At least six people were killed Tuesday when suspected attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck a cargo vessel near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait off Yemen's southern coast, the country's coastguard said.
The strikes are the latest in a number of deadly attacks against shipping in the entrance to the Red Sea since the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia last month.
The coastguard from Yemen's internationally recognized government said four sailors aboard the cargo vessel – identified as the "Tihamah" – were among the dead along with two members of the forces deployed during a rescue mission to evacuate the ship.
The initial salvo targeting the ship "caused a fire to break out aboard the vessel and inflicted extensive damage, in addition to causing deaths and injuries among its crew, including three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian national killed," the coastguard said in a statement.
A second strike targeted the vessel as rescue workers carried out a mission to evacuate the ship.
