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Three crew members killed in Houthi's attack on cargo ship in Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Maritime security sources told Reuters a cargo ship was believed to have been targeted in the Red Sea, but the fate of the crew was unclear.
At least three crew members were killed after a deck cargo ship was attacked by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, two sources from the Yemeni coast guard and two military officials in the government said.
The Houthis have not yet claimed the attack, which Yemeni sources said killed two Pakistanis and one Indonesian person on the boat sailing from Salalah in Oman via Djibouti, Reuters reported.
If confirmed, the attack on Tanzania-flagged Tihamah would be the first by a Houthi strike since Middle East conflict was triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran at the end of February.
This comes a month after the Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea in response to what they described as a Saudi siege. Riyadh denies that it had besieged Yemen, according to Reuters.
Why is Bab el-Mandeb important?
Bab al-Mandab or Bab el-Mandeb — known as ‘Gate of Tears’ over its treacherous sailing conditions has emerged as a key talking point as Strait of Hormuz continues to remain shut.
The Iran-backed Yemeni fighter group known as Houthis has threatened multiple times to disrupt shipping through the Bab al-Mandab strait, through which 12 per cent of global trade happens.
An average of 32 ships per day passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait last week, Kpler data showed. Prior to the blockade an average of 50 ships per day transited the strait, as per Reuters.
