Six Killed in Red Sea Assault as US Forces Strike Ship Near Oman

The Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah was targeted while anchored northeast of Perim Island, Yemen. According to the country’s transport ministry, the initial strike killed four crew members—three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian—leaving the vessel drifting and out of control. A subsequent strike on the same ship claimed the lives of two rescuers from the National Resistance Forces, while ten others sustained injuries during the chaotic operation. The Houthis claimed the vessel was carrying Saudi military equipment, though the attack represents the first confirmed civilian fatalities in the region since February 28.

Simultaneously, U.S. Central Command confirmed that American forces fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova. The strike, occurring 71 nautical miles off the Pakistani coast, disabled the vessel's steering after it reportedly ignored warnings to stop its transit toward an Iranian port. This marks the 12th such intervention by U.S. forces since the imposition of a naval blockade on Iranian ports in April. As these maritime theaters heat up, commercial traffic continues to crater; transit through the Bab el-Mandeb has plummeted by over 50%, while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped to just six vessels per day, a fraction of pre-conflict levels.