Red Sea Attacks: War Crimes Haunt the Houthis
In a new report, Human Rights Watch accuses the Houthi militias of committing war crimes by targeting civilian vessels.
The international nongovernmental organization said Tuesday that the latest attacks carried out by the Houthis against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden likely constituted war crimes in at least three cases.
The attacks followed the Houthis’ announcement on July 20, 2026, that they were imposing a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia in response to what they claimed was a Saudi naval and air blockade of Yemen, according to the report.
In a statement published on its website, Human Rights Watch said the Houthi attacks had targeted at least two vessels flying the Saudi flag, one vessel flying the Tanzanian flag, and another flying the Dominican flag.
The organization commented: “Attacks against civilians or civilian objects, whether carried out indiscriminately or intentionally, constitute war crimes.”
The statement quoted Nico Gavarnia, a Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch, as saying: “The Houthis are once again putting the lives of sailors at deadly risk through their attacks on commercial vessels.”
She added: “Regardless of geopolitical considerations, attacks against civilian ship crews, whether carried out deliberately or indiscriminately, constitute war crimes.”
Between July 20 and August 24, the Houthis claimed to have targeted at least nine vessels, while Saudi and Yemeni authorities, a shipping company, and the captain of one of the vessels confirmed four of these attacks, involving the “Ensilia,” “Daisy,” “Tihama,” and “Amjan.”
In addition, on July 24, the Saudi Press Agency and the operator of one of the vessels reported that the “NCC Masa” had been targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea, an attack for which the Houthis did not claim responsibility.
In this context, the evidence reviewed by Human Rights Watch, including Houthi statements and open-source information about the vessels, indicates that the Houthis knew or should have known that the “Ensilia,” “Daisy,” and “Amjan” were commercial vessels carrying civilians.
The Houthis also provided no evidence showing that there were military targets aboard these vessels, according to the statement.
On July 23, the Houthis said they had targeted two Saudi-flagged oil tankers the previous day, including the “Ensilia,” using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.
For its part, the Saudi Press Agency, citing the General Transport Authority, confirmed that the “Ensilia” had been hit and that its bow caught fire. The authority also confirmed that all crew members were safe and that the authorities had secured the vessel and taken measures to protect the marine environment.
Call to End the Attacks
According to the organization’s statement, international humanitarian law protects civilians and civilian objects from attack at all times. Parties to a conflict must do everything possible to establish that a target is military before attacking it and during the attack. They must also take the necessary precautions to minimize harm to civilians.
The statement continued: “Anyone who commits serious violations of the laws of war with criminal intent, whether deliberately or through negligence, may be prosecuted for war crimes. Individuals involved in an attack may also incur criminal responsibility for aiding, facilitating, supporting, or inciting the commission of a war crime.”
Nico Gavarnia said in this regard: “Civilian crew members should not have to put their lives at risk simply to do their jobs,” adding: “The Houthis must immediately and unconditionally cease all unlawful attacks against civilian vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.”
