Indian ship sunk off Yemen as Israel ramps up Red Sea readiness

An Indian-flagged cargo vessel sank in the Red Sea on Tuesday after being struck off Yemen's coast, the first ship lost in the waterway since the Houthis renewed threats last month to target shipping tied to Saudi Arabia.

The vessel, identified as the MSV Faize Noore Oliya, was hit roughly 13 nautical miles south of the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah before capsizing and sinking.

Rescue forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government pulled all 14 crew members from the water - 13 Indians and one Yemeni - and brought them ashore at the port of Mokha. New Delhi's foreign ministry condemned the "unprovoked" attack and called for shipping through the corridor to be restored "at the earliest."

No group has claimed the strike. But shipping data show the vessel had been in contact with Saudi ports, and the assault fits a pattern security analysts have described as a likely suicide boat attack consistent with the Houthis' warning last month that they would target vessels linked to Saudi Arabia and disrupt traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Although the Houthis didn’t claim responsibility or comment yet, the internationally recognized government of Yemen, accused the Houthis of carrying out the attack using an explosive-laden boat.

The sinking comes as Israel's Navy conducts a broad, multi-theater exercise stretching along the country's coastline and into the Red Sea near Eilat, simulating scenarios that include strikes on strategic maritime assets. The drill follows explicit threats from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to target Israeli assets at sea, and comes against a backdrop in which Tehran has already struck at naval infrastructure used by the US military in the Gulf.

For Israeli defense planners, the navy's role extends beyond protecting Israeli shipping and Eilat, it can also help secure the waterway that is accountable for around 12% of global seaborne trade, and 10% of oil flows through the strategic strait.

A Gulf state official told i24NEWS that the Israeli Navy can serve as a proper deterrent against threats from Iran and its allies. These remarks come against the backdrop of reports about increasing coordination between the IDF and regional armies, and meetings that took place between senior IDF officials and their counterparts in Gulf countries.

Israel's own footprint at the southern end of the Red Sea has also been expanding. Recent reporting out of Somaliland - the breakaway region, Israel-recognized territory on the Gulf of Aden - has pointed to Israeli military and intelligence activity there, including discussions over a possible base near the strategic port of Berbera. Such a foothold, roughly across the water from Yemen's coast, would give Israel a forward position from which to track and potentially disrupt Houthi operations well before missiles or drones - or explosive boats like the one suspected in Tuesday's attack - ever reach open water.

The route has been hit hard before. After the Houthis began targeting shipping in November 2023, Suez Canal container traffic collapsed by as much as 90%, with vessels diverting en masse around Africa's Cape of Good Hope - and even a year on, traffic remained roughly 60% below pre-crisis levels. Now, with the Houthis' fresh blockade threat against Saudi-linked vessels announced last month, shippers are again showing signs of pulling back, raising fears of a second wave of disruption just as the corridor had begun to recover.

Tuesday's attack shows the threat to Red Sea shipping hasn't gone away. Israel's expanding naval presence in the area is a sign that it intends to be part of the answer.