Houthis declare Bab el-Mandeb blockade on Saudi vessels, tanker attack kills 6

Published Aug 12, 11:44 PM UTC

On August 11, 2026, Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked the Tanzania-flagged tanker Tihamah in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, killing four crew members (three Pakistani, one Indonesian) and two Yemeni rescue workers. This marks the first fatalities from Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in over a year. The Houthis have declared a blockade on Saudi-linked vessels in the strait, a critical chokepoint for global oil trade, through which 4.1 billion barrels of petroleum passed in 2024. The attack comes amid ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving Saudi Arabia with few viable export routes. The Houthi campaign, previously targeting Israeli-linked ships, now focuses on Saudi oil industry vessels, escalating regional maritime risks and threatening global oil supplies.