SANAA, Yemen — Friday, October 23, 2026. Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed on Thursday that Saudi forces targeted a yacht carrying 14 Indian nationals near Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea, in a fresh flashpoint that pulled New Delhi into the escalating Houthi-Saudi confrontation. India said it was still verifying the claim and promised all possible help for the safety of its citizens.
Houthi Claim
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement posted on X that what he called “the Saudi enemy” had targeted the Indian-flagged vessel near the Yemeni island, describing his information as preliminary. He said Yemeni forces had launched a rescue operation for the 14 Indians on board and would release further details later.
The spokesman warned that the alleged strike threatened international navigation in the Red Sea and urged the international community to stop what he described as reckless Saudi actions. Zuqar Island lies in the southern Red Sea, roughly 100 kilometres north of the strategically vital Strait of Bab al-Mandeb, through which a large share of global trade passes.
India Seeks Details
The Indian Embassy in Yemen responded swiftly, posting on X that it had seen the reports and was working to establish the facts. “We have seen reports regarding an incident involving 14 Indian nationals on board a yacht off the coast of Yemen today. We are ascertaining further details about the incident and will provide all possible help for ensuring the safety and well-being of the Indian nationals,” the mission said.
New Delhi stopped short of blaming any side. India’s foreign ministry said on the same day that the continuing attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia were “completely unacceptable” and must cease immediately, while expressing solidarity with the Kingdom.
Escalating Crisis
The yacht claim surfaced a day after one of the deadliest rounds of Houthi attacks on Saudi soil. Two people — a Saudi citizen and an Indian national — were killed and eight wounded in the October 21 strike on Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport, Saudi aviation authorities said. Two more Indian nationals were injured in the Dammam attack, and another was hurt in a separate strike on Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield in the Eastern Province, according to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.
The assaults have paralysed Gulf aviation. India’s IndiGo airline has now extended its Saudi Arabia flight suspensions — services to Riyadh are cancelled through October 31, and flights to Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah remain grounded until October 27, the Indian Embassy confirmed on Friday. Air India, Air India Express and Akasa Air have also suspended Saudi routes. Thousands of Indian Umrah pilgrims remain stranded in Makkah and Madina as diplomats scramble to arrange their return.
Saudi civil defence issued alerts across Riyadh, Khamis Mushait, Abha and Najran early on Friday as coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki confirmed air defences had intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh and two drones headed for the Kingdom’s south.
No Saudi statement has yet confirmed or denied the alleged yacht attack, and the incident could not be independently verified. If confirmed, it would mark the first direct targeting of an Indian-flagged civilian vessel in the Houthis’ widening campaign — a development likely to deepen New Delhi’s involvement in a crisis that has already stranded thousands of its citizens.
