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An Indian-flagged cargo vessel sank in the Red Sea after being struck by an explosive-laden boat off the coast of Hudaydah in western Yemen, according to a spokesman for the National Resistance Forces, a Yemeni government-aligned military faction. All 14 crew members aboard were rescued in a joint operation by Yemeni coast guard and naval units.
The attack took place approximately 13 miles off Hudaydah, a port city held by the Iran-backed Houthi movement. No group has claimed responsibility for the strike.
India's Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the attack on the Indian-flagged commercial vessel MSV Faize Noore Oliya and said that 13 Indian nationals among the crew had been rescued.
The ministry said it was monitoring the situation through the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and called the ongoing pattern of attacks on commercial shipping in the region "extremely concerning."
New Delhi urged an immediate halt to the targeting of merchant vessels and called for unimpeded navigation and trade in international waterways in accordance with international law.
The 14-member crew included 13 Indian nationals and one Yemeni citizen. National Resistance Forces spokesman said the joint rescue operation was conducted by Yemeni coast guard units and the Yemeni Navy.
The Indian foreign ministry confirmed the rescue of the Indian crew members and said it was closely tracking developments through its diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia.
The National Resistance Forces, which operate along the southwestern Red Sea coastline extending to the Bab al-Mandab strait, are affiliated with Tariq Salih, a nephew of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Salih.
The attack comes days after a series of Houthi escalations in the same waterway. On July 20, the Houthi movement announced what it described as a "maritime navigation ban," stating that Riyadh had imposed a blockade on areas of Yemen under the government's control.
Two days later, on the evening of July 22, the Houthis claimed to have targeted two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea using ballistic missiles and drones, alleging that the strikes caused fires on both vessels.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed armed movement, have controlled the capital Sanaa and significant portions of Yemeni territory since September 2014.
The Red Sea corridor, which carries roughly 12 percent of global maritime trade through the Suez Canal, has been a recurring theater of Houthi naval operations, with the group conducting more than a hundred attacks on commercial and military vessels since late 2023.
The Bab al-Mandab strait, where the Red Sea narrows between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, is among the world's most strategically significant chokepoints for international shipping.
Despite the broader campaign of Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, no party has claimed the strike on the MSV Faize Noore Oliya.
The National Resistance Forces spokesman indicated the vessel was attacked 13 miles off Hudaydah, placing it squarely within waters adjacent to Houthi-controlled territory.
India's foreign ministry, while refraining from attributing blame, called for all parties to respect the freedom of navigation under international law and reiterated its demand that commercial vessels operating in the region be protected from attack.
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