Three Pakistani nationals were among six people killed when Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a commercial vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, in the first reported fatalities from the group's renewed attacks on maritime traffic since the latest escalation of the conflict in the region, international media reported.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed the deaths on Wednesday, saying another Pakistani national was wounded in the attack. He denounced the strike as a threat to maritime security and international navigation.
Reuters reported that the vessel, the Egyptian-owned Tihamah, came under attack on Tuesday while sailing through the strategic waterway. The dead included three Pakistani crew members and an Indonesian national, while two Yemeni rescuers were also killed. Several others were wounded.
The Houthis have claimed that the vessel was carrying Saudi military equipment, although that allegation has not been independently verified, according to Reuters. The attack came amid a wider escalation involving the Iran-backed group and forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait has gained renewed strategic importance as fighting and restrictions around the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted another major maritime route linking the Middle East with global markets. The Red Sea passage provides an alternative route for oil and other commercial shipments.
The latest violence has also raised concerns that Yemen's fragile truce could unravel. The country has remained divided between the Houthi-controlled north and areas held by the internationally recognized government and allied forces, despite years of diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
The renewed attacks come as the wider Middle East remains engulfed in conflict, with Iran and its regional allies facing heightened military pressure and growing concerns that hostilities could spread to additional fronts.
