Houthi attack on Bab el-Mandeb ship kills four in first fatal Red Sea strike

Houthi rebels attacked a Yemeni commercial vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, killing four people. The strike deepens fears of a wider regional flare-up as Red Sea shipping faces fresh pressure.Yemeni authorities said four people were killed after Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, in what they described as the first known deaths from Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the latest phase of fighting. The attack comes as wider tensions continue across the Middle East, with focus also shifting to the Red Sea route as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut by Iran.The Houthis also carried out fresh strikes on government-held areas in Yemen, including the Red Sea port city of Mokha and the central province of Marib. At the same time, Iran repeated its demands over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States said its naval blockade was stopping Tehran from selling oil internationally.Yemen's Transportation Ministry, under the country's internationally recognised government, said the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at a Yemeni commercial vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb on Tuesday. It said four people were killed, including Pakistani nationals and an Indonesian. The ministry described the attack as the first known fatal strike on shipping in Yemen's waters in the current round of fighting.With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, attention has turned again to the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at Yemen's southern tip, which serves as an alternative route for Saudi Arabia to ship oil. Yemen's military said the Houthis targeted Mokha and Marib with missiles and drones, though it did not give further details. Last week, the Houthis struck Marib and the eastern province of Hadramout, killing dozens of government troops and civilians. Over the weekend, they also hit Mokha with missiles and drones, killing at least seven people, including three troops, according to the Yemeni military.Mokha is a main port controlled by Yemen's internationally recognised government and has been renovated to handle shipping as an alternative to the Houthi-held port of Hodeida. The latest strikes were part of an escalation by the Houthis against government forces in Yemen, as well as oil facilities in neighbouring Saudi Arabia and the kingdom's shipping in the Red Sea. The attacks have raised fears that Yemen's civil war could flare up again after a 2022 truce and open a new front in the wider regional conflict. Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis' chief negotiator and spokesperson, accused Saudi Arabia in a social media post of using the ceasefire to tighten the air and sea blockade imposed in 2015. He said the Houthis were open to negotiations, but any settlement must include lifting the blockade.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters that Iran had "astonished the whole world" in the war against the United States and Israel, proving "that it is a tough and invincible power". Iran has refused to step back from its demand that the US end its blockade of Iranian ports and meet other conditions before Tehran considers reopening the Strait of Hormuz.Iran effectively closed the strait after Israel and the US attacked the country on February 28. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of the world's traded oil supplies passed through the waterway. The attacks there, and uncertainty over what happens next, have kept energy prices in focus in US politics ahead of November's midterm elections.US President Donald Trump said on Monday, during an Oval Office exchange with reporters, that the US Navy's blockade was preventing Iran from selling its oil on the international market and was effectively choking the Iranian economy. "Yeah, they can make trouble," Trump said, "but they're broke." Overall, the latest developments combined deadly attacks in Yemen, renewed pressure on Red Sea shipping and continued confrontation over Iran's oil exports and the Strait of Hormuz.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 11, 2026 19:24 IST