RismadarVoice Reporters, August 12, 2026
Four crew members were killed after Iran-backed Houthi fighters attacked a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, according to Yemen’s Transport Ministry.
The attack on the Egyptian-owned vessel, identified as Tihamah, is believed to be the first Houthi strike on commercial shipping to result in deaths since the Iran war began on February 28.
The Houthis later confirmed that they had attacked a vessel in the strategic waterway, claiming it was carrying Saudi military equipment. However, they did not identify the ship by name.
Reuters identified the vessel as Tihamah through satellite imagery and ship-tracking data. Maritime security firm Ambrey also reported an attack on the vessel on August 11.
Three of those killed were Pakistanis, according to Pakistan’s foreign minister, while Yemen’s Transport Ministry said an Indonesian crew member was also among the fatalities. The ministry added that the crew lost control of the vessel following the attack.
Two rescuers from the National Resistance Forces, an anti-Houthi group, were also killed after the Houthis launched another attack when rescue teams arrived at the scene, according to the Yemeni Coast Guard.
Ten people were reportedly injured, including seven crew members, two Coast Guard personnel and one member of the National Resistance Forces.
The incident occurred while the vessel was anchored northeast of Perim Island, according to Ambrey.
The Sea
The Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia on July 20, saying it was in response to what they described as a Saudi blockade of Yemen. Saudi Arabia has rejected the claim.
Separately, the US military said it had fired two Hellfire missiles at a Panama-flagged container ship, Vela Nova, in the Gulf of Oman.
US Central Command said the strikes disabled the vessel’s steering system after it allegedly ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The vessel was reportedly about 71 nautical miles off Pakistan’s coast when it was hit.
According to US officials, the incident marked the 12th vessel attacked by American forces since the blockade was introduced in April and the third since it was reimposed on July 14.
The Vela Nova had recently called at ports in Mumbai, India, and Port Klang, Malaysia. Shipping monitors said vessels linked to Iran had also been observed at those locations.
The developments come amid heightened scrutiny of commercial shipping suspected of having links to Iran as tensions continue to disrupt maritime trade in the region.
Commercial shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea has declined significantly following repeated Houthi attacks and the latest blockade.
Data from Kpler showed that an average of about 32 vessels passed through the strait each day last week, compared with around 50 before the latest blockade was announced.
Traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb had already fallen by more than 50 per cent during an earlier wave of Houthi attacks between 2023 and 2025.
Shipping activity has also been severely affected in the Strait of Hormuz. Only six vessels reportedly passed through the waterway on Monday, compared with a 10-day average of about 11 and pre-war levels of roughly 130 to 140 vessels.
