Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Six dead in Houthi Red Sea attack; US strikes Iran-bound vessel
Some fighters called the Houthis shot at a cargo ship in the sea near Yemen.
The ship was called Tihamah and it was carrying goods and a crew.
Four sailors died in the attack, and two helpers who arrived to rescue them also died.
Ten other people were hurt.
The fighters shot at the ship a second time while the rescuers were trying to help.
In a different part of the sea, the United States military stopped another ship that was going to Iran.
The U.S. fired missiles that broke the ship's steering so it could not continue.
Fewer ships are now traveling through the Red Sea because of all the attacks.
Yemen's government says the Houthis are to blame for the deaths.
A Houthi attack on the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah in the Bab el-Mandeb strait killed four crew members and two Yemeni rescuers, with 10 people injured.
Yemen's transport ministry initially reported four dead, while the coastguard said at least six were killed after a second strike hit the rescue scene.
The Houthis struck the ship a second time as rescue crews arrived, killing two members of the anti-Houthi National Resistance Forces.
U.S. Central Command fired two Hellfire missiles that disabled the steering gear of the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova as it sailed toward an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman.
Shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb has fallen to an average of 32 ships per day, down from 50 before the Houthi blockade, and just six passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
- Who
- Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked the ship; U.S. Central Command struck a second vessel; victims included three Pakistani and one Indonesian crew member and two Yemeni rescuers from the National Resistance Forces.
- What
- A Houthi strike killed six people on and around the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah, and U.S. forces disabled the Iran-bound container ship Vela Nova.
- When
- Tuesday, August 11, following the Houthi maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia announced July 20.
- Where
- The Bab el-Mandeb strait off Yemen's coast, and the Gulf of Oman about 71 nautical miles off Pakistan's coast.
- Why
- The Houthis say their maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia responds to a Saudi siege, while the U.S. is enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Houthi position
Yemeni government and Saudi position
Red Sea blockade justification
Houthi position
The Houthis say their maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia is a response to what they describe as a Saudi siege of Yemen.
Yemeni government and Saudi position
Saudi Arabia denies Yemen is under siege, and Yemen's internationally recognized government holds the Houthis fully responsible for the deaths and damage.
Target of the Bab el-Mandeb attack
Houthi position
The Houthis said they attacked a ship carrying Saudi military equipment in the Bab el-Mandeb, without naming the vessel.
Yemeni government and Saudi position
Yemen's transport ministry says the Houthis attacked the commercial vessel Tihamah and are fully responsible for the deaths, injuries, and damage.
- Fatalities
- At least 6 killed (4 crew, 2 rescuers); 10 injured (transport ministry reported 4 dead)
- Attacked vessel
- Tihamah, an Egyptian-owned cargo ship
- Killed crew
- 3 Pakistani nationals and 1 Indonesian national
- Significance
- Potentially first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the Iran war began February 28
- Vessel struck by U.S.
- Vela Nova, a Panama-flagged container ship
- U.S. action
- Two Hellfire missiles disabled the Vela Nova's steering gear; 12th vessel hit by U.S. Central Command since the blockade announced in April
- Red Sea traffic
- Average 32 ships per day last week, down from 50 before the Houthi blockade
- Blockades
- Houthi embargo on Saudi Arabia announced July 20; U.S. naval blockade announced April, reimposed July 14
