Are Red Sea Routes, the 'Hormuz Bypass', Also Facing Closure? Houthi Rebels Intensify Vessel Attacks

▲ Ships floating in the Strait of Hormuz

As Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels escalate vessel attacks in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea, dark clouds are gathering over the Red Sea, which serves as an alternative energy transport route bypassing the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

The Ministry of Transportation of the internationally recognized Yemeni government stated on the 11th (local time) that the Houthi rebels fired three ballistic missiles at the Tihama, a small cargo ship owned by an Egyptian company passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The ministry added, "The ship, which was transporting food, was attacked by the Houthis, causing a fire," and "consequently, four crew members, including three Pakistanis and one Indonesian, were killed and four others were injured, along with one rescue worker who was also injured."

Yemen's Coast Guard later announced in a separate statement that the death toll from the Houthi rebel attack had risen to six.

According to the Coast Guard, the deceased include three crew members of Pakistani nationality, one crew member of Indonesian nationality, and two soldiers of the Yemeni government's National Resistance forces.

In particular, it was reported that after initially firing three missiles at the vessel, the Houthi rebels launched a secondary attack while rescue workers were approaching the burning ship, injuring 10 people in the process.

If the casualties are officially confirmed, this will be the first human casualty caused by Houthi merchant ship attacks since the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28.

However, the Houthi side has not confirmed their involvement in the attack.

Furthermore, the cargo ship attacked on this day was not even a Saudi vessel targeted by the Houthi rebels, raising concerns that vessel attacks in the Red Sea may be spreading indiscriminately.

This ship attack occurred amid intensified offensives by the Houthi rebels against various regions in Yemen, including Mocha, a Red Sea port city controlled by the government forces.

According to the Yemeni military, dozens of government troops and civilians have lost their lives due to the Houthi attacks continuing since last week.

The Houthis have also continued offensives targeting the Yemeni government forces, oil facilities in Saudi Arabia which supports the Yemeni government, and Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.

The intensified offensive by the Houthi rebels targeting the Red Sea and nearby ports has raised concerns that it could reignite the civil war, which had subsided following the 2022 truce, while also expanding the front of the Middle East war that had been concentrated in the Gulf region.

In particular, with Iran blockading the Strait of Hormuz, real threats are being posed to the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait south of Yemen, which serve as alternative crude oil transport routes for Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, prompting warnings that this could significantly impact global energy supply and demand.

In fact, according to shipping information provider Kpler, the average daily number of vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait plummeted from 50 right before the Houthis declared a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia to 32 afterward.

On the 20th of last month, the Houthi rebels declared a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, claiming it was retaliation for Saudi Arabia's siege of Yemen.

Although the Saudi government denies the claims of a siege on Yemen, the Houthi rebels maintain their stance that negotiation terms must include the lifting of the blockade by Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the Panamanian-flagged container ship Bellanova was hit by a missile off the coast of Pakistan while entering the Gulf of Oman.

Regarding this, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the vessel attempted to evade the U.S. maritime blockade network against Iran-linked ships, and a U.S. military helicopter fired a Hellfire missile at its rudder.

U.S. Central Command did not immediately issue a position on this.

If confirmed true, this attack would mark the 12th vessel strike since the U.S. announcement of the maritime blockade against Iran in April, and the 3rd since the resumption of the blockade on the 14th of last month.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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