ADEN — Six people were killed and 10 wounded in a Houthi attack on an Egyptian-owned cargo vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, Yemeni authorities said, in the first reported deaths from a Houthi strike on commercial shipping since the war in Iran began in February.
The Tihamah was attacked on Tuesday near Perim Island, with Yemen's Transport Ministry saying the vessel was struck by three ballistic missiles. Four crew members — three Pakistanis and one Indonesian — were killed, while seven other crew members were among the wounded, according to Yemeni officials. Reuters independently identified the vessel as the Tihamah using visual and satellite evidence and corroborated the attack with Yemeni officials and maritime security company Ambrey.
The Yemen Coast Guard said two rescuers from the National Resistance Forces, an anti-Houthi group, were killed when the vessel was struck again as rescue personnel responded to the initial attack. Ten people were injured in total, including seven crew members, two coast guard personnel and one member of the National Resistance Forces, the Coast Guard said.
The Houthis later acknowledged carrying out an attack in the Bab al-Mandeb but did not name the vessel. Their Houthi-run Saba news agency said the target was a ship carrying Saudi military equipment. The Houthis did not provide evidence for the claim, while Reuters found that the Tihamah was Egyptian-owned and was not Saudi-owned or operated.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said a vessel had been hit by an unidentified projectile in the area and advised ships operating nearby to proceed with caution.
The attack comes after the Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia last month, saying it was in response to what they described as a Saudi siege of Yemen. Riyadh has denied imposing such a siege.
Commercial traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb, a strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, has declined sharply. Data from maritime analytics firm Kpler showed an average of about 32 vessels a day passed through the strait last week, down from about 50 before the blockade.
The attack adds to security risks for shipping companies already facing disruption elsewhere in the region. As of Wednesday, Yemeni authorities said the Tihamah had been attacked and casualties had been recorded, while maritime agencies continued to warn vessels operating in the area to exercise caution.
