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The State of Qatar strongly condemned the Houthi group's targeting of a Saudi vessel while it was sailing in the Red Sea, and termed it a serious violation of international maritime safety, a direct threat to global energy security, and a clear and blatant breach of international law.In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that the continuation of these rejected attacks represents a dangerous escalation that threatens the security and stability of the region and undermines efforts to consolidate regional security and stability.The Ministry called upon the international community to fulfill its responsibilities regarding the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 2216 on Yemen and Resolution 2722 on the rights and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. It emphasized that freedom of navigation in international waterways is a fundamental principle of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.It reiterated the State of Qatar's full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its support for all measures taken by the Kingdom to preserve its sovereignty, security, and interests, affirming that the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the security of the State of Qatar and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the State of Qatar's appreciation for the ongoing efforts of the Sultanate of Oman to coordinate between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Yemeni parties, and the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, with the aim of resuming the political process and the roadmap in a way that achieves security and stability in the region.  

Major shipping companies are devising strategies for a return to the Suez Canal after more ‌than two years of disruptions due to security ‌risks in the ‍Red Sea.They have been rerouting vessels via longer, costlier routes around Africa ⁠since November 2023, following ⁠attacks on commercial ships by Yemen's Houthi forces, reportedly in solidarity ‍with Palestinians during warfare in Gaza. A ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025 has led some companies to explore resumption plans, although security remains a key concern. Below are the latest updates: MAERSK: The Danish shipping company said on Thursday it would resume sailings via the Red ‌Sea and Suez Canal for one of its services this month, after two vessels tested the route in December and earlier in ‍January.Maersk said its weekly ⁠service connecting ‌the Middle East and India with the US east coast will be first in the group's staggered return to the Suez route, starting on January 26 with a sailing departing Oman's port of Salalah. CMA CGM: The world's third-largest container shipping line, which has made limited Suez transits when security allows, will use the passage for its India-US INDAMEX service from January, according to a schedule published on its website. Two of ​its vessels sailed through ‌the Suez Canal in December, the authority that runs the waterway said at ⁠the time.CMA CGM ‍did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. HAPAG-LLOYD: German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd will not adjust its operations in the Red Sea for now, a spokesperson said on Thursday shortly after Maersk said it would resume sailings there.The group's ​CEO said in December that the return of the shipping industry to the Suez Canal would be gradual and there would be a transition period of 60-90 days to adjust logistics and avoid sudden port congestion. WALLENIUS WILHELMSEN: The Norwegian car shipping group is still assessing the situation and will not resume sailing until certain conditions are met, a company ⁠spokesperson said in December.The Suez Canal is the fastest route ‍linking Europe and Asia and, until the Houthi attacks, had accounted for about 10% of global seaborne trade, according to Clarksons Research.The ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, in place since October last year, has renewed hope of normalising Red Sea traffic.The ceasefire has ended major combat in Gaza over the past three months, but both sides have accused the other of regular violations. 

Maersk will resume sailings via the ‌Red Sea and Suez Canal ‍for one of its services this month, the shipping group said on Thursday, marking a first step ⁠towards ending two years of ⁠global trade disruption due to attacks on ships by Yemeni Houthi rebels.The Danish ‍shipping group's share price fell more than 7% on the news, reflecting the likelihood of lower freight rates as vessels gradually return to the shorter Suez route.Shipping companies are weighing a return to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor after vessels were rerouted in late 2023 around Africa following the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea in what they said was to show ‌solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.Maersk said its weekly service connecting the Middle East and India with the US east coast, known as MECL, will be first in the group's ‍staggered return to the Suez ⁠route, starting on January ‌26 with a sailing departing Oman's port of Salalah."This decision follows a continued stabilisation of conditions in and around the Red Sea, including the Suez corridor, as well as improved stability and reliability in the region," Maersk said in a statement.The Danish group on Monday said one of its vessels had tested the route as a ceasefire in Gaza raised hopes for normal shipping traffic. One Maersk vessel also made a voyage through Suez in December."Maersk has decided to implement a structural return to the trans-Suez ​route for all MECL service ‌sailings," the company said in a statement, adding the aim was to offer customers "the most efficient transit times".The Suez ⁠Canal is the fastest route ‍linking Europe and Asia and, until the Houthi attacks, had accounted for about 10% of global seaborne trade, according to Clarksons Research."Maersk has contingency plans in place should the security situation deteriorate, which may necessitate reverting individual MECL sailings or the wider structural change of the MECL service back to the Cape of Good ​Hope route," it said.German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd will not adjust its operations in the Red Sea for now, a spokesperson said, but added that the company was closely monitoring the situation and Maersk's move changed the situation.The ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, in place since October last year, has renewed hope of normalising Red Sea traffic.The ceasefire has ended major combat in Gaza over the past three months, but both sides have accused the other of regular violations. ⁠ 

Yemen's Houthi fighters held a funeral Monday for their prime minister and 11 other senior officials killed in an Israeli air strike that decimated its political cabinet.Twelve coffins draped in flags were displayed at Sanaa's Al-Shaab mosque, as masked gunmen patrolled the area and thousands of mourners flooded in.Houthi prime minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, nine ministers and two cabinet officials were killed as they attended a government meeting in the Sanaa area on Thursday.It was the highest profile assassination to be announced in Yemen in months of attacks by Israel during the Gaza war. The United States also waged an intense bombing campaign against Houthi targets from March to May this year.The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones towards Israel throughout the Gaza war.Monday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a drone launched from Yemen before it entered Israeli territory.On Sunday, the Houthis detained at least 11 United Nations workers as part of a round-up, prompting a protest from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.A Yemeni security source told AFP on Saturday that Houthi authorities had arrested dozens of people in Sanaa and other areas "on suspicion of collaborating with Israel".The Houthis also fired a missile at an Israeli tanker in the Red Sea on Sunday, reprising a campaign they have waged throughout the Gaza war.The missile landed close to the Liberian-flagged Scarlet Ray with a "loud bang", the UK Maritime Trade Operations monitoring agency said.The Houthis, part of Iran's "axis of resistance" of anti-Israeli groups, vowed to step up their attacks on Israel following Thursday's killings.Their campaign of missile and drone strikes at Israel and on shipping in the Red Sea, a major cargo route, has persisted throughout the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.Last week's Israeli strike wiped out about half of the 22-strong Houthi cabinet, which plays a mainly administrative role.Rahawi, the late prime minister, was from the southern province of Abyan, which is not part of the large swathes of Yemen under Houthi control.The Houthis, who hail from divided Yemen's rugged north, have traditionally reserved the premiership for southerners in an attempt to win hearts and minds.US-based Yemen analyst Mohammed al-Basha said Thursday's strike may signal an Israeli shift towards targeted killings, an approach that gutted the leadership of Gaza rulers Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.The attack could mark "the beginning of a campaign of targeted assassinations against both civilian and military Houthi leadership, even at informal gatherings", he posted on X, calling it a "bad day" for the group.

The prime minister of Yemen's Houthi government and several other ministers were killed in an Israeli strike on the capital Sanaa, the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council said Saturday, in the first such attack to kill senior officials.A number of others were wounded in Thursday's strike, Mahdi al-Mashat added, without providing details.Israel said on Friday that the airstrike had targeted the Iran-aligned group's chief of staff, defence minister and other senior officials and that it was verifying the outcome.Mashat's statement did not make clear whether the Houthi defence minister was among the casualties.Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi became prime minister around a year ago but the de facto leader of the government was his deputy, Mohamed Moftah, who was assigned Saturday to carry out the prime minister's duties.Rahwi was seen largely as a figurehead who was not part of the inner circle of the Houthi leadership.During the last year, Israel carried out a series of assassinations targeting senior leaders and commanders of Hamas and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, significantly weakening both groups.The Houthi-run news agency Saba ran a statement from Defence Minister Mohamed al-Atifi shortly after the prime minister's death was confirmed and quoted him as saying the group was ready to confront Israel.The statement did not mention Thursday's airstrike and it was unclear if it was made before or after the attack.Atifi runs the Houthis' Missiles Brigade Group and is considered their leading missiles expert.Sources confirmed to Reuters that the energy, foreign and information ministers were among those killed.On Thursday, Israeli security sources had said the targets had been various locations where a large number of senior Houthi officials had gathered to watch a televised speech recorded by leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi.The Israeli military described the attack as a "complex operation" made possible by intelligence-gathering and air superiority."Our stance remains as it is and will remain until the aggression ends and the siege is lifted, no matter how great the challenges," Mashat said in a televised speech, adding that the group "shall take revenge."