Published: · Region: Middle East · Category: conflict

Houthi Claim of Missile Strike on Saudi Tanker in Gulf of Aden Revives Maritime Chokepoint Fears

Yemen’s Houthis say they hit the Saudi oil tanker Daisy with a ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden, forcing it to turn back. Even unconfirmed, the claim is another reminder that energy flows through the Red Sea and its approaches now depend on how far an armed movement in Yemen wants to test global shipping resilience.

A single tanker’s course change in the Gulf of Aden can now ripple through global energy planning. On 5 August, Yemen’s Houthi movement said it had fired a ballistic missile at the Saudi oil tanker Daisy in the Gulf of Aden, claiming the strike forced the vessel to abandon its route and turn back. Independent verification of the attack and the ship’s status was not immediately available from shipping trackers or naval forces in the region. The Houthis have built a campaign of maritime pressure around such announcements, blending confirmed attacks on merchant vessels with unverified claims that nonetheless shape routing and insurance decisions. By naming the tanker and asserting…

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