Houthi Attack In Bab el-Mandeb Kills 3 Crew Members, Yemeni Govt Says

At
least
th ee
c ew
membe s
we e
killed
afte
a
comme cial
ship
was
attacked
i
the
Bab
el-Ma deb
St ait
by
Yeme ‘s
I a -alig ed
Houthi
g oup,
Yeme ‘s
i te atio ally
ecog ised
gove me t
said.

Two
Yeme i
coast
gua d
sou ces
a d
two
milita y
officials
f om
the
gove me t
co fi med
the
deaths.
The
Houthis
have
ot
yet
claimed
espo sibility
fo
the
attack.

Acco di g
to
Yeme i
sou ces
cited
by
Reute s,
two
Pakista is
a d
a
I do esia
atio al
we e
amo g
those
killed.
The
vessel
was
epo tedly
saili g
f om
Salalah
i
Oma
via
Djibouti.

Ta za ia-Flagged
Tihamah
Believed
To
Have
Bee
Ta geted

If
co fi med,
the
attack
o
the
Ta za ia-flagged
Tihamah
would
be
the
fi st
Houthi
st ike
si ce
the
Middle
East
co flict
was
t igge ed
by
US-Is aeli
attacks
o
I a
at
the
e d
of
Feb ua y.

The
Houthis
have
ot
yet
issued
a
stateme t
o
the
epo ted
attack.

The
developme t
comes
a
mo th
afte
the
g oup
decla ed
a
aval
blockade
agai st
Saudi
A abia
i
the
Red
Sea
i
espo se
to
what
it
desc ibed
as
a
Saudi
siege.
Riyadh
has
de ied
besiegi g
Yeme ,
acco di g
to
Reute s.

Why
Bab
El-Ma deb
St ait
Matte s

The
Bab
el-Ma deb,
also
k ow
as
the
“Gate
of
Tea s”
because
of
its
t eache ous
saili g
co ditio s,
has
eme ged
as
a
key
focus
amid
the
co ti ued
closu e
of
the
St ait
of
Ho muz.

The
I a -backed
Houthis
have
epeatedly
th eate ed
to
dis upt
shippi g
th ough
the
st ategic
st ait,
which
accou ts
fo
12
pe
ce t
of
global
t ade.

Kple
data
showed
that
a
ave age
of
32
ships
a
day
passed
th ough
the
Bab
el-Ma deb
last
week.
Befo e
the
blockade,
a
ave age
of
50
ships
a
day
t a sited
the
wate way,
acco di g
to
Reute s.

The
st ait
is
a ou d
30
kilomet es
wide
at
its
a owest
poi t.
It
lies
betwee
Yeme
o
the
A abia
Pe i sula
to
the
o theast
a d
E it ea
a d
Djibouti
i
Af ica
to
the
west.

T ump
Says
US
Is
‘Low-Keyi g’
I a
Talks

The
epo ted
attack
comes
amid
a
co ti ui g
deadlock
betwee
I a
a d
the
US
ove
the
St ait
of
Ho muz.

US
P eside t
Do ald
T ump
said
I a ‘s
eco omy
was
i
a
“ve y
bad
shape”
a d
that
his
admi ist atio
would
allow
eco omic
p essu e
to
build
while
talks
ove
eope i g
the
St ait
of
Ho muz
co ti ued.

“We
a e
low-keyi g
it.
We
a e
o ly
semi- egotiati g
with
them.
We
a e
just
watchi g
I a
with
its
huge
i flatio
a d
the
fact
they
have
o
mo ey,”
ews
outlet
Axios
quoted
him
as
sayi g.

“It
will
wo k
out.
It
always
wo ks
out.
It’s
like
a
chess
game,”
T ump
asse ted.

I a ,
howeve ,
has
de ied
epo ts
of
di ect
egotiatio s
with
the
US.
I a ia
Fo eig
Mi iste
Abbas
A agchi
said
o
Su day
that
the
two
sides
we e
ot
e gaged
i
talks.

Teh a
has
dema ded
that
Washi gto
fulfil
its
side
of
a
i te im
deal
eached
i
Ju e
befo e
di ect
egotiatio s
ca
esume.
A agchi
said
messages
betwee
I a
a d
the
US
we e
bei g
excha ged
th ough
i te media ies.

I a
Seeks
$300
Billio
Compe satio

I a
has
dema ded
$300
billio
i
compe satio
f om
Washi gto
fo
damage
caused
by
US
a d
Is aeli
st ikes,
alo g
with
the
elease
of
up
to
$100
billio
i
f oze
assets.

These
dema ds
a e
amo g
seve al
co ditio s
Teh a
has
li ked
to
a
possible
eope i g
of
the
St ait
of
Ho muz.

T ump
has
ejected
I a ‘s
dema d
fo
compe satio ,
sayi g
Teh a
should
be
espo sible
fo
the
deaths
a d
i ju ies
caused
by
its
attacks.

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