Houthi Attack on Cargo Ship in Bab al-Mandeb Kills at Least 6
Adam Hancock
Yemen's internationally recognized government says Houthi rebels killed at least six people in a missile attack on a cargo ship in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, with ten others wounded. It is the first reported casualties to maritime shipping since U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran began.
Yemen's internationally recognized government on August 11 accused Houthi forces of killing at least six people and wounding ten others in a two-wave attack on a cargo ship in the Bab al-Mandeb strait. The incident occurred on the Egyptian vessel Tihamah, marking the first casualties linked to maritime shipping since the United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran on February 28.
Yemen's Ministry of Transport said three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian citizen were killed after Houthi forces fired three ballistic missiles at the commercial vessel, causing fires and severe damage. In a separate statement, Yemen's coast guard said Houthi forces fired an additional missile at the ship as rescue teams were evacuating the dead and wounded, killing at least two soldiers. In total, ten people were wounded, including seven crew members.
Yemen's Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and called on the international community to "move from condemnation to effective and decisive action" against the Houthis. The Houthis have not yet issued an official comment, but the group's Saba news agency reported that they had attacked a Saudi ship carrying military equipment in the Bab al-Mandeb, without naming the vessel.
In a separate development the same day, the U.S. military said it had fired on a cargo ship attempting to break the blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. Central Command confirmed that naval helicopters fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panamanian-flagged vessel Vela Nova, but did not say whether there were any casualties.
Tensions in Yemen escalated after a years-long ceasefire in the civil war between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government collapsed. The UN-brokered truce from 2022 ended following a Saudi airstrike on the runway of Sanaa airport on July 13, preventing an Iranian plane carrying a senior Houthi delegation from landing. The Houthis then attacked Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia and declared a maritime blockade on Saudi ships in the Red Sea, also targeting Saudi oil facilities and causing further global economic disruption. The Saudi-led coalition responded with airstrikes on Houthi-held Hodeidah and Kamaran Island.
The Houthis have also attacked government-held areas, including the port city of al-Makha and the city of Marib, killing dozens of soldiers and civilians. On August 11, the Yemeni government said the Houthis had launched ten missiles and four drones in a series of attacks on targets along the western coast. The Houthis claimed to have fired ballistic missiles and drones "targeting military concentrations, weapons depots, and Saudi command centers" in al-Makha and Marib province. The United Nations called for restraint and warned that the escalating conflict could "plunge the country into a broader regional confrontation with devastating consequences for the people."
