Houthi Attack on Ship Kills Three Pakistanis, Pakistan Says
Three Pakistani nationals were killed in a Houthi attack on a ship off Yemen, prompting condemnation from Islamabad.
Pakistan has confirmed that three of its citizens were killed in a Houthi attack on a ship off the coast of Yemen. The incident occurred in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical maritime chokepoint, and marks the first known fatalities from the rebels' recent campaign against shipping.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the attack on Wednesday, stating that it endangered innocent lives and violated international law. He also warned that such actions threaten freedom of navigation and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The attack on Tuesday killed a total of six people, with another Pakistani national wounded. It comes amid a surge in Houthi strikes targeting government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government.
Many of these attacks have focused on the government-held port city of Mokha. According to Yemen's military, dozens of troops and civilians have been killed in the violence since last week.
There are growing concerns that the renewed fighting could reignite Yemen's civil war, which had been relatively calm since a 2022 truce. The situation also adds to fears of a wider regional conflict, especially with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed by Iran, making the Red Sea route even more vital for oil shipments.
In a separate development, Turkey has condemned Colombia's decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, calling it a move to legitimize Israel's occupation. Colombia became only the second country, after the United States, to take this step. Turkey's foreign ministry stated that the Golan Heights are an integral part of Syria and that Colombia's move violates international law. The United Nations also regards the territory as part of Syria.