Six people were killed and 10 injured after Yemen’s Iran backed Houthis attacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea, according to Yemen’s internationally recognised government, in what appeared to be the group’s first deadly strike on shipping since the Iran war began.

The vessel was hit by three ballistic missiles south of the port of Mocha on Tuesday, the Yemeni transport ministry said, causing a fire and killing four crew members, three Pakistanis and one Indonesian.

A second missile strike reportedly targeted rescuers who had arrived to evacuate the crew, Yemen’s coastguard said.

The Houthis said they had attacked a ship carrying Saudi military equipment.

Yemen’s transport ministry described the vessel as a “Yemeni commercial ship”, while Iranian media referred to it as “Saudi affiliated”.

Maritime risk management company Vanguard said Yemeni naval personnel deployed to assist the vessel came under fire, with three people injured.

The attack comes after the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi ports last month. The group controls much of northwestern Yemen and has frequently clashed with the internationally recognised government, which is based in Aden.

Regional tensions have also risen as Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

The latest attack follows the collapse last month of a years long truce between the Houthis and the Saudi backed Yemeni government.