Four killed, five injured in missile attack on Yemeni ship in Bab Al-Mandab Strait

Four crew members of the Yemeni commercial vessel Tihama were killed and four others injured, along with a rescue team member, after the ship was struck by three ballistic missiles while sailing through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, according to Yemen’s Ministry of Transport.

In a statement from the interim capital Aden, the ministry said the ship was carrying food supplies when it came under attack on Tuesday morning, sparking a fire on board. Three of the deceased crew were Pakistani nationals and one was Indonesian. Four other crew members and a rescuer were injured, and the vessel sustained material damage.

The ministry added that Houthi militia fired an additional missile at the ship as rescue teams attempted to reach the crew and evacuate the wounded, describing this as a deliberate attempt to thwart rescue operations and endanger the lives of sailors and rescuers.

The ministry condemned what it called a "terrorist crime" and held the Houthi militia fully responsible for the casualties and damage to the vessel.

It said the attack on Tihama reflects an escalating approach aimed at expanding threats to include commercial ships, ports, and civilian facilities in liberated areas, warning that such assaults pose a direct risk to the flow of food and essential goods for millions of Yemenis.

The ministry said repeated attacks on commercial vessels demonstrate what it described as the militia’s "maritime terrorism," and constitute violations of international law, international humanitarian law, and conventions governing maritime security and safety.

It stressed that targeting commercial ships and sea lanes cannot be seen as isolated incidents, but rather as an organized threat to regional and international maritime security and freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most strategic waterways.

Yemen’s Ministry of Transport warned of the serious consequences of these attacks on global trade and supply chains, calling on the international community and maritime organizations to take firm action, and to ensure the safety of shipping, crews, and maritime workers in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab, and Gulf of Aden.