Human Rights Watch has issued a severe legal warning, classifying at least three recent Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as potential war crimes. The organization highlighted that these assaults represent a significant escalation in the risks posed by the Iran-backed militia to civilian shipping and its crews.
The attacks followed the Houthis' declaration on July 20, 2026, of a self-proclaimed "maritime blockade" against Saudi Arabia, which they alleged was a response to a naval and air blockade. Since this announcement, the group claims to have targeted at least nine vessels. Independent verification has confirmed four attacks on ships flying the flags of Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, and Dominica.
According to Human Rights Watch, available information and Houthi statements indicate that the militia knew, or should have known, that the targeted vessels were commercial and carried civilian crews. The organization noted that the Houthis have provided no evidence, beyond their claim concerning the vessel "Al-Tahama," to substantiate the presence of military targets aboard the attacked ships.
The organization specifically highlighted attacks on the vessels "Insilia," "Daisy," and "Amzan" as cases with strong indications of targeting civilian commercial ships. In the case of the "Al-Tahama," attacked in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on August 11, Yemeni authorities reported the deaths of four crew members and injuries to others, alongside the deaths of two coast guard personnel during rescue operations. The militia has attempted to justify the targeting of "Al-Tahama" by claiming it was carrying Saudi military equipment, while the Yemeni government's Ministry of Transport stated it was a civilian commercial vessel carrying food supplies.
Human Rights Watch was unable to independently verify the nature of the cargo but affirmed that the presence of military equipment, even if proven, does not grant the Houthis open authorization to target the vessel or its civilian crew. International humanitarian law mandates that parties to a conflict verify the military nature of a target and take necessary precautions to minimize civilian casualties. Deliberate or reckless attacks on civilians or civilian objects can constitute war crimes, and attacks remain subject to the principle of proportionality even if a military objective is present.
These escalations occur within a broader pattern of Houthi attacks on commercial shipping since November 2023, some of which the organization has previously concluded may constitute war crimes, in addition to the group's seizure and detention of the crew of the vessel "Galaxy Leader." Nico Jaafarina, the organization's Yemen and Bahrain researcher, stated that Houthi attacks "again put the lives of sailors at risk of death," emphasizing that intentionally or recklessly targeting civilian crews is a war crime.
The recent attacks appear to be more than a mere attempt by the Houthis to pressure Saudi Arabia via the sea; they represent a dangerous shift towards using civilian navigation as a theater of conflict. This places the lives of sailors and the safety of international trade routes at risk in a conflict through which the militia seeks to impose unilateral rules of engagement in one of the world's most critical maritime corridors. Human Rights Watch has called for an immediate and unconditional cessation of all illegal attacks on civilian vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by the Houthis.
