports.�" AFP