Yemeni officials reported that six individuals lost their lives on Tuesday due to an assault by Iran-backed Houthi insurgents on a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Among the deceased were four crew members and two members of the government-aligned National Resistance Forces, according to Yemen’s coast guard. The Ministry of Transportation of Yemen’s internationally recognized government stated that the Houthis launched three ballistic missiles at the Yemeni commercial ship.
This incident marks the first confirmed fatalities from Houthi assaults on maritime traffic off Yemen during the recent escalation of hostilities in the region. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed by Iran, there is now heightened attention on the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern tip of Yemen, which serves as an alternative route for Saudi Arabia to transport its oil.
The Houthis also targeted the government-controlled port city of Mokha on the Red Sea and other regions within the country. Yemen’s military confirmed that the rebels directed missiles and drones at Mokha and the central province of Marib, although specific details were not disclosed.
In recent attacks, the Houthis struck Marib and the eastern province of Hadramout, resulting in the deaths of numerous government troops and civilians. Additionally, they launched assaults on Mokha over the weekend, claiming the lives of at least seven individuals, including three soldiers, as reported by the Yemeni military.
The ongoing escalation by the Houthis against Yemeni government forces and oil installations in Saudi Arabia, a supporter of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, poses a risk of reigniting the civil war in Yemen following a 2022 truce and potentially opening a new front in the Middle East conflict.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief negotiator and spokesperson for the Houthis, accused Saudi Arabia in a social media post of taking advantage of the ceasefire to tighten the air and sea blockade imposed since 2015. He expressed the Houthis’ willingness to engage in negotiations, emphasizing that any resolution must include lifting the blockade, a claim disputed by Riyadh.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed an attack on a cargo vessel off the coast of al-Mokha, Yemen, by an unidentified projectile, resulting in casualties. These incidents in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have heightened concerns for shipping companies already impacted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.