A Houthi unmanned surface vessel (USV) struck and sank the MSV Faez Noor Awliya, an Indian-flagged tanker, in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to Indian and Yemeni authorities. The crew of 14 was rescued and transferred to Mokha port in Yemen. The tanker is the fourth vessel hit by the Houthis since the group announced a blockade on Saudi ports.
The Iran-backed Houthi group struck and sank the Indian-flagged tanker MSV Faez Noor Awliya with an unmanned surface vessel (USV) in the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Tuesday, according to Indian and Yemeni authorities. All 14 crew members were rescued and transferred to Mokha port. The attack marks the fourth vessel hit since the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi ports, as The Zioneer has been tracking.
The Zioneer first reported the incident at 17:42 Jerusalem based on an unverified Arabic-language report stating an Indian cargo vessel had been sunk by an explosive boat off Al-Hudaydah. Within the same hour, Yemen's Houthi-affiliated National Resistance Forces confirmed the sinking, identifying the vessel as Faize Noore Oliya and stating it was struck by an explosive boat. Shortly after, India's shipping minister confirmed that the vessel, identified as MSV Faez Noor Awliya, had been struck by a projectile, capsized, and sunk, with all 14 crew rescued by the Yemeni Coast Guard. The minister noted that 13 of the crew were Indian nationals. The attack method was later specified as a USV by Houthi-affiliated sources, while the minister did not attribute the projectile's origin.
The attack comes amid heightened maritime tensions in the region. As The Zioneer reported on July 30, a senior Houthi official stated the group had no intention to impose tolls on Bab el-Mandeb passage. However, the Houthis have continued to target vessels, with this incident marking the fourth since the group announced a blockade on Saudi ports. The sinking also underscores the broader instability in strategic waterways, as The Zioneer has reported on similar Houthi and Iranian actions in the Strait of Hormuz.
What remains open: While Houthi-affiliated sources claimed responsibility and described the attack as a USV strike, India's shipping minister did not attribute the attack to any specific group, stating only that the vessel was struck by a projectile of unknown origin. Additionally, a second Indian vessel was reported struck by a missile off Yemen on Tuesday evening, with no casualties; that incident is separate and under investigation.
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