Houthi strikes on Bab al-Mandeb kill six, marking first shipping deaths since US-Israel war on Iran

Yemen’s internationally recognised government has accused Houthi rebels of killing at least six people and wounding 10 others in a coordinated strike on the Egyptian-owned cargo vessel Tihamah in the Bab al-Mandeb strait. The incident, described by officials as a double-tap attack, marks the first shipping-related fatalities linked to the Iran-aligned group since the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on 28 February.

According to Yemen’s Transport Ministry, the initial assault involved three ballistic missiles that ignited a fire and caused significant damage to the commercial ship. Yemen’s coastguard subsequently reported that a second missile struck the area while rescue personnel were evacuating the injured and deceased. This secondary strike resulted in the deaths of two Yemeni coastguard troops, bringing the total casualty count to three Pakistani nationals, one Indonesian national, and two Yemeni forces, alongside seven wounded crew members.

The Houthi-run news agency Saba reported that the group had targeted a Saudi ship carrying military equipment in the same strait, though it did not identify the vessel. There was no immediate response from Saudi authorities to this claim. Yemen’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on the Tihamah and called on the international community to transition from verbal condemnation to “effective and decisive action” against the rebels.

In a separate development on Tuesday, US Central Command confirmed that a Navy helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged Vela Nova cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman. The command stated the strike was in response to the ship attempting to breach the blockade of Iranian ports. It remained unclear whether any crew members were injured in this engagement.

The violence underscores the collapse of the UN-backed 2022 truce in Yemen’s civil war, which deteriorated following a Saudi airstrike on Sanaa airport runway on 13 July that prevented the landing of an Iranian flight carrying a Houthi delegation. In retaliation, the Houthis attacked Abha airport in Saudi Arabia and imposed a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea. The Saudi-led coalition has since struck Houthi-controlled areas including Hodeidah and Kamaran island, while the Houthis have targeted government-held zones such as al-Makha and Marib.

On Tuesday, Yemen’s government reported that the Houthis launched 10 missiles and four drones during attacks on the western coast, which the rebels claimed targeted Saudi military buildups. The United Nations has urged restraint, warning that renewed hostilities risk drawing the country into a broader regional confrontation with devastating consequences for the civilian population.