Middle East — 2026-09-15

HRW Documents New Houthi Maritime Attacks on Commercial Vessels as Likely War Crimes

BLUFHRW's war-crimes documentation builds a prosecutorial record but lacks any enforcement mechanism, making it a reputational cost the Houthis have consistently shown willingness to absorb.

Human Rights Watch reported on Wednesday that Houthi attacks on commercial vessels since July 20 most likely amount to war crimes in at least three cases 1. The attacks began after the Houthis announced a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia on July 20 in retaliation for what they called a Saudi sea and air blockade on Yemen 1. The group said Saudi and Yemeni authorities, a shipping company, and a ship's master confirmed four Houthi-claimed strikes, on the Encelia, Daisy, Tihamah, and Amzan, out of nine vessels the Houthis said they targeted as of August 24 1. The Saudi-flagged tanker Encelia was hit July 22 by missiles and drones, sparking a bow fire. The Dominica-flagged tanker Daisy was struck by ballistic missiles August 5. The Saudi-flagged tanker Amzan was hit by a ballistic missile August 24, with its operator reporting all crew safe and uninjured 1. The August 11 attack on the Tihamah, a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship Yemen's Transport Ministry described as civilian and carrying food supplies, killed at least four crew members and two Yemeni Coast Guard rescuers and injured at least 10 others. It is the only vessel for which the Houthis claimed a military justification, alleging it carried Saudi military equipment 1.

Analysis
HRW's documentation rests on a single original investigation recirculated without independent verification by Arab News, Asharq Al-Awsat, and Splash247, and it shifts the evidentiary burden onto the Houthis and vessel operators: Thubab, Bihar International, and Bahri; none of whom have answered requests to substantiate military-target claims. Absent a functioning accountability mechanism for Yemen's conflict, the finding builds a record for future prosecution rather than triggering immediate consequences for Houthi commanders. The Tihamah case is the sharpest test: proportionality law still binds even if Saudi military cargo is proven, so the civilian death toll alone sustains a war-crimes claim, while the Houthis frame all the strikes as lawful enforcement of a declared embargo rather than indiscriminate targeting of civilians. Continued operator silence leaves the cargo dispute unresolved and open to competing claims.

4 sources

Yemen: New Attacks by Houthi Include Likely War Crimes - Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch says Houthi cargo ship attacks amount to war crimes - Arab News
Human Rights Watch Considers Houthi Attacks on Civilian Ships a 'War Crime' - Asharq Al-Awsat
Houthi attacks branded war crimes by Human Rights Watch - Splash247