Yemen’s government has accused the Iran-backed Houthis of a “double tap” attack on a commercial ship sailing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, killing four crew members and two rescue workers. This is a serious escalation and a sign that the deadly conflict in Iran is spreading across the region.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government’s transport ministry said the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the Tihama, a small cargo ship carrying food.
The ship was damaged by a fire caused by the airstrike, the ministry said, adding that four crew members, three Pakistanis and one Indonesian, were killed, and four other crew members and a rescue worker were injured.
The ministry accused the Houthis of targeting the ship again after a search and rescue operation was launched, saying it was an effort to “endanger the lives of everyone on board, including the rescue team.”
Yemen’s coast guard later said that preliminary information indicated that two rescue workers and four crew members were killed in the attack.
There was confusion over the ownership of the rammed vessel, with initial reports from Yemeni officials and maritime intelligence agency Maririsks saying an unidentified Saudi-owned vessel was rammed in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
However, Marine Traffic said the Tihama was sailing under the Tanzanian flag and was owned by a company registered in Egypt and Yemen.
The Houthi-run Sabah news agency reported on Tuesday that the group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was transporting military equipment. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to the claims.
Yemen’s Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah TV released several photos and a short video purporting to show the ship. Two of the photos had the name Tihama in them.
Last month, the group threatened to target Saudi ships attempting to pass through the strait in response to Saudi Arabia’s long-standing blockade of the group, which controls much of northern Yemen.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, overseen by the U.S. Navy, said the unidentified general cargo ship was hit by a projectile while anchored in Yemeni territorial waters in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Tuesday’s report did not identify the vessel or say who was responsible for the attack.
