In the waters of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where commerce and conflict have long contested the same narrow passages, the Houthis have since July 2026 waged a maritime campaign against commercial vessels they claim serve Saudi military ends. Human Rights Watch, after reviewing tracking data, photographs, and testimony, has concluded that at least three of these attacks targeted civilian crews with no verified military purpose — a finding that places the incidents within the legal definition of war crimes. At least six people are dead, including sailors from Pakistan and Indonesia and Yemeni
Human Rights Watch: Houthi Red Sea Attacks Likely Constitute War Crimes
At least four crew members (three Pakistani, one Indonesian) and two Yemeni Coast Guard rescuers killed; at least 10 others injured in the Tihamah attack.
Attacks on civilians carried out deliberately or recklessly are war crimes.
Mark
So Human Rights Watch is saying these attacks are war crimes. What makes them war crimes rather than just attacks during a conflict?
Mimi
The key is that the Houthis attacked ships they knew were civilian vessels with civilian crews. International law says you can't deliberately or recklessly target civilians, even in war. If you do, it's a war crime.
Luke
But we should be careful here. HRW says the Houthis "knew or should have known" these were civilian vessels. That's a legal standard, not a fact. What evidence shows the Houthis actually knew?
Mimi
They tracked the ships publicly. These are commercial tankers with civilian crews. The Houthis announced the attacks themselves. They had the information.
Luke
Fair. But on the Tihamah specifically—the deadliest attack—the Houthis claimed it carried Saudi military equipment. HRW couldn't confirm the cargo either way. So there's a factual dispute about what was actually on the ship.
Mark
If there was military cargo, does that change whether it's a war crime?
Mimi
Not necessarily. Even if there was military equipment, you still have to follow the rules of proportionality. You can't kill six people—four crew and two rescuers—just to hit some cargo. The civilian harm has to be proportional to the military advantage.
Luke
Right, but that's a judgment call. Different people might weigh that differently. What we know for certain is: four crew members died, two rescuers died, ten were injured. That's the concrete fact.
Mark
And the Houthis haven't provided evidence of what was on the ship?
Mimi
No. HRW asked them directly on September 7. They didn't respond. So they're making a claim about military cargo but offering no proof.
Luke
Which means we're left with the Yemeni government saying it was food supplies, the Houthis saying it was military equipment, and no independent verification. That's important to hold in mind.
Mark
What happens next? Can anyone actually prosecute these as war crimes?
Mimi
That would require an international court or a country willing to investigate and bring charges. The International Criminal Court could theoretically get involved, but that's complicated politically.
Luke
And worth noting: HRW is making a legal assessment based on the facts they could verify. They're not a court. They're saying these attacks "likely" constitute war crimes. That's their professional judgment, but it's not a legal finding.
Il Polso
- The Houthis declared a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia on July 20, 2026, then struck at least nine vessels in five weeks — turning one of the world's most vital shipping corridors into a kill zone.
- The deadliest blow fell on the Tihamah on August 11: three ballistic missiles, four crew members dead, two rescuers killed in the response, and at least ten more wounded aboard what the Yemeni government says was a civilian ship carrying food.
- The Houthis claimed the Tihamah carried Saudi military equipment, but have offered no evidence — and when Human Rights Watch formally requested documentation in September, the group did not reply.
- International humanitarian law demands that combatants verify military targets and weigh civilian harm before striking; Human Rights Watch says the Houthis met neither standard in at least three confirmed attacks.
- The pattern is not new — Houthi attacks on commercial shipping date to November 2023, including the seizure of the Galaxy Leader and the detention of 25 crew members for over a year.
- Individuals who deliberately or recklessly attack civilians, or who assist in such attacks, are subject to criminal prosecution under international law — a threshold Human Rights Watch says has likely been crossed.
In the waters of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where commerce and conflict have long contested the same narrow passages, the Houthis have since July 2026 waged a maritime campaign against commercial vessels they claim serve Saudi military ends. Human Rights Watch, after reviewing tracking data, photographs, and testimony, has concluded that at least three of these attacks targeted civilian crews with no verified military purpose — a finding that places the incidents within the legal definition of war crimes. At least six people are dead, including sailors from Pakistan and Indonesia and Yemeni Coast Guard rescuers who came to help, their lives lost at the intersection of a regional war and the ancient, indifferent sea.
On July 20, 2026, the Houthis announced a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia, framing it as retaliation for what they called a Saudi blockade on Yemen. What followed was a campaign of strikes against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that Human Rights Watch now says likely constitutes war crimes in at least three separate incidents.
Between July 20 and August 24, the Houthis claimed responsibility for targeting at least nine ships. Four attacks were independently confirmed: the Encelia, a Saudi-flagged oil tanker struck by missiles and drones on July 22; the Daisy, hit in the Gulf of Aden on August 5 with minor damage; and the Amzan, struck by a ballistic missile on August 24. In each case, crews escaped without casualties. Human Rights Watch corroborated these incidents using maritime tracking data, photographs, and video.
The deadliest attack came on August 11 against the Tihamah, a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship, in the Bab el-Mandab Strait. Three consecutive ballistic missiles struck the vessel, killing at least four crew members — three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian — along with two Yemeni Coast Guard rescuers who died responding to the disaster. At least ten others were injured. Yemen's Transport Ministry identified the Tihamah as a civilian ship carrying food supplies. The Houthis claimed it carried Saudi military equipment but provided no evidence, and did not respond when Human Rights Watch formally requested documentation in September.
Under international humanitarian law, combatants must verify that a target is military before attacking and must not cause civilian harm disproportionate to any military advantage. Human Rights Watch found no evidence that the Encelia, Daisy, or Amzan carried military cargo, and concluded the Houthis knew or should have known these were civilian vessels. Even if the Tihamah had carried some military goods, the attack's civilian toll would still require a proportionality assessment the Houthis have not attempted to satisfy.
Niku Jafarnia, Human Rights Watch's Yemen and Bahrain researcher, stated that geopolitical grievances do not excuse deliberately or recklessly targeting civilian crews — acts that constitute prosecutable war crimes. The Houthis' maritime aggression stretches back to November 2023, when they began attacking commercial shipping and seized the Galaxy Leader, detaining its 25 crew members for over a year. The Saudi-led coalition responded to the recent attacks with strikes of its own on July 25, though Human Rights Watch has not independently investigated those incidents.
On July 20, 2026, the Houthis announced they would impose a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia, claiming retaliation for what they described as a Saudi blockade on Yemen, where the group controls the northwestern region. What followed was a series of attacks on commercial vessels moving through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that Human Rights Watch now says likely constitute war crimes in at least three separate incidents.
Between July 20 and August 24, the Houthis claimed responsibility for targeting at least nine vessels. Four of these attacks were independently confirmed by Saudi authorities, Yemeni officials, shipping companies, and ship captains: the Encelia, Daisy, Tihamah, and Amzan. A fifth vessel, the NCC Masa, was reported attacked by Saudi state media and its operating company, though the Houthis did not claim that strike. Human Rights Watch corroborated details of these incidents using maritime tracking data, photographs, and video evidence.
The Encelia, a Saudi-flagged oil tanker, was struck on July 22 with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. The vessel caught fire at the bow but the crew escaped unharmed. The Daisy, a Dominica-flagged tanker, was hit on August 5 in the Gulf of Aden; the explosion caused minor damage but the crew remained safe. The Amzan, another Saudi-flagged oil tanker, was targeted on August 24 with a ballistic missile. All crew members aboard were accounted for with no injuries reported.
The deadliest attack came on August 11 against the Tihamah, a Tanzanian-flagged deck cargo ship, in the Bab el-Mandab Strait. The vessel was struck with three consecutive ballistic missiles. At least four crew members were killed—three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian—along with two Yemeni Coast Guard rescuers who died in the response effort. At least ten others were injured. The Yemeni government's Transport Ministry stated the Tihamah was a commercial civilian vessel carrying food supplies. The Houthis later claimed it was transporting Saudi military equipment, but provided no evidence to support that assertion. When Human Rights Watch requested documentation of military cargo on September 7, the group did not respond.
Under international humanitarian law, combatants must take all feasible steps to verify that a target is military before attacking and must minimize civilian harm. Evidence reviewed by Human Rights Watch indicates the Houthis knew or should have known that the Encelia, Daisy, and Amzan were commercial vessels with civilian crews. The group has produced no evidence of military objectives aboard any of these ships. Attacks on civilians or civilian objects carried out deliberately or recklessly constitute war crimes. Individuals who knowingly or recklessly attack civilians, or who assist others in doing so, may face criminal prosecution.
Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated that regardless of the geopolitical context, deliberately or recklessly attacking civilian crews amounts to war crimes. The Houthis have a pattern of such attacks stretching back to November 2023, when they began targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea. In one earlier incident, they seized the Galaxy Leader, a British-owned vehicle carrier, and detained 25 crew members for over a year; the ship remains in their custody.
The Saudi-led coalition responded to the attacks with military strikes on July 25 against sites the coalition said the Houthis used to threaten commercial vessels, though Human Rights Watch has not independently investigated those strikes. The organization's concern centers on the legal threshold for war crimes: even if a vessel carries some military cargo, an attack on a ship with a civilian crew must still meet the requirement of proportionality—meaning the anticipated military advantage must not be outweighed by expected civilian harm. In the case of the Tihamah, the Houthis have not met their burden of proof, and the civilian casualties suggest the attack crossed that threshold.
Citazioni salienti
Whatever the geopolitics, attacks on civilian crews carried out deliberately or recklessly are war crimes.— Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch
Civilian crew members should not have to put their lives at risk to carry out their jobs. The Houthis should immediately and unconditionally end all unlawful attacks on civilian ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.— Niku Jafarnia, Human Rights Watch
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