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An Indian commercial vessel sank after coming under attack in the Red Sea by an explosives-laden boat off Yemen’s western coast, with all 14 crew members rescued, Yemen’s government-aligned National Resistance Forces announced on August 4.
The forces’ December 2 news agency said the Faize Noore Oliya was attacked while sailing about 13 nautical miles south of the port of Hodeidah, in the Red Sea, causing it to sink.
The agency did not give details about the circumstances of the attack or identify the party responsible. It said the Yemeni Navy and Coast Guard carried out a joint rescue operation that saved all 14 crew members, including 13 Indian sailors and one Yemeni.
No casualties were recorded, and the crew members were transferred to a safe location where they received medical assistance, the report added.
The attack came amid a naval blockade by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia, which strongly suggests that the Yemeni group was responsible.
Earlier in the day, the Houthis announced that they had carried out a drone strike on a “sensitive target” at Najran Regional Airport in southern Saudi Arabia.
In an effort to de-escalate tensions, Saudi Arabia is conducting quiet diplomatic outreach to the Houthis through Omani intermediaries, while simultaneously maintaining military readiness for potential strikes if negotiations prove unsuccessful, Bloomberg reported.
The report said that Oman, which has historically served as a regional mediator and maintains channels to both Saudi Arabia and non-state actors, is facilitating message delivery and exploratory talks.
Saudi military preparations continue in parallel with diplomatic efforts. Defense officials have not specified the scale or timing of potential operations but have indicated readiness to respond militarily if current negotiations do not yield de-escalation within a defined timeframe, according to the report.
Interestingly, regional and Western diplomats told Bloomberg that American officials have privately discouraged a major Saudi military retaliation against the Houthis. Washington, they said, fears that worsening Saudi-Houthi hostilities would further disrupt global shipping and energy markets, and possibly close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another chokepoint vital for flows of energy. Oil prices have already soared 35% this year mainly because of the closure of Hormuz.
A broader military campaign risks drawing Saudi Arabia even deeper into the regional conflict with Iran. The kingdom was targeted by missiles and drones during the height of the war in March and early April.
More recently, the Houthis and Iran-backed armed factions in Iraq have carried out drone attacks against Saudi Arabia’s petroleum facilities, including refineries.
The de-escalation efforts will not likely succeed unless the Saudis ease their siege on Yemen, in line with the demands made by the Houthis.
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