Pakistan says 3 citizens killed in Houthi attack on ship, and other developments in the Mideast
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- Houthis attacked a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, killing six people including three Pakistani nationals and wounding another, marking the first known deaths from the rebels' shipping strikes in this latest bout of fighting.
- Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the strike on X, calling it a violation of international law that threatens freedom of navigation and commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
- With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb route has become a renewed focal point as an alternate corridor for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil.
- Houthi forces have also escalated strikes against Yemeni government forces and Saudi oil facilities, with dozens of government troops and civilians killed since last week, many focused on the Red Sea port city of Mokha, raising fears of reigniting Yemen's civil war after a 2022 truce.
- Turkey condemned Colombia's new conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella after his government became the second country — after the U.S. under Trump's first term — to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
- Turkey's Foreign Ministry declared the Golan Heights an "integral part of Syria" and called Colombia's move "a grave violation of international law," urging the international community to work toward ending Israel's occupation of the territory.
- De la Espriella, a Colombian-American citizen who received Trump's backing during his election campaign, was sworn in on Friday before announcing the Golan recognition.
Why it matters: The Bab el-Mandeb deaths are the first fatalities from Houthi shipping attacks this cycle, and they hit a key Saudi oil detour now that the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed by Iran — meaning disruptions to Red Sea shipping carry direct economic consequences for Gulf energy exports. Separately, Colombia's Golan recognition, backed by a Trump-aligned president, makes it only the second country ever to take that step and triggered an immediate Turkish rejection, deepening the diplomatic split over Israeli territorial claims.
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