At least three Pakistani nationals lost their lives in an attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Another Pakistani was reported injured in the incident, which Dar described as a violation of international law and a threat to maritime safety.
The Foreign Ministry is coordinating with Saudi Arabia and Yemen to gather more information about the attack. Meanwhile, the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh is handling the recovery and repatriation of the remains of the deceased nationals.
The attack was attributed to Iran-backed Houthi rebels amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, where commercial shipping has increasingly faced threats from various actors involved in regional conflicts.
Details on the Incident and Response
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the attack, emphasizing its danger to innocent lives and the threat it poses to freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Red Sea. The vessel targeted was a non-combatant commercial ship, intensifying concerns about the safety of civilian maritime operations in the area.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it is actively engaging with relevant parties in Saudi Arabia and Yemen to ascertain further details surrounding the attack and its aftermath.
Context of Maritime Attacks in the Region
The attack comes amid repeated assaults on commercial shipping in the Middle East. On the same day, US and Houthi forces separately reported strikes on vessels, reflecting the heightened risk to shipping lanes where peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stalled.
The southern Red Sea has seen increased hostilities, with Yemen’s Transport Ministry reporting a suspected Houthi strike that killed four crew members on a small cargo ship. It has not been confirmed whether this incident involved the same vessel mentioned by Pakistan’s foreign minister.
Impact on Shipping and Regional Security
These attacks highlight ongoing threats to maritime traffic in a critical international shipping route. Both the US and Iran have been implicated in recent incidents targeting commercial vessels, underscoring the complex security challenges in the region’s waterways.
