Pakistan says 3 nationals killed in Houthi Red Sea attack

At least three Pakistani nations were killed in an "incident involving an attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea," Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday. 

Another Pakistani national had sustained injuries. 

"Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel. Such attacks endanger innocent lives, constitute a violation of international law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea," the minister said in a post on X. 

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry was in contact with Saudi Arabia and Yemen to ascertain further details of the incident, Dar said. Meanwhile, the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh was coordinating the retrieval and repatriation of the mortal remains of their deceased nationals.

Vessels under attack amid Middle East conflict

On Tuesday, the US and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels reported separate attacks on shipping as peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran seemingly stagnated once again.  

At the southern end of the Red Sea, a suspected Houthi attack on a small cargo vessel killed four crew members, Yemen's Transport Ministry said. It was not immediately clear is this was the same vessel Dar was referring to. 

Commercial shipping and seafarers passing through the Middle East have increasingly come under attack by both the US and Iran since the conflict began earlier this year.