Houthi attack on Red Sea cargo ship kills at least four crew members

On August 11, 2026, a suspected Houthi missile attack on the cargo ship Tihamah in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait killed four crew members, marking the first shipping fatalities since the war began on February 28. A subsequent Houthi strike targeted the rescue operation, killing two Yemeni government-allied fighters. The Houthis claimed the attack, alleging the vessel carried Saudi military equipment. Separately, a U.S. military helicopter disabled the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova off the coast of Pakistan for attempting to evade the American blockade of Iranian ports.

Red Sea cargo ship attack

• ▪The Houthi military released a statement confirming they targeted a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, alleging it was carrying Saudi military equipment.
• ▪On August 11, 2026, the cargo ship Tihamah was struck by missiles fired by the Houthi militia while transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
• ▪The cargo ship Tihamah was hit by an unknown projectile while at anchor northeast of Perim Island, Yemen, according to maritime security group Ambrey and the UKMTO.

Crew member fatalities

• ▪The fatalities aboard the cargo ship Tihamah mark the first known deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the broader war began on February 28, 2026.
• ▪The missile strike on the cargo ship Tihamah killed four crew members, including three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian national.

Rescue mission casualties

• ▪Yemeni military sources reported that three coastguard personnel were injured by a drone strike while attempting to rescue the crew of the cargo ship Tihamah.
• ▪A second Houthi strike targeted the rescue operation for the cargo ship Tihamah, killing two members of the Yemeni government-allied forces.

Houthi maritime embargo

• ▪Average shipping traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait fell to 32 ships per day following the Houthi blockade, down from a pre-blockade average of 50.
• ▪The Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea on July 20, 2026, in response to what they described as a Saudi siege.

U.S. blockade enforcement

• ▪On August 11, 2026, a U.S. military helicopter fired a Hellfire missile at the rudder of the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova off the coast of Pakistan.
• ▪U.S. Central Command stated that the container ship Vela Nova had ignored warnings to stop, prompting U.S. forces to disable the vessel to enforce a blockade on Iranian ports.