Pakistan minister in Tehran as Hormuz talks advance; Six killed in Houthi strike on Red Sea ship

Six people were killed in a Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, while the US said it struck a cargo ship accused of attempting to breach its blockade of Iranian ports.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi travelled to Tehran for talks as diplomatic efforts continued over the Iran conflict and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran maintained that the waterway would remain closed until its conditions were met, including regional de-escalation and the release of frozen funds.

Elsewhere, Israeli strikes continued in southern Lebanon, while Syria sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia. Qatar and Turkey also condemned Colombia’s backing of Israeli claims over the occupied Golan Heights.

That concludes our live coverage. Follow The New Arab on our news site for further updates as the situation develops.

Qatar and Turkey have condemned Colombia’s decision to back Israeli claims over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

Qatar said the territory remains “occupied Arab territory” and stressed that Israel must comply with international law and withdraw from occupied Arab lands.

Turkey condemned “the statement made by Colombia to legitimize the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, which is an integral part of Syria”.

Colombia recognised Israel’s claim over the territory on Tuesday.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has condemned Colombia’s recognition of Israel’s claim to the occupied Golan Heights, stressing that the territory “is an inseparable part of Syria”.

In a statement posted on X, the ministry said Colombia’s position amounted to “a flagrant violation of international law, the United Nations Charter, and legitimate international resolutions”.

A Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait killed six people, while Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran for talks on the Iran conflict and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran said Hormuz would remain closed until its conditions are met, including an end to the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Meanwhile, the US said it struck a cargo ship accused of breaching its blockade of Iran.

Elsewhere, Israeli strikes continued in southern Lebanon, a child was reportedly killed by an alleged Houthi gunman in Taiz, and Syria sentenced former leader Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia.

Israel and Venezuela also restored consular ties after 17 years, while Saudi Arabia condemned Colombia’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.

A child was shot and killed by an alleged Houthi gunman inside the yard of his family’s home in Khadir district, east of Yemen’s Taiz governorate, local sources said on Tuesday.

The child, Majd Waleed Abdul Basit Al-Salami, was playing in the courtyard when he was reportedly shot by a Houthi gunman, according to the sources. The gunman then fled the scene on a motorcycle with another armed man.

Journalist Radwan Farea said the child was struck in the back by a bullet fired from a Kalashnikov rifle, with the round penetrating his heart. He said the gunman had entered the family’s yard before carrying out the shooting and fleeing the area.

The Houthi group has not commented on the child’s death or the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Israel has carried out a “massive” bombing campaign targeting the village of Haddatha in southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.

More details to come.

A Lebanese man has died from injuries sustained in an Israeli drone strike that targeted his car in Nabatieh, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

The victim, identified as Ali Sabah, was travelling on the Doha-Kfar Rumman road when his vehicle was targeted.

The strike came after Israeli forces earlier targeted ambulance crews in Nabatieh as they attempted to evacuate a person wounded in a separate strike on a car, the agency reported. Several ambulances were damaged in the incident.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran is ready to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan across political, economic, trade, cultural and security fields.

Speaking after a meeting with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Pezeshkian praised Islamabad’s efforts to deepen bilateral relations and said closer cooperation could help “strengthen regional stability and security”.

Naqvi described Iran-Pakistan relations as “strong and unbreakable”, adding that Islamabad was committed to expanding ties with Tehran.

Mohsen Rezaee, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, said on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz would not be reopened unless the United States changed its approach and accepted Tehran’s conditions.

He said Iran was demanding an end to the wars in the region, including the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza, as well as the release of frozen Iranian funds. He added that further conditions had been conveyed through intermediaries.

Rezaee said any agreement Iran may reach with Oman concerning shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz would be separate from the issue of the strait’s closure.

He accused the United States of contributing to instability in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman, saying Washington had endangered the wider region by imposing what he described as an "illegal war" on Iran.

Rezaee made the remarks during a meeting with Cong Peiwu, China’s ambassador to Tehran.

He highlighted the strategic partnership between Iran and China, as well as their membership of international organisations including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS, saying these ties could provide a strong basis for closer relations in the future.

Separately, Mohammad Mokhber, advisor and aide to the Supreme Leader of Iran, said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Tehran’s conditions were met.

Mokhber said that whenever an adversary breaks its commitments and resumes hostilities, Iran responds with tougher conditions than before.

He added that Iran’s punishment of the aggressor would continue and warned that the strait would not reopen until its demands were implemented.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces fired two Hellfire missiles at a Panama-flagged cargo ship after it ignored warnings and attempted to sail towards an Iranian port.

CENTCOM said the strikes disabled the vessel’s steering gear after the M/V Vela Nova attempted to breach the US blockade of Iran.

The US military said that, as of Tuesday, its forces had redirected 55 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two others accused of attempting to evade the blockade.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Colombia’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, saying the move “contradicts international law and relevant international legitimacy resolutions”.

The ministry said Colombia’s position also violates UN Security Council Resolution 497 of 1981, which declared Israel’s imposition of its laws and administration on Syria’s Golan Heights “null and void and without legal effect”.

“Saudi Arabia stresses that such positions do not contribute to achieving peace, but rather constitute a departure from the established international position regarding the occupied Syrian Golan,” the ministry said in a statement.

It added that the decision “entrenches the logic of imposing fait accompli and undermines efforts made to achieve peace in the region”.

The ministry reiterated Riyadh’s position that the Golan “is occupied Syrian Arab land”, saying measures intended to alter its legal status “do not create a right or confer legitimacy”.

Saudi Arabia called on Colombia to reconsider its position and comply with international law.

Israel and Venezuela announced on Tuesday that they had renewed consular relations 17 years after diplomatic ties were severed between the two countries.

The move comes after Israel sent an aid and disaster response delegation to Venezuela in June following devastating twin earthquakes that left thousands dead.

It also follows the United States' toppling of Venezuela's former leader Nicolas Maduro in a January military raid, with interim President Delcy Rodriguez now running the country under strong pressure from US President Donald Trump.

"Following talks held in recent weeks and days between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia, Israel and Venezuela have agreed to renew consular relations," a statement from Israel's foreign ministry said.

"The talks resulted in an agreement to establish a coordination mechanism that will enable the provision of consular services to citizens of both countries," it added, noting the two nations "have not maintained diplomatic relations since 2009".

Venezuela, together with Bolivia, broke diplomatic ties with Israel in January 2009 a few days after the start of an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

A joint statement by the governments of Israel and Venezuela on Tuesday said both recognised "the importance of the relationship between the State of Israel and the Jewish community residing in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which serves as an important bridge of historic friendship between the two countries".

It added that the two countries agreed to "continue their bilateral technical cooperation stemming from the emergency response and reconstruction efforts following the double earthquake."

A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced former ruler Bashar al-Assad to death after a trial in absentia, convicting him of atrocities committed during the country's nearly 14-year civil war.

It is the first such ruling under Syria's transitional leaders, who ousted Assad in December 2024, vowing to provide justice and accountability for crimes committed under his rule.

Assad fled to Moscow as Islamist-led forces closed in on Damascus after a lightning offensive.

At a court in Damascus on Tuesday, Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan convicted Assad of crimes including "premeditated murder, the intentional killing of more than one person, the intentional killing of children under 15 years... torture, torture leading to death, and deprivation of liberty on multiple occasions -- classified as crimes against humanity and war crimes".

"He is therefore sentenced to death," the judge said.

Syria in April began proceedings against Assad and other officials accused of atrocities during the country's civil war, which erupted with the brutal repression of pro-democracy protesters by the former authorities.

More than half a million people were subsequently killed and millions displaced, while tens of thousands disappeared, many into the country's prison system.

The court also sentenced six former military and security officials in absentia to death, including Assad's brother Maher, who ran the army's elite Fourth Division.

The United Nations hailed Lebanon's decision Tuesday to scrap the death penalty, and urged other countries in the Middle East and North Africa to do likewise.

"I commend the decision by the Lebanese parliament to formally abolish the death penalty in the country. Lebanon is now the first country in the region to do so, and I call on the other countries that still maintain the death penalty to follow its lead in ending this inhumane practice," said UN rights chief Volker Turk.

Here is the latest:

The death toll from an attack on the commercial vessel Tihamah in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait has risen, according to Yemeni authorities, following a missile strike attributed to Iran-backed Houthi forces.

The vessel was hit while sailing through the strategic waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The initial strike caused a fire and extensive damage to the ship, with crew members among those killed and injured.

Three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian were initially identified among the crew members killed in the attack. A second strike reportedly targeted the rescue operation launched to evacuate those on board.

The death toll from a Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait has risen to six, Yemen’s coastguard said in a new statement.

Four sailors aboard the cargo vessel, identified as the "Tihamah", were among those killed, along with two members of the forces deployed during a rescue operation to evacuate the ship.

The initial attack on the vessel "caused a fire to break out aboard the vessel and inflicted extensive damage, in addition to causing deaths and injuries among its crew, including three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian national killed," the coastguard said.

A second strike hit the vessel while rescue teams were carrying out an operation to evacuate those on board.

"The attack struck the site of the rescue operation and resulted in deaths and injuries among the forces participating in the response operation," the coastguard added, saying 10 people were injured during the attacks.

The statement came hours after Yemen’s Transport Ministry accused the Houthis of carrying out the strikes on the vessel.

The attack comes after the collapse last month of a years-long truce between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on Tuesday that he had a "frank and constructive" first telephone conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, during which he raised concerns over settler violence and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, as well as the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Miliband said he told Sa’ar that Israel must "crack down" on violence in the West Bank and immediately remove restrictions blocking aid from entering Gaza.

He also reaffirmed Britain’s support for a two-state solution, with a secure Israel alongside a Palestinian state.

Today I had a frank and constructive first call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/48pIdbvwXt

— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) August 11, 2026

Iran has launched a missile strike on the headquarters of the Komala Party in the Duli Alan area, northeast of Erbil in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, according to the group.

Amjad Panahi, a Komala spokesperson, said in a Facebook post that the missile struck on Tuesday afternoon. He said party members had taken precautions and were protected by advance preparations and defensive measures.

Komala, also known as the Kurdish Toilers Party, is a Kurdish opposition group that campaigns for Kurdish rights in Iran and has repeatedly been targeted by Iranian forces.

Panahi said Iranian forces had used more than 102 missiles and drones against Komala’s headquarters and camps since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa have discussed regional and international developments during a telephone call, according to the Oman News Agency.

The two leaders exchanged views on efforts to strengthen “security and stability in the region”, the state news agency reported.

They also discussed bilateral relations between Oman and Bahrain, along with other issues of “mutual concern”.

The past week has seen a dramatic and worrying escalation in the Yemen conflict, with the Iran-backed Houthis launching simultaneous attacks against the internationally recognised Yemeni government and its backer, Saudi Arabia.

The return of large-scale fighting risks bringing a violent end to the 2022 ceasefire and inflicting additional chaos on a wider region already reeling from the Iran war.

“We are on the brink of another escalation, but it's unclear to what scale this will take shape,” Ryan Bohl, a senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at the risk intelligence company RANE, told The New Arab.

“It’s clear the Houthis are now pushing on the Marib front line,” he said. “But what is less clear is whether or not the Saudis are going to escalate to responses beyond that geography or towards other cities throughout Houthi-controlled territory like Taiz or Hodeidah.”

The RANE analyst assesses this latest attack as significant since they suggest the Houthi offensive will consist of ground offensives against Saudi Arabia’s coalition allies in Yemen.

“This suggested that the Houthi campaign is not merely about harassing Saudi Arabia’s economic model,” Bohl said. “But also taking and holding ground within Yemen over long-disputed territory.”

Syria has condemned Colombia’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, describing the decision as a blatant breach of international law and United Nations resolutions.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Syria’s Foreign Ministry said it “categorically rejects and condemns” Colombia’s position, while reaffirming that the territory “is an inseparable part of its territory”.

Damascus also pointed to growing international backing for its position on the Golan Heights. It said the number of countries supporting a 2025 UN General Assembly resolution titled “The Syrian Golan” had increased to 123, up from 97 in 2024.

Syria said the rise demonstrated “continued international support for Syria’s right to recover its occupied territory”.

Here are the latest developments in the Middle East as follows:

Four people have been killed in a Houthi missile attack on a commercial vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, according to Yemeni authorities, as regional tensions continue to escalate.

The attack comes as Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi travels to Tehran for talks with Iranian officials as part of efforts to mediate an end to the conflict and secure the reopening of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

A US military helicopter has also reportedly fired on a Panama-flagged vessel accused of trying to breach a blockade on Iranian ports.

Iran has continued to insist that Hormuz will not reopen until Washington meets its conditions, while Iranian officials say the strait remains a key source of strategic leverage. Oil prices have risen sharply as hopes of a quick agreement fade.

Elsewhere, Iran has carried out a missile strike on the headquarters of the Kurdish Komala Party in northern Iraq, while Israel continues to conduct strikes in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and southern Lebanon.

Follow our live coverage for the latest developments from across the region.