Yemen's Houthi forces intensify attacks on Saudi oil sites amid naval blockade

During the week of 20–27 July 2024, the Yemeni Houthi movement (Ansarallah) imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia and launched a series of missile, drone and cruise‑missile strikes. The attacks targeted two Saudi‑flagged tankers, MT Encelia and MT Layla, in the Red Sea, and the Saudi Aramco facilities at Jizan and Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, creating plumes of smoke that stretched more than 70 km.

Houthi political bureau member Dhaifallah al‑Shami told Al‑Mayadeen that negotiations are futile while the blockade remains and warned that the Yemeni people will secure their rights “by peace or by war.” He praised Jordan’s initiative to open flights to Yemen and criticised Qatar’s stance, while senior Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al‑Houthi reaffirmed the movement’s capacity to defend itself and its coordination with the broader resistance axis. The escalation follows a long‑standing conflict that began in 2015, which has caused massive humanitarian suffering in Yemen and threatens regional stability and the global oil market.