Four Crew, Two Rescuers Killed in Houthi 'Double-Tap' Strike on Ship in Red Sea's Bab Al-Mandeb Strait

Four crew members were killed in ​an attack by Iran-backed Houthis on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, Yemen’s transport ministry said, while the U.S. military said it struck a ‌container ship attempting to sail toward an Iranian port.

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, if confirmed, would mark the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the Iran war began on February 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 (UKMTO) 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 August 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 August 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 July 20 in response to what they described as a Saudi siege. Riyadh ​denies that Yemen is under siege.