Iran-Backed Houthis Fire Three Ballistic Missiles at Bab El-Mandeb Vessel, Killing Six

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, killing six people, Yemen’s authorities said.

“Yemen’s coast guard said the dead included four crew members and two members of the government-allied National Resistance Forces.”

Associated Press

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 the deaths of four crew, including three Pakistanis and one Indonesian.

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The Associated Press said Yemen’s coast guard counted the dead as four crew members and two members of the government-allied National Resistance Forces, and it described the strike as the first known deaths from Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the latest bout of fighting.

The BBC added that a second deadly missile strike targeted rescuers who tried to evacuate the ship, after the Houthis said they hit a ship carrying Saudi military equipment.

In the same episode, the BBC said the conflict’s broader context includes Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, described as “the vital waterway where a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas used to transit.”

The BBC said the Houthis’ missile strikes killed six and injured 10, with the Yemeni government describing the ship as carrying food supplies while the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of transporting weapons.

The New York Times reported that the Yemeni Transport Ministry said the vessel Tihamah was carrying food supplies and that four crew members—three Pakistanis and one Indonesian—were killed when a fire broke out on board.

Associated Press

The BBC also said the Yemeni coastguard later reported a second deadly missile strike targeted rescuers, while the Houthis said they hit a ship carrying Saudi military equipment.

The New York Times added that the Yemeni Coast Guard said two members of Yemen’s armed forces were killed during a rescue mission when another Houthi missile targeted the vessel.

In parallel, the Houthis’ own brief statement confirmed they targeted a ship in the Bab al-Mandab strait and alleged the vessel was carrying “Saudi military equipment.”

The Associated Press framed the Tuesday vessel strike as part of an escalation by the Houthis against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.

“The Houthi attacks could reignite Yemen's civil war following a 2022 truce”

Associated Press

It also said the Houthi attacks could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce, and it described the wider regional pressure as the Strait of Hormuz being effectively shut down by Iran.

The BBC described the attack as coming after a years-long truce in Yemen’s civil war collapsed last month, with the Houthis controlling much of north-western Yemen and the government operating out of Aden.

The Associated Press reported that U.S. forces fired on a Panamanian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to break a blockade of Iran’s ports, and it said U.S. Central Command redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade.

With shipping already under strain, the BBC said the Houthis launched their attacks on shipping last month by announcing a naval blockade of Saudi ports, while the Associated Press noted that the deadly vessel strike came amid Houthi attacks on the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea.