A Houthi military spokesman claimed Monday that the group fired ballistic missiles at a Saudi military landing ship and four military boats escorting it off the coast of al-Mokha in the Red Sea. According to the Houthis, the attack hit the vessels and sank some of them. There is currently no independent confirmation of the claims.
The report comes after the Houthis intensified their attacks around al-Mokha in recent days. On August 14, six ballistic missiles were fired at the port in an attack that killed at least four people, according to Yemen’s government. The escalation is happening alongside a broader Houthi threat to Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. If the strike on Saudi vessels is confirmed, it could signal a shift from threatening Saudi-linked ships passing through Bab al-Mandab to more direct attempts to hit Saudi Arabia’s ability to move forces and supplies along Yemen’s western coast.
On August 7, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a mutual defense agreement in Mecca under which an armed attack on any of the three countries would be considered an attack on all of them. Now, with Saudi Arabia facing repeated attacks from the Houthis, the agreement faces its first test—and so far there has been no visible activation of a joint defense mechanism by Turkey or Pakistan.