DOHA, August 11. /TASS/. The death toll from a missile strike by Yemen’s Houthi rebels from the Ansar Allah movement on the commercial vessel Tihama in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has risen to four, Yemen’s Transport Ministry said.

"The Houthi attack on the vessel carrying food caused a fire on board and killed four crew members: three Pakistani citizens and one Indonesian sailor," the ministry said in a statement.

Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya earlier reported three deaths. Another four crew members were injured, according to the Yemeni ministry. The vessel was struck by three ballistic missiles, it said.

On July 20, the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia and subsequently attacked several Saudi oil tankers. Amid the escalation, the kingdom and several other countries announced the formation of a new naval coalition to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.