Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed six people in an attack on the cargo ship Tihamah in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, marking the first reported fatalities from assaults on Red Sea shipping in more than a year. Within hours, U.S. forces said they fired two missiles at the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova in the Gulf of Oman after it allegedly tried to breach Washington's blockade of Iranian ports. The incidents highlight how the war, now in its sixth month, is disrupting two vital maritime chokepoints and adding to pressure on global energy markets. Yemen's transport ministry said four crew members aboard the Egyptian-owned, Tanzania-flagged Tihamah were killed, including three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian, while two members of the Yemeni government-allied National Resistance Forces were reportedly killed in a follow-up rescue strike. Centcom (U.S. military command overseeing the region) said the Vela Nova's steering and propulsion were disabled and that 55 commercial vessels have been redirected since the blockade was reimposed in mid-April. Brent crude for October rose 0.6% to $89.44 a barrel on Wednesday, extending gains of more than 7% this week, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate for September added 0.7% to $83.8.