At least three crew members were killed after a cargo ship was attacked in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, according to Yemeni coast guard sources and government military officials.
The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the attack so far. Yemeni sources said two Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian crew member were killed aboard the Tanzania-flagged Tihamah, which was sailing from Salalah in Oman towards Djibouti, Reuters reported.
Attack raises fresh shipping concerns
If confirmed as a Houthi strike, the incident would mark the group's first attack since the Middle East conflict was triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February.
The attack comes about a month after the Houthis announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. The group said the move was in response to what it described as a Saudi siege. Riyadh has denied besieging Yemen, according to Reuters.
The latest incident could add to concerns over the safety of commercial vessels using the strategically important waterway.
Why Bab el-Mandeb matters
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, whose name means ‘Gate of Tears’, is a narrow and strategically important maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The waterway has gained renewed attention as the Strait of Hormuz remains shut. The Houthis have repeatedly threatened to disrupt shipping through Bab el-Mandeb, a route through which around 12 per cent of global trade passes.
The scale of shipping through the strait has already declined amid the security concerns. Kpler data showed that an average of 32 ships a day passed through Bab el-Mandeb last week.
Before the blockade, the figure was around 50 ships a day, according to Reuters.
The latest attack has therefore put the spotlight back on the risks facing vessels using the Red Sea route, particularly as disruptions at other key maritime chokepoints continue to affect global shipping.