DUBAI: Two of the world’s largest shipping firms, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, said Friday they were suspending passage through a Red Sea strait vital for global commerce, after Yemeni rebel attacks in the area.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of Yemen but are not recognized internationally, say they’re targeting shipping to pressure Israel during its two-month-old war with Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
The maritime tensions have added to fears that the Gaza conflict could spread.
JERUSALEM: Israel on Friday said it was opening a military police investigation into the killing of two Palestinians in the West Bank after an Israeli human rights group posted videos that appeared to show Israeli troops killing the men — one who was incapacitated and the second unarmed — during a military raid in a West Bank refugee camp.
The B’Tselem human rights group accused the army of carrying out a pair of “illegal executions.”