India, Aug. 13 -- Yemeni authorities said six people were killed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacking a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, while US forces fired on a ship they said was trying to break a blockade of Iran's ports.

Yemen's coast guard said the dead included four crew members and two members of the Government-allied National Resistance Forces. Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the Yemeni commercial vessel, according to the Transportation Ministry of Yemen's internationally recognized Government.

They are the first known deaths from Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the latest bout of fighting in the Arab country. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been a renewed focus on the ...