Houthi rebels launch missile attack on Saudi ship, killing 4 including 3 Pakistanis So far, 8 ships have been targeted in the Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a missile attack on a Saudi-linked vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday. According to media reports, 4 crew members were killed. There were 3 Pakistanis and 1 Indonesian. According to reports, the name of the Tanzania-flagged vessel was 'Tihama'. It was on its way to Djibouti from Salalah Port in Oman. The Houthi rebels began blocking Saudi ships on July 20. Since then, they have attacked 8 Saudi-linked ships in the Red Sea. These include ships such as Encilia, Laila, Ghazal and Wafa. The attack comes at a time when maritime trade is already under pressure due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Now attacks on ships are also increasing in Bab al-Mandeb. This has added to the woes of shipping companies. The Houthi rebels are targeting ships passing through the Red Sea. According to Reuters, this is the first time the Houthis have attacked Saudi ships, when someone has been killed. The Houthis' attacks have also had an impact on Saudi Arabia's oil exports. The movement of ships in the sea has decreased. Many ships are avoiding the route of the Red Sea and the Suez Canal for fear of safety. According to Kepler data, an average of 32 ships passed through Bab al-Mandeb every day last week. Earlier, about 50 ships used to pass through here every day. That is, now about 18 ships are passing through this route. Many ships are now sailing from around Africa. This road is very long. As a result, it is taking longer for the goods to arrive. This is also affecting the supply. Shortage of goods may increase. The pressure on the supply line is increasing. Due to this, the cost of everyday items can also increase. Iran and Saudi Arabia are fighting a war in Yemen. Both countries support the opposition parties there. Saudi Arabia supports an internationally recognized government, while Iran is with the Houthis. The Houthi group controls large parts of Yemen. The Houthis also carried out repeated attacks on ships in the Red Sea in 2023 and 2024. This had an impact on sea traffic. At this time, the impact of the Houthis attacks is being felt more because the world is already struggling with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Why is the Red Sea so important to the world? The Red Sea is one of the most important sea routes in the world. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia and Yemen on one side and Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia on the other. About 30% of the world's maritime trade passes through this route. There are only two ways to get to and from the Red Sea. The Bab al-Mandeb Strait to the east and the Suez Canal to the west. Therefore, any disruption in any one of these routes has a major impact on global trade and oil supplies. Bab al-Mandeb is only 29 kilometers wide in its narrowest part. For the same reason, there are only two sea lanes for ships to and from here. Saudi Arabia sends most of its oil through this route due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after the Iran war. But now the influence of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels has increased along the way. In normal times, about 20% of the world's oil and natural gas supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Now, due to the increasing tensions in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, about 25% of the world's energy supply is being affected in some way or the other due to this conflict. Yemen's Houthi rebels are preparing to impose tariffs on merchant ships passing through the southern part of the Red Sea. Reuters quoted sources with this information. However, no timeline has been set for when it will be implemented. According to the report, the Houthi leaders travelled to Iran in July to attend Khamenei's funeral. There, Iranian officials came up with the idea of imposing a tax on ships. Iranian advisers later worked with Houthi officials to help devise a possible arrangement to collect taxes. Under the proposal, Chinese ships could be exempted from this tariff. China is the largest buyer of oil from Saudi Arabia. ----------------------- also read this news... US President Donald Trump secretly used a small military plane to fly from Turkey to Britain last month, after pretending to be on Air Force One in Turkey. After receiving an assassination threat from Iran, the entire plan of his trip was changed. Read the full story...