Indonesian, Pakistanis Among Six Killed In Houthi Ship Attack

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

JERUSALEM/SANAA (Worthy News) – An Indonesian and three Pakistani crew members were among six people killed in an attack by Iran-backed Houthi forces on a cargo ship in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait near Yemen, officials said Wednesday.

Yemen’s Transport Ministry said the four crew members died after the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah was attacked Tuesday, causing its crew to lose control of the vessel.

Two Yemeni rescuers from the National Resistance Forces (NRF), which opposes the Houthis, were also killed when the Houthis allegedly struck again after rescue teams arrived, Yemen’s Coast Guard said.

Ten others were injured, including seven crew members, two Coast Guard personnel and an NRF member, according to Yemeni authorities.

If confirmed, the crew deaths would be the first fatalities in a Houthi attack on commercial shipping since the Iran war began February 28.

HOUTHIS CLAIM SHIP ATTACK

The Houthis later said they had attacked a vessel carrying Saudi military equipment through the Bab el-Mandeb but did not identify the ship.

Britain’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said an unidentified projectile had struck a vessel in the strait.

The attack came after the Houthis declared what they called a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea on July 20, accusing Riyadh of imposing a siege on Yemen. Saudi Arabia denies the allegation.

The Tihamah was reportedly anchored northeast of Yemen’s Perim Island when it came under attack.

Separately, the U.S. military said it fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova in the Gulf of Oman, disabling its steering gear after the vessel allegedly ignored repeated warnings while sailing toward an Iranian port.

SHIPPING TRAFFIC PLUNGES

U.S. Central Command said the vessel violated Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports. It was the 12th vessel targeted by U.S. forces since the blockade was first announced in April and the third since it was reimposed July 14.

The escalating maritime conflict has further disrupted shipping through two of the world’s most strategically important waterways.

Traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea has fallen by more than half since Houthi attacks on commercial shipping began in 2023, with another decline following the latest blockade.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been even more severely disrupted amid the wider Iran conflict, adding pressure to international trade and energy supplies.

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