Ship-tracking data links the vessel that Ansar Allah (Houthi) forces said they targeted Tuesday in the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait to Egyptian companies (*). Ansar Allah described Tihamah as a Saudi military equipment transport ship, but maritime databases identify it as a Tanzanian-flagged commercial vessel, with its registered owner and commercial manager both listed on MarineTraffic and MagicPort with addresses in Alexandria, Egypt.
The strike, which killed four crew members, comes amid a renewed campaign by the movement against Red Sea shipping.
On Tuesday evening, Ansar Allah said they had targeted a “Saudi military equipment transport ship” in Bab Al-Mandeb, killing four crew members, including three Pakistanis and an Indonesian sailor, injuring four others, and causing a fire and material damage aboard the vessel.
The Yemeni Military Media account affiliated with Ansar Allah posted images of the ship on X showing the targeted vessel’s name as Tihamah.
A search for the ship on MarineTraffic showed that the Tihamah flies a Tanzanian flag and had been out of service for over 36 hours, remaining stationary in the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait as of publication time.
Data from MagicPort lists the vessel's registered owner as Thubab for Marine Services, with an address in Alexandria, Egypt. A second firm, Blue Sea for Management Marine, is listed as the commercial manager and operator, also with an Alexandria address. Built in 2024, the Tihamah is a 63-meter deck cargo ship with a deadweight capacity of 520 metric tons.
Latest update on the Tihamah's position, Aug. 12, 2026The Saudi-backed Yemeni Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “the terrorist attack carried out by Houthi militias against the commercial vessel Tihamah while it was sailing through the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait represents a new escalation in the militias’ systematic attacks on Yemeni interests, facilities, ports, and vital supply lines, and a direct threat to the security and safety of maritime navigation and international trade.”
The vessel was connected to “trade and food supplies for the Yemeni people,” the ministry added.
According to the ministry’s statement, Ansar Allah did not stop after striking the vessel once. It said “the militias targeted the ship again with another missile as rescue teams arrived to evacuate the crew and the injured, wounding a member of the rescue team in a deliberate attack on a humanitarian mission.”
The Saudi-backed Yemeni Transport Ministry said the vessel was targeted “with three consecutive ballistic missile strikes while sailing through the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait.”
According to Ansar Allah army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the movement had targeted “Saudi enemy troop concentrations, weapons depots, and command headquarters in the Yemeni area of Al-Makha and Tadaween camp in Marib governorate with a large number of ballistic missiles and drones. The strikes were accurate, by God’s grace, and left dozens dead and wounded, including Saudis,” Saree posted to X on Tuesday evening.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the attack on Wednesday, stating it put innocent lives at risk, violated international law, and severely threatened freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. He confirmed Islamabad is coordinating with Saudi authorities and Yemen’s internationally recognized government to establish the precise circumstances of the attack.
Ansar Allah had announced on July 20 that they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea in response to what they described as a Saudi blockade. Riyadh denies imposing any blockade on Yemen, according to Reuters.
Shipping through the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea has fallen by more than 50% since an earlier wave of Ansar Allah attacks on vessels from 2023 to 2025. Traffic has declined further since the movement announced its blockade last month.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan announced last Friday that they had signed a joint defense agreement in Mecca without Egypt, which had taken part with the three countries in repeated meetings on regional security. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking in an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency about the possibility of Egypt joining the agreement, said that Egypt “is already a natural partner for us on all issues. And I believe that in the coming period Egypt will be with us as part of the alliance.”
