The Houthi rebels of Yemen have claimed this Monday that they have carried out a missile attack against a Saudi warship off the port of the Yemeni city of Mocha, in the southwest of the country.
According to a statement released by the group, in the same area, four other vessels acting as "escort" for the main ship during the same offensive would also have been damaged. For the moment, Saudi authorities have not provided details about what happened, according to information published by the Saba news agency, linked to the insurgents.
The Houthis have explained that the operation was carried out using several ballistic missiles, which would have allowed achieving a "direct and precise" impact against the target. In this regard, they have emphasized that the action would have caused the total destruction of the military ship, the sinking of several patrol boats, and the fire of the other vessels involved.
The text of the statement also warns that "all military movements and deployments of Saudi troops are being closely monitored and we will attack these movements and deployments, both on land and at sea," reaffirming the insurgency's commitment to the principle of "an eye for an eye."
In recent days, the Houthi movement has also claimed attacks against strategic Saudi infrastructures, including a refinery of the company Saudi Aramco, as well as against positions considered "sensitive" at the Najran airport, in the south of Saudi territory.
These actions add to the naval blockade imposed against Saudi Arabia, announced at the end of July. As the military spokesperson for the group, Yahya Sari, explained at the time, this measure responded to the "siege" by Riyadh in a context of growing tension between both parties, following the attacks against the airport of the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, and the subsequent retaliatory bombing against the Saudi airport facilities in Abha.