YEMEN Aug 11, 2026 – Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said Tuesday it targeted a Saudi vessel carrying military equipment as it passed through the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The claim was issued by the Houthi-run Saba news agency and quickly circulated by regional accounts. Houthi forces said the ship was transporting Saudi military equipment and formed part of their ongoing maritime campaign against the kingdom.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government offered a sharply different account. The Transport Ministry and Coast Guard identified the vessel as the commercial cargo ship Tihamah, which they said was carrying food supplies. According to official statements, the ship was struck by multiple missiles south of the port of Mocha, sparking a fire that killed four crew members—three Pakistanis and one Indonesian. Two members of Yemeni forces were later killed during a rescue operation when a second missile hit the area. Ten people were reported injured.
There was no immediate public confirmation from Saudi authorities.
The incident comes weeks after the Houthis announced a naval blockade targeting Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea, citing what they described as a Saudi siege of Yemen—an allegation Riyadh has rejected. The attack marks the first known fatalities from Houthi strikes on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since the broader regional escalation involving Iran, the United States, and Israel earlier this year.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait remains one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. Continued Houthi attacks have already forced many shipping companies to reroute vessels around Africa, lengthening journeys and raising costs.
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