Houthi Attacks Disrupt Red Sea Oil Tankers

Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for attacking two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, in the Red Sea, setting one vessel ablaze and prompting other tankers to reverse course.

The Houthis announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in retaliation for a blockade on Yemen and a recent attack on Sanaa International Airport.

The strikes threaten to create a second chokepoint on global oil supplies alongside Iran's near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, further straining a U.S. military already stretched across the region.

Brent crude prices rose sharply as the maritime conflict widened, with global oil prices climbing on the deepening Middle East crisis.