Attack on Cargo Ship Near Yemen in Red Sea Causes Casualties, UK Group Says

The Houthis said they attacked a Saudi oil tanker earlier this month and that more than two dozen ships were forced to be turned around.

In this handout photo provided by U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska on April 20, 2026. US Navy via Getty Images

A small commercial cargo ship was attacked in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, according to a UK military-aligned organization.

The UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) said it was informed of “an incident” near the coast of Al Mokha, Yemen, in the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The strait lies between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connecting the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, and is considered the entry point to the Red Sea.

“It has been reported that a cargo vessel in the Southern Red Sea has been hit by an unknown projectile resulting in casualties,” the group said. “Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”

The Iran-aligned Houthi terrorist organization, which has not claimed responsibility for the attack, declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea last month ⁠in response to what it described as a Saudi siege against its territory. Riyadh has denied that it ​had besieged Yemen.

The Houthis said they attacked a Saudi oil tanker earlier this month and that more than two dozen ships were forced to be turned around amid the blockade.

The incident comes as Iran has sought to restrict traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, another key chokepoint in the region, after U.S. military strikes against the country that started in February. Tehran has struck commercial vessels in the strait throughout the conflict, sending the price of oil surging this year.

The Saudi military last week said that more than 10 civilians, including a 4-year-old child, were injured in Saudi Arabia on Thursday after a series of attacks by the Houthis.

Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the Saudi military, said the attack wounded seven Saudi nationals, one Yemeni, two Egyptians, and one Pakistani expatriate. The Houthis did not confirm the attacks.

“The terrorist Houthi militia carried out these terrorist attacks using indiscriminate shelling against civilian objects, which is a flagrant violation of the Customary International Humanitarian Law through deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects,” al-Malki said in an Aug.6 post on X.

The attack in the Bab el-Mandeb also comes as President Donald Trump said Iran’s regime must pay reparations for attacks that it launched against U.S. forces over the years, responding to a demand from Tehran that the United States should pay for damages that were caused in the recent round of strikes.

Tehran should also be held responsible for the damages and deaths caused in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Gaza, Trump wrote on Truth Social. Iran should also compensate the families of Iranian protesters who were killed in a recent crackdown on dissent earlier this year, he added.

“I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any and all future negotiations,” the president wrote.

In the meantime, the United States has held off on new strikes against Iran, as Trump told an Axios reporter over the weekend that Iran’s economy is in shambles and lacks the funds to pay its soldiers.

On Aug. 9, Trump said the U.S. government is only “semi-negotiating” with Iran and that economic pressure imposed on Iran is working.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.