Houthi Attack Kills Three Crew in Bab el-Mandeb Strait

The Houthi group attacked a commercial cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on August 11, 2026, killing three crew members. The casualties include two Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian national. The strike hit the vessel's deck, though the identity of the ship and its owner remain undisclosed.

This attack follows a Houthi-declared blockade on all commercial vessels transporting goods to Saudi Arabia. The incident occurred shortly after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Türkiye announced the Mecca Accord, a diplomatic initiative designed to de-escalate regional hostilities.

The ongoing maritime campaign has severely disrupted international trade. Daily transits through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have fallen from 120–140 ships to between 25 and 40. Similar disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have reduced transits to single digits. These events contributed to oil price volatility, with WTI crude rising 2.5% to $84.22 on the day of the attack.