也门胡塞武装本周宣称对一系列袭击负责，目标包括红海巴卜厄尔曼德海峡的沙特油轮和沙特支持的也门政府军营地，造成数十名平民和士兵伤亡。[1]其中，周四的一次针对民区的胡塞武装袭击造成11名平民受伤，其中包括一名4岁儿童；[1]对东部也门军事营地的攻击则导致至少17名士兵丧生。[1]
胡塞武装发言人纳斯鲁丁·阿默周五表示，该组织将继续打击任何沙特军事集聚，以努力解除沙特对也门的封锁。[1]三名胡塞武装官员在7月曾告诉美联社，该组织已计划数个月如何扰乱海峡运输。[1]虽然胡塞武装不控制也门沿巴卜厄尔曼德海峡的海岸线，但其占据距海峡不足100公里的领土。[1]
这些袭击加剧了胡塞武装与沙特支持的也门政府军之间的冲突，引发更广泛区域冲突的担忧，并导致通过该海峡的油轮数量下降。[1]巴卜厄尔曼德海峡每年运送约12%的全球贸易，包括全球集装箱运输的四分之一。[1]也门内战始于2014年，当时胡塞武装夺取首都萨那和也门北部大部分地区。[1]
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi fighters claimed responsibility this week for a series of lethal strikes, including attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea's Bab al-Mandab Strait and a Saudi-allied military camp, resulting in dozens of casualties among both civilians and soldiers.[1] A Thursday assault by the group wounded 11 civilians, including a four-year-old child,[1] while a separate strike on an eastern Yemen military base backed by Riyadh killed at least 17 soldiers.[1]
The escalating attacks have intensified the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, stoking fears of a broader regional confrontation.[1] Houthi spokesman Nasreddine Amer stated on X Friday that the organization would continue striking Saudi military concentrations in an effort to lift the kingdom's blockade on Yemen.[1] The group framed its actions as retaliation against the Saudi coalition's siege and American bombing campaigns.[1] Three Houthi officials told AP in July that the organization had spent months planning disruptions to strait shipping.[1]
The Bab al-Mandab Strait has historically carried roughly 12 percent of global trade annually, including a quarter of worldwide container shipments.[1] Although the Houthis do not control Yemen's coastline along the strait, they occupy territory within less than 100 kilometers of the waterway,[1] and shipping volumes through the passage have declined amid the tensions.[1] The Yemeni civil conflict began in 2014 when Houthi forces seized the capital Sana'a and much of northern Yemen.[1]