Strike on ship in Red Sea off Yemen coast kills 2

A cargo ship in the Red Sea off Yemen's coast was struck by a projectile on Tuesday, resulting in at least two deaths and four injuries, according to British maritime security firm Vanguard. The deceased crew members were a Pakistani and an Indonesian national, while three other crew members - two Pakistani and one Indonesian - sustained injuries.

Subsequent Yemeni Navy intervention met with hostile fire, leading to one further loss of life. Earlier, a Yemeni coast guard source claimed that the Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, were responsible for the attack, resulting in three crew fatalities. Another source confirmed the incident, stating that a second projectile struck the vessel during rescue efforts, though the exact number of casualties was not disclosed.

The incident occurred following the collapse of a years-long truce in Yemen's civil war between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government, triggered by escalating tensions between Iran and the United States. The breakdown of the 2022 UN-backed agreement coincided with the Houthis' declaration of a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, targeting Saudi tankers in the Red Sea and the kingdom's oil infrastructure, following Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.