Houthi Rebels Kill Six on Egyptian-Owned Tihamah in Bab Al-Mandeb Strait

Iran-aligned Houthi rebels attacked the Egyptian-owned Tihamah in the Bab al-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, Yemen’s internationally recognised government said, killing at least six people and wounding 10 others in a double-tap strike.

“killing at least six people and wounding 10 others”

Al Jazeera

Yemen’s Transport Ministry said three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian national were killed after the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the commercial ship, sparking a fire and causing “significant damage” to the vessel.

Al Jazeera

Yemen’s coastguard said a second missile struck the site of the rescue operation, killing at least two troops and leaving 10 people wounded in total, including seven crew members.

The attack on the Tihamah was described as the first shipping deaths linked to the Houthis since the United States and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28, and it followed the collapse of a years-long truce in Yemen’s civil war.

In a separate incident, the US military said it fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged Vela Nova cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman, but did not say if any crew members were wounded.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said at least three Pakistani nations were killed in an “incident involving an attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea,” and he added that another Pakistani national had sustained injuries.

Dar posted on X that “Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel,” and said Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry was in contact with Saudi Arabia and Yemen to ascertain further details.

Asia Insurance Post

Yemen’s transport ministry told Reuters that four crew members were killed in the Bab el-Mandeb attack on the Egyptian-owned Tihamah, including three Pakistanis and one Indonesian, while Yemen’s coastguard said 10 people were injured, including seven crew members.

The Times of India also reported that two rescuers from an anti-Houthi military group were killed when the Houthis allegedly struck again after rescue teams reached the vessel, and it said 10 people, including seven crew members, were injured.

In the same reporting stream, the Times of India said the US Central Command fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged Vela Nova and disabled its steering gear after the vessel allegedly ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a US naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The attacks came as shipping traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait and Red Sea had fallen by more than 50% since an earlier wave of Houthi attacks on shipping in 2023-25, and it fell further after the Houthis announced their blockade last month.

“just six ships passing through on Monday”

The Times of India

The Times of India said traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had also fallen sharply, with just six ships passing through on Monday compared with a 10-day average of about 11 and prewar levels of around 130 to 140.

In Yemen, the internationally recognised government said the Houthis launched 10 missiles and four drones during further attacks on sites on the country’s western coast, including al-Makha (Mocha) and the central city of Marib.

The UN called for restraint, warning that renewed hostilities risk “drawing the country into a broader regional confrontation, with devastating consequences for its people.”

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Foreign Ministry condemned the Bab al-Mandeb attack and called on the international community “to move from condemnation to effective and decisive action” against the Houthis.