At least six people were killed on Tuesday after missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi militia struck a cargo vessel in the Red Sea, according to Yemen’s government. The attack represents a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict affecting maritime security in the region.
The Yemeni Transport Ministry reported that the vessel, named Tihamah, was transporting food supplies when it was hit near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic chokepoint at the southern entrance of the Red Sea. The ministry confirmed that four crew members—three Pakistanis and one Indonesian—died after a fire broke out on board the ship. Subsequently, the Yemeni Coast Guard said two members of Yemen’s armed forces were killed during a rescue operation when the vessel was targeted again by another missile.
The Houthi military acknowledged responsibility, stating that they had attacked a ship in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, alleging the vessel was carrying Saudi military equipment. The Houthis have recently intensified their attacks on Saudi-linked oil vessels in the Red Sea and declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia following armed clashes with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.
This incident marks the first known fatal attack in the Red Sea attributed to the Houthis since the broader conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran escalated in February. The Yemeni Transport Ministry characterized the Tihamah as a "Yemeni commercial vessel," while shipping records from Equasis indicate the ship is owned by Egypt’s Thubab for Marine Services and flies the Tanzanian flag. No immediate responses were available from the Saudi, Pakistani, or Indonesian governments.
The Yemeni government condemned the attack, accusing the Iranian-backed Houthis of expanding their range of targets in the Red Sea and warning that such actions threaten essential food and consumer supplies for millions of Yemenis. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, overseen by the Royal Navy, likewise confirmed that a vessel had been struck by an unknown projectile near the Yemeni port of Mokha, with casualties reported.
The Red Sea is a critical maritime corridor, increasingly important since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz at the onset of the regional hostilities. Saudi Arabia has relied heavily on this route for oil exports, though Houthi leaders announced a maritime blockade against the kingdom last month. Despite these threats, maritime traffic through the Bab al-Mandab Strait has remained stable; maritime analytics firm Kpler recorded 36 vessel crossings on Monday, a slight increase from the previous day.
The attack comes amid a resurgence of violence within Yemen, where the Houthis have launched missile and drone strikes on cities under government control. The Yemeni government has responded with counteroffensives against the rebels, raising concerns that the fragile cease-fire brokered by the United Nations in 2022 is nearing collapse. The conflict, which began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa with Iranian backing, has left Yemen divided, with the Houthis controlling the north and a Saudi-led coalition backing the government in the south.
Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam framed the group's escalated military operations as a “legitimate response” to foreign aggression and accused Saudi Arabia of waging an economic war against Yemen. As tensions rise on both land and sea, the prospect of renewed full-scale civil war looms over the region.