Three civilians killed in Houthi shelling of Yemen’s Hodeidah

Three civilians, including a child, were killed on Tuesday evening in a Houthi missile attack on Yemen’s western coastal province of Hodeidah, a Yemeni military source said.

The source told dpa that “Houthi terrorist militias fired two ballistic missiles at farms in the al-Khokha district in southern Hudaydah province, killing two farmers and a 13-year-old child.”

The source said the toll was preliminary and that authorities were still investigating the incident.

Most of the province of Hodeidah, also written Hudaydah, is controlled by the Houthi movement, while Saudi-backed government forces control several areas, including al-Khokha district in the southern part of the coastal province.

Earlier Tuesday, government forces and the Houthis exchanged attacks in several provinces, including Taizz, Hodeidah, Shabwa and Marib.

Cargo ship struck in Red Sea near Yemen port

A cargo ship has been struck by several unknown projectiles in the Red Sea, around 40 nautical miles (74 kilometres) south-east of the Yemeni port city of Mocha, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday, citing local reports.

Nobody was on board the vessel at the time of the incident, but the damage was said to be considerable.

The Houthi militia has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea on previous occasions. The attacks have raised fears that the strategically vital Bab al-Mandab strait could effectively be closed.

The strait lies on the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe, running via the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

In normal times, around 10% of global maritime trade passes through the Bab al-Mandab, which translates as the Gate of Tears.

The Houthis have severely disrupted global trade through attacks in the region since 2023.

The conflict between the Yemeni government, backed by Saudi Arabia, and the Houthis has recently escalated again. It is the most serious escalation since an unofficial ceasefire came into force in 2022. The conflict flared up again in the wake of the Iran war.