On Tuesday, August 11th, 2026, three crew members were killed in a suspected attack by Iran-backed Houthis on the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical maritime chokepoint in the Red Sea. Yemeni sources reported that two Pakistanis and one Indonesian died as the ship sailed from Salalah in Oman via Djibouti. Following the attack, the crew lost control of the vessel and were approached by the Yemeni coastguard.

The attack occurred while the ship was anchored northeast of Perim Island, Yemen, according to British maritime security group Ambrey. The ship was reportedly hit by an unknown projectile, as noted in a report received by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British navy-affiliated agency.

If confirmed, these fatalities would be the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the Iran war began on February 28, 2026. The Houthis had declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea on July 20, citing a Saudi siege.

In a related incident, a container ship was struck by a missile off Pakistan’s coast, believed to be some 71 nautical miles offshore, in a suspected US attack. This would mark the 12th vessel attacked by US forces since a blockade was announced in April and the third since it was reimposed on July 14.

Maritime traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait has decreased since the Houthi blockade announcement last month, with an average of 32 ships passing daily last week, down from 50 before the blockade, according to Kpler data.

Sources