Houthi Strike on Red Sea Cargo Ship Kills Three Crew Members
A Houthi attack on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait killed three crew members, sources said.
A cargo ship came under attack on Tuesday in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an attack that killed three crew members, according to two sources from the Yemeni coast guard and two military officials in the internationally recognized government.
The vessel, described as a deck cargo ship, was targeted by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi forces in the strategic waterway that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Maritime security sources said a cargo ship was believed to have been targeted in the Red Sea, though the fate of the crew was initially unclear. The confirmation of the deaths came from the Yemeni government-aligned sources.
The attack underscores the ongoing threat posed by the Houthis to commercial shipping in the region, a campaign the group has said is aimed at pressuring Israel and its allies over the war in Gaza. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a critical chokepoint for global trade, and repeated attacks have forced many shipping companies to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding significant time and cost to voyages.
The incident marks one of the deadliest in the Houthi campaign against shipping, which has previously involved missile and drone strikes on vessels, but has less frequently resulted in confirmed fatalities among crew members.