Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement claimed on Thursday that it had attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, opening another potential front in the widening conflict between the United States and Iran. The group said on Telegram that it had carried out a “qualitative military operation” against the Saudi vessels Encelia and Layla, accusing them of violating a maritime blockade imposed on Saudi Arabia earlier this week.

US completes 10th consecutive night of strikes as tankers are targeted in the Strait of Hormuz and Yemeni rebels threaten broader war.

This comes as the Houthis, an Iranian-backed faction in Yemen, announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabian ships and threatened to open a new front in the war.