Six people, including four crew members and two Yemeni rescuers, have been killed in a Houthi attack on the cargo ship Tihamah in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemeni authorities said. The Egyptian-owned vessel was attacked on Tuesday while anchored northeast of Yemen’s Perim Island, according to reports.
Yemen’s transport ministry said four crew members died. Pakistan’s foreign minister said three were Pakistani nationals, while Yemeni authorities identified the fourth as Indonesian. Two rescuers from the anti-Houthi National Resistance Forces were also killed when the Houthis launched a second strike after rescue teams arrived, according to Yemen’s Coast Guard.
Ten others were injured, including seven crew members, two Coast Guard personnel and one NRF member. The Houthis acknowledged attacking a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb, claiming it was carrying Saudi military equipment but without naming the ship. Yemeni authorities said the crew lost control of Tihamah after the attack.
The four crew deaths are the first fatalities from a Houthi attack on commercial shipping since the Iran war began on 28 February. The Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea on 20 July, intensifying risks for vessels using the Bab el-Mandeb and southern Red Sea.
The latest attack, particularly the reported second strike on arriving rescuers, has heightened concerns over the safety of both commercial crews and emergency teams operating in the region.