Iranian-backed Houthis kill 4 in attack on vessel, and other developments in the Mideast

AP News-Aug 11th2026

Yemeni authorities say four people were killed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacking a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Houthi attack killed 3 Pakistanis and an Indonesian, Yemen says

Four people were killed Tuesday by Houthis firing missiles on a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Yemeni authorities said.

The Transportation Ministry of Yemen’s internationally recognized government said the dead included four Pakistani nationals and an Indonesian. A ministry statement said the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles on the Yemeni commercial vessel.

They are the first known deaths from Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the latest bout of fighting in the Arab country.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb strait at Yemen’s southern tip, which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil.

The deadly vessel strike came amid Houthi attacks on the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea and other areas of the country. Dozens government troops and civilians have been killed in attacks since last week, according to the Yemeni military.

The strikes are part of an escalation by the Houthis against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.

The Houthi attacks could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesperson, accused Saudi Arabia in a social media post of exploiting the ceasefire to tighten an air and sea blockade it imposed in 2015.

He said the Houthis are open for negotiations but any settlement must include lifting the blockade.