Four crew, two rescuers killed in Red Sea attack; U.S. strikes ship in Gulf of Oman

Four crew members were killed in an attack by Yemen’s Houthis on a ship. while the U.S. military said it struck a container ship to sail toward a port in Iran.

Four crew members were killed in an attack by Iran-backed Houthis on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, Yemen’s transport ministry said, while the U.S. military said it struck a container ship attempting to sail toward an Iranian port.

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

Later in the day, the Houthis confirmed they attacked a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb, which they said was carrying Saudi military equipment but did not name the ship.

Satellite imagery of the Bab el-Mandeb strait.Gallo Images / Copernicus Sentinel Data 2026 via Getty ImagesThe Saudi Center for International Communication did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The British navy-affiliated agency UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported one incident in the strait ⁠on Tuesday, saying a ship was hit by an unknown projectile.

Reuters was able to confirm the ​cargo ⁠ship as Tihamah by the shape of the deck and mast of the ship, which matched archive imagery of the vessel. Corroborating visuals from the dock matched satellite imagery and topography mapping of the area.