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Tihamah struck near Bab al-Mandab
The Iran-backed Houthis carried out missile strikes on a cargo ship identified as the Tihamah near the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen’s coast, with Yemen’s coastguard saying the initial salvo caused a fire and “inflicted extensive damage.”
“inflicted extensive damage”
Yemen’s coastguard said the strikes killed at least six people, including four sailors aboard the Tihamah and two members of forces sent to evacuate the vessel, while a second strike hit the site of the rescue operation.
The Yemeni transport ministry put the death toll slightly lower, saying four had been killed, and it described the Houthis as responsible for “deaths, injuries and damage inflicted on the commercial vessel 'Tihamah'.”
The BBC reported that the transport ministry said the vessel was hit with three ballistic missiles south of the port of Mocha, causing a fire on board and resulting in deaths of four crew—three Pakistanis and one Indonesian—before a second missile strike targeted rescuers.
Conflicting casualty counts
The Jerusalem Post reported that a Houthi missile strike on a commercial ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait killed three Pakistanis and an Indonesian national, citing Saudi state-owned Al Hadath and noting that Reuters later confirmed the incident with Yemeni coast guard sources and government military officials.
In contrast, the BBC said six people were killed and 10 injured in strikes by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on a cargo ship in the Red Sea, with the transport ministry saying four crew died—three Pakistanis and one Indonesian—and the coastguard later saying a second missile strike targeted rescuers.
The Gulf News described how a second strike hit rescue workers while the coastguard said 10 people were injured over the course of the strikes, and it quoted the transport ministry holding “the Houthi terrorist militias fully responsible.”
The New York Times said the Yemeni Transport Ministry stated the Tihamah was carrying food supplies and that four crew members—three Pakistanis and one Indonesian—were killed when a fire broke out on board, while the Yemeni Coast Guard said two members of Yemen’s armed forces were also killed during the rescue mission.
Houthis target Saudi-linked shipping
Alongside the strikes on the Tihamah, the Houthis claimed they targeted what they described as a Saudi military equipment transport ship in the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to Xinhua’s account of a statement posted on the social media platform X.
“a Saudi military equipment transport ship”
Xinhua reported that Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said “a large number of ballistic missiles and drones” targeted troop gatherings, weapons depots and command centers in Mocha and at Tadawin military camp in Marib, while also claiming “dozens of casualties, including Saudi personnel.”
The BBC said the Houthis released a short statement confirming that its forces targeted a ship in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and alleged that the vessel was carrying “Saudi military equipment,” framing the attack as part of a broader campaign that began after the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi ports.
The Gulf News tied the incident to the collapse of a years-long truce in Yemen’s civil war and said the attacks came after the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia last month, with the coastguard describing the strikes as part of “a number of deadly attacks against ships in and around the entrance to the Red Sea.”