Pakistan says 3 citizens killed in Houthi attack on ship, and other developments in the Mideast

Three Pakistani nationals were among those killed when Iranian-backed Houthis attacked a ship off Yemen, the first known deaths from the rebels' attacks on shipping in the latest bout of fighting that has raised fears of war expanding in the region.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here .

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday condemned the attack by Houthi rebels on the ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, saying three Pakistanis had been killed in the attack and another wounded. A total of six people were killed in the attack on Tuesday.

“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,” Dar said in a post on X.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb strait at Yemen’s southern tip, which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil.

The attack came as part of a growing number of Houthi strikes against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.

Many of the attacks have been focused on the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea. Overall, dozens of government troops and civilians have been killed in attacks since last week, according to Yemen's military.

Fears are growing that the renewed violence could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.

Turkey condemned the decision by Colombia's new government , calling it a move to “legitimize Israel’s occupation” of the territory.

Colombia, shortly after the swearing-in of conservative Abelardo de la Espriella as president on Friday, became just the second country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured during the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed in 1981.

The United States, during the first term of President Donald Trump, was the first, reversing more than a half-century of U.S. policy in the Middle East. De la Espriella, a Colombian-American citizen, received Trump’s backing during his election campaign.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Golan Heights are an "integral part of Syria” and said Colombia’s move constitutes “a grave violation of international law.”

The United Nations recognizes the territory as part of Syria.

The Turkish statement called on the international community to work toward ending Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights and other parts of southern Syria.