The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on Wednesday that they had successfully targeted a Saudi oil tanker in the northern Red Sea as part of their ongoing maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia.

Ansarallah military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said Yemeni forces carried out a precision strike against the Saudi oil tanker Wafa off the coast of Yanbu using several ballistic missiles.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces, by the grace of Allah, successfully targeted the Saudi oil tanker Wafa in the northern Red Sea with a number of ballistic missiles. The strike accurately hit its target," Saree said.

According to the spokesman, the operation was conducted in implementation of the Yemeni Armed Forces' decision to impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, describing the campaign as a response to what he called the continued blockade and aggression against Yemen.

Saree stated that the latest strike brings the number of Saudi oil tankers targeted by Yemeni forces since the maritime blockade was announced on July 22 to eight.

He further claimed that 29 Saudi oil tankers have so far been intercepted or forced to alter their routes and turn back in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea as a result of Yemeni naval operations.

The spokesman said Yemeni forces had succeeded in tightening the blockade around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, prompting Saudi oil shipments to seek alternative routes through the northern Red Sea.

He warned, however, that the shift in shipping routes would not prevent further operations.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm that their military operations will continue and escalate in targeting Saudi oil tankers in the northern Red Sea in order to close all maritime access points and establish the equation of 'a blockade for a blockade,'" Saree said.

He added that Yemeni forces remain committed to expanding their operations regardless of the consequences, stressing that the campaign would continue until its declared objectives are achieved.

The announcement comes amid escalating maritime tensions in the Red Sea, where Yemeni forces have intensified operations targeting commercial and energy shipping they say is linked to countries involved in military actions and blockades against Yemen. Yemeni officials have repeatedly maintained that their maritime campaign is intended to impose strategic costs on their adversaries while responding to years of conflict and economic restrictions imposed on the country. (ILKHA)