Houthi Missile Strike on Saudi Vessel Kills Six in Bab el-Mandeb

A missile attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on a commercial vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait has left six people dead, according to Yemeni authorities. The strike, which occurred on Tuesday, marks the first known fatalities from Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the current round of hostilities.

Yemen's coast guard confirmed that the dead included four crew members and two fighters from the government-allied National Resistance Forces. The Transportation Ministry of Yemen's internationally recognized government said the rebels fired three ballistic missiles at the vessel.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the attack on Wednesday, stating that three Pakistani nationals were among those killed and another was wounded.

The incident comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut down by Iran, placing renewed strategic importance on the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait as an alternative route for Saudi oil shipments. The Houthis have intensified strikes against government forces in Yemen, oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, and Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.

Many of the recent attacks have focused on the government-held port city of Mokha, where dozens of troops and civilians have been killed since last week, according to the Yemeni military. The escalating violence threatens to reignite Yemen's civil war, which had been largely dormant since a 2022 truce, and could open a new front in the wider Middle East conflict.

The Houthis later released video footage claiming to show a Saudi vessel on fire after being targeted in the strait. The authenticity of the footage could not be independently verified.