Four crew, two rescuers killed in Red Sea attack; US strikes ship in Gulf of Oman

Aug 11 (Reuters) - Four crew members were killed in an attack by Iran-backed Houthis on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, Yemen's transport ministry said, while the U.S. military said it struck a container ship attempting to sail toward an Iranian port.

Two Yemeni rescuers from an anti-Houthi military group were also killed in the Bab el-Mandeb attack, Yemen's Coast Guard said.

The fatalities aboard the Egyptian-owned Tihamah, if confirmed, would mark the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the Iran war began on February 28.

Later in the day, the Houthis said they attacked a ship carrying Saudi military equipment in the Bab el-Mandeb, but did not name the ship.

The British navy-affiliated agency UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported one incident in the strait on Tuesday, saying a ship was hit by an unknown projectile.

Reuters was able to confirm the cargo ship as Tihamah by the shape of the deck and mast of the ship, which matched archive imagery of the vessel. Corroborating visuals from the dock matched satellite imagery and topography mapping of the area.

Three Pakistanis and one Indonesian were killed, the Yemeni ministry said, adding the crew lost control of the vessel after being attacked.

Two rescuers from the National Resistance Forces (NRF), an anti-Houthi force, were also killed when the Houthis struck again after rescue crews arrived, the Yemeni Coast Guard said.

Ten people were injured, including seven crew members, two Coast Guard personnel and one NRF member, according to the Coast Guard.