Six Killed in Yemen Strikes on Cargo Vessel Tihamah

Yemen’s government says six people were killed, including three Pakistani nationals, in a Houthi double-tap missile strike on the Egyptian-owned cargo vessel Tihamah in the Bab al-Mandeb strait amid Yemen strikes that have disrupted shipping routes. The strikes on the Tanzania-flagged Tihamah caused a fire, significant damage, and wounded 10 others including seven crew members; a second missile hit during the rescue operation, killing at least two troops. [1] Houthi-run media claimed the group targeted a Saudi ship carrying military equipment in the strait, though no Saudi confirmation was given and the Houthis issued no direct comment on the Tihamah attack. [3] The incident marks the first shipping deaths linked to the Houthis since the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28 and follows the collapse of a UN-backed 2022 truce after a Saudi airstrike on Sanaa airport. [5]

Houthi Strike Kills Six on Cargo Vessel

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. [1] Yemen’s coastguard said in a separate statement that the Houthis fired another missile at the ship as rescue personnel were evacuating the dead and wounded. [3] The attack struck the site of the rescue operation and resulted in deaths and injuries among the forces participating in the response operation, the coastguard said. [1] At least two troops were killed in the second strike. [5] Ten people were wounded in total, including seven crew members, it added. [3] The initial salvo targeting the Tanzania-flagged Tihamah caused a fire to break out aboard the vessel and inflicted extensive damage, in addition to causing deaths and injuries among its crew, including three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian national killed, the coastguard said in a statement. [1] A second strike targeted the vessel as rescue workers carried out a mission to evacuate the ship. [3] The escalation in Yemen follows the collapse of a years-long truce in the country’s civil war between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government. [5]

Houthi Claims and Government Response

Yemen’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and called on the international community “to move from condemnation to effective and decisive action” against the Houthis. [1] There was no official comment from the Houthis. [3] But the Houthi-run news agency Saba reported that the group had attacked a Saudi ship carrying military equipment in Bab al-Mandeb. [5] It did not name the ship, and there was no immediate Saudi response to the report. [1] In a separate incident on Tuesday, the US military said it fired on a ship attempting to break its blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman. [3] The US Central Command said a Navy helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged Vela Nova cargo vessel, but did not say if any crew members were wounded. [1] Yemen’s coastguard on Tuesday said strikes by the Houthi rebels on a cargo vessel identified as the Tihamah resulted in the death of four sailors and two members of rescue personnel deployed during a rescue mission to evacuate the ship. [3] A Houthi-linked media outlet later reported that the group’s armed forces targeted a ship on Tuesday in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait that it said was carrying Saudi military equipment. [5] However, there has been no official comment from the Houthis about the alleged attack, or any word from Pakistan’s Foreign Office regarding the Pakistani casualties. [3]

Collapse of Truce and Escalating Attacks

The breakdown of the United Nations-backed 2022 truce followed a Saudi air strike on the runway of Sanaa airport on July 13, preventing the landing of an Iranian flight carrying a high-ranking Houthi delegation. [1] The Houthis then attacked the Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia and announced a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea. [5] They have also attacked Saudi vessels as well as oil facilities in the kingdom, adding further disruption to the global economy. [1] The Saudi-led coalition, in turn, has struck Houthi-controlled Hodeidah and Kamaran, Yemen’s largest island in the Red Sea. [3] The Houthis have also launched attacks on government-held areas in Yemen, including the port city of al-Makha on the Red Sea and the central city of Marib, killing dozens of troops and civilians. [5] Yemen’s internationally recognised government on Tuesday said the Houthis launched 10 missiles and four drones during a series of further attacks on sites on the country’s western coast. [1] The Houthis said they had launched ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi military buildups, weapons depots and command posts in al-Makha and the central Marib province. [3] Yemen’s Houthis say dozens killed, wounded in strikes on Marib and Mokha. [2] Group says attacks targeted military deployments, weapons depots and command centers. [2]

US Action Against Blockade Runner

The US military, meanwhile, said a US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles to disable the steering gear of a Panama-flagged cargo ship after it ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a naval blockade on Iranian ports. [5] Maritime sources told Reuters news agency the ship was hit off Pakistan while sailing into the Gulf of Oman. [3] Centcom later confirmed that it had fired missiles into the engine room of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of Iran’s ports. [1] The US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired on and disabled the M/V Vela Nova after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces, Centcom claimed. [3] This was the 12th vessel attacked by US forces since its blockade was announced in April and the third since the blockade was re-imposed on July 14. [5] The ship recently made port calls in Mumbai and Port Klang, Malaysia, where Iran-linked ships have also been spotted, said Charlie Brown, senior advisor at US advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran. [3] The ship was believed to have been hit some 71 nautical miles off Pakistan’s coast, UK maritime risk management group Vanguard said. [1]

UN Call for Restraint

The UN has called for restraint, saying the renewed hostilities risk drawing the country into a broader regional confrontation, with devastating consequences for its people. [1]

What to watch next: Iran’s top security official said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed unless the US accepts conditions including the release of Iran’s frozen assets and an end to wars throughout the region.