Initial information indicated that the attack killed two Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian national, Aljoumhouriya TV of the pro-government National Resistance Forces reported.

The report did not identify the vessel or specify the weapon used in the attack. Details about the extent of damage to the ship and the condition of the remaining crew were not immediately available.

The Houthis have not yet commented on the reported attack.

Three Crew Members Reportedly Killed

The reported attack comes amid renewed Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in waters off Yemen, raising fresh concerns over maritime security in the strategically important Red Sea region.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait is a key international shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean.

The latest incident also comes amid an escalation in attacks by the Houthis on government-held areas in Yemen and targets in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

On July 20, the Houthis announced a ban on Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea, citing what they described as a Saudi blockade of Houthi-held areas.

Yemen Government Warns of Response

Yemen’s internationally recognised government said on Monday that it would respond to continued Houthi attacks as an intensifying wave of missile and drone strikes across government-held areas raised concerns over a wider escalation.

Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, said government forces were better prepared to confront the latest escalation and would not allow the Houthis to dictate the timing and scope of military confrontations.

Speaking in Riyadh to ambassadors of countries supporting Yemen’s political process, al-Alimi said the government had sought to preserve the relative calm that followed the 2022 UN-brokered truce, but would not allow its commitment to peace to be used by the Houthis to launch attacks without consequences.

He said recent attacks had demonstrated that the military and political situation had changed, warning that strikes on Marib, Hadramout and the western coast would no longer go without consequences.

Conflict Continues in Yemen

The remarks came after days of intensified Houthi attacks on government forces and infrastructure in the oil-rich provinces of Marib, Hadramout and Shabwa, as well as the western coastal city of Mocha.

Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized large parts of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

The latest reported attack on commercial shipping adds to concerns over the continuing security risks faced by vessels travelling through waters off Yemen.