Houthi double-tap attack on Red Sea ship: How it unfolded

On Tuesday, a double-tap attack by Houthi rebels on a ship in the Bab Al Mandeb strait resulted in six deaths, drawing international condemnation and raising questions about the rebels' willingness to exert pressure on Saudi Arabia and the international community. The attack occurred in Yemeni territorial waters near Mokha, five nautical miles from the coast.

The vessel, a 63-meter Egyptian-owned multipurpose ship named Tihamah, was carrying 11 crew members from Pakistan and Indonesia en route to Mokha port. The first round of the attack involved three ballistic missiles, prompting rescue teams to evacuate crew members and transport the wounded to hospital. The initial death toll was reported at four.

However, during the rescue operation, Houthi rebels launched a second attack with one ballistic missile, increasing the death toll to six, including two Yemeni rescuers and four crew members from Pakistan and Indonesia. The Yemeni government condemned the "terrorist" attack, stating that it demonstrated the Houthis' expansion of their threat to commercial vessels and civilian maritime infrastructure.

The incident raised concerns about the potential disruption of supplies of food and consumer goods to millions of Yemenis and the broader threat to regional and international maritime security.