Three killed in Red Sea ship attack; another vessel hit by missile off Pakistan

Three crew members were killed in a Houthi attack on a small cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to sources in Yemen. If confirmed, these would be the first deaths resulting from a Houthi strike on a vessel since the war in Yemen escalated on February 28. The Houthi group has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Sources in Yemen reported that two Pakistanis and one Indonesian died aboard the Egyptian-owned vessel Tihamah as it sailed from Salalah, Oman, through Djibouti. Following the attack, the crew lost control of the ship, which was then approached by the Yemeni coast guard. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), affiliated with the British Ministry of Defense, reported that the ship was struck by an unknown projectile.

“

Three crew members died on a small cargo ship after a Houthi attack in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, maritime security sources told Reuters that the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova was hit by a missile while sailing in the Gulf of Oman. The Wall Street Journal reported that the ship was attacked by a U.S. military helicopter, which fired a Hellfire missile at the ship's rudder after it attempted to evade a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has not yet commented on the incident.

If confirmed, this would be the 12th ship attacked by U.S. forces since the announcement of the blockade on Iranian ports in April, and the third since the blockade was reinstated on July 14. The Vela Nova was reportedly struck approximately 71 nautical miles off the coast of Pakistan, according to the risk management company Vanguard and a maritime security source. The UKMTO also received a report of an incident involving a container ship and military forces.

“

A container ship was hit by a missile off Pakistan in an attack that the U.S. is reported to have carried out.