The Houthis Red Sea attack left six people dead and 10 injured after missiles struck a cargo vessel off Yemen’s coast, according to the internationally recognised government of Yemen.
Yemen’s transport ministry said the ship was hit by three ballistic missiles south of the port of Mocha, igniting a fire on board. Four crew members were killed, identified as three Pakistanis and one Indonesian, the ministry said.
Yemen’s coastguard later reported that a second fatal missile strike targeted rescuers attempting to evacuate the vessel.
Houthis Red Sea attack and regional escalation
The Houthis said they targeted a ship carrying Saudi military equipment. It appears to be the first deadly strike on a vessel attributed to the group since the United States and Israel began striking Iran on 28 February.
The group launched attacks on commercial shipping last month, announcing what it described as a naval blockade of Saudi ports.
The broader conflict has stretched for more than five months, with a shaky ceasefire intended to pave the way for a settlement repeatedly faltering.
Regional tensions have escalated. Officials say the Houthis have also targeted Saudi tankers and oil infrastructure in the Red Sea, coinciding with Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which a significant share of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas once transited.
The latest incident follows the collapse last month of a years-long truce in Yemen’s civil war between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government.
The Houthis control much of north-western Yemen and regularly clash with government forces. The government operates from Aden in the south, while the capital Sanaa remains under Houthi control.
Details of the vessel and investigation
Images assessed by independent analysts appear to show a damaged cargo ship in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea off Yemen’s coast.
In a statement, Yemen’s government said the vessel had been carrying food and described the strike on a commercial ship as an escalation in Houthi tactics.
Earlier, maritime risk firm Vanguard said the Yemeni Navy deployed to assist the ship and came under fire, leaving three additional people injured.
Close-up images identify the vessel as Tihamah. Ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic places it in the Red Sea off Warner Point.
Vanguard said the ship sails under Tanzania’s flag. MarineTraffic lists an Egyptian operator. Yemen’s transport ministry referred to Tihama as a Yemeni commercial ship, while earlier Iranian media reports described it as Saudi-affiliated.
Photographs of the vessel published by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency have been verified as recent and show no indicators of AI generation.
Saudi Arabia’s role in the conflict has drawn regional attention, including through recent diplomatic contacts such as Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia for talks with Sharif.
Additional reporting by Ghoncheh Habibiazad.