Four crew, two rescuers killed in Red Sea attack
The deaths of an Indonesian and three Pakistani crew members, if confirmed that the Houthis were behind the attack, would mark the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the Iran war began.
Boats on the shore of Bab el-Mandeb, Yemen on Apr 2, 2026. (File photo: Reuters)
Four crew members were killed in an attack by Iran-backed Houthis on a small cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday (Aug 11), Yemen's transport ministry said.
Two Yemeni rescuers from an anti-Houthi military group were also killed in the Bab el-Mandeb attack, Yemen's Coast Guard said.
The fatalities aboard the Egyptian-owned Tihamah would mark the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the Iran war began on Feb 28.
Later in the day, the Houthis said they attacked a ship carrying Saudi military equipment in the Bab el-Mandeb, but did not name the ship.
The Saudi Center for International Communication did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The British navy-affiliated agency UK Maritime Trade Operations reported one incident in the strait on Tuesday, saying a ship was hit by an unknown projectile.
Reuters was able to confirm the cargo ship as Tihamah by the shape of the deck and mast of the ship, which matched archive imagery of the vessel. Corroborating visuals from the dock matched satellite imagery and topography mapping of the area.
Ship-tracking data showed the vessel Tihamah near Murad, Yemen, on Aug 11.
The date was verified by two Yemeni coast guard sources and two military officials in the government who said a small cargo ship was attacked by Houthis. British maritime security company Ambrey also said there was an attack on the vessel on Aug 11.
Three Pakistanis and one Indonesian were killed, the Yemeni ministry said, adding the crew lost control of the vessel after being attacked.
Two rescuers from the National Resistance Forces (NRF), an anti-Houthi force, were also killed when the Houthis struck again after rescue crews arrived, the Yemeni Coast Guard said.
Ten people were injured, including seven crew members, two Coast Guard personnel and one NRF member, according to the Coast Guard.
The Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea on Jul 20 in response to what they described as a Saudi siege. Riyadh denies that Yemen is under siege.
The incident occurred while the ship was at anchor northeast of Perim Island, Yemen, British maritime security group Ambrey said.
SHIPPING TRAFFIC
Shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb strait and Red Sea has fallen by more than 50 per cent since an earlier wave of Houthi attacks on shipping from 2023 to 2025.
Traffic has fallen further since the Houthis announced their blockade last month, with an average of 32 ships per day passing through the strait last week, according to Kpler data, down from an average of 50 before the blockade.
Ambrey noted the cargo ship, which sources said was the Tihamah, was not Saudi-owned or operated and that it had departed the Yemeni government-held port of al-Mokha on Saturday.
LSEG data lists Egyptian companies as owners and managers of the ship. Neither responded to Reuters emails and phone calls seeking immediate comment.
Traffic is even more disrupted in the Strait of Hormuz, with just six ships passing through on Monday, down from a 10-day average of about 11 and prewar levels of some 130 to 140.
