Cargo ship comes under fire off coast of Houthi-controlled Yemen

Vessel’s security guards return fire toward gunmen on skiff, which then flees back back to larger ship; vessel and crew safe, British maritime agency says

A cargo ship came under attack Sunday off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea, the British military said, the latest maritime attack off the conflict-torn Arab country.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the attack off the coastal city of Hodeida, which is under the control of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

The UKMTO said the ship reported being “under attack by unknown armed assailants” 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) southwest of Hodeida.

A skiff approached the bulk carrier and opened fire, forcing the ship’s security guards to return fire, before sailing back to a larger ship about two nautical miles (3.7 kilometers) away with its automatic identification system switched off, the UKMTO said.

The cargo ship and crew were reported safe, the British military agency said, adding that authorities were investigating.

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No group immediately claimed the attack.

The Houthis have threatened to begin attacking ships again, though they have not been carrying out attacks. A Houthi spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The rebels previously fired drones and missiles at ships that pass by territory they control near the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. Their attacks over the course of the war against Hamas in Gaza forced shipping companies to reroute vessels around the southern tip of Africa instead of through the Suez Canal at the northern end of the Red Sea.

The rebels are a key part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” network of regional terrorist proxies that also includes Gaza’s Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — first started attacking Israel and Red Sea shipping in November 2023, saying the attacks were in support of Hamas.

At sea, the Houthis attacked over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two ships and killing four sailors.

The US and Israel responded with a punishing air campaign across the Houthi-held areas in Yemen.

US President Donald Trump announced in May 2025 that he was halting US strikes on the Houthis after a deal that saw the rebels stop their attacks on ships in the Red Sea, even as they continued attacking Israel.

The Houthis halted their attacks on Israel during the Gaza ceasefires in January-March 2025 and between October 2025 and March 2026.

In all, the Houthis launched over 130 ballistic missiles and dozens of explosive-laden drones at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July 2024, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.

Somali pirates have also been active further away in the Gulf of Aden recently.

Suspected pirates attacked a vessel 76 nautical miles (140 kilometers) south of the port town of Balhaf in southeastern Yemen on July 1. Four armed men on a small craft caused minor damage to the ship’s bridge, according to the UKMTO.

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