Six killed in Houthi attack on ship; US strikes vessel in Gulf of Oman

Four crew members and two rescuers have been killed in an attack by Houthis on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, Yemen's transport ministry said, while the US military said it struck a container ship attempting to sail toward an Iranian port.

The fatalities aboard the Egyptian-owned Tihamah would mark the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the Iran war began on February 28.

Ship-tracking data showed the vessel Tihamah near Murad, Yemen, on August 11. The date was verified by two Yemeni coast guard sources and two military officials in the government who said Houthis attacked a small cargo ship. 

Three Pakistanis and one Indonesian were killed, the Yemeni ministry said, adding the crew lost control of the vessel after being attacked.

Two Yemeni rescuers from the National Resistance Forces (NRF), an anti-Houthi force, were also killed when the Houthis struck again after rescue crews arrived, the Yemeni Coast Guard said.

Ten people were injured, including seven crew members, two Coast Guard personnel and one NRF member, according to the Coast Guard.

Separately, US Central Command said it had fired two Hellfire missiles, disabling the steering gear of the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova while it was sailing in the Gulf of Oman toward an Iranian port.

The vessel ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a naval blockade on Iranian ports, Central Command added.

It is the 12th vessel attacked by US forces since its blockade was announced in April and the third since the blockade was reimposed on July 14.

Earlier today, CENTCOM forces disabled the steering gear of Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova as the cargo vessel attempted to transit the Gulf of Oman and violate the U.S. blockade against Iran by sailing toward an Iranian port.

A U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two hellfire… pic.twitter.com/hqY1g2Ng8q

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 11, 2026