3 Egyptian Fishermen Killed By Mine Explosion in Southern Red Sea Near Yemen

February 05: Three Egyptian fishermen were killed by a mine explosion in the southern Red Sea near Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Friday [February 07].

The other three Egyptians on the fishing boat were rescued by the Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in Yemen, SPA said. A statement by a spokesman for the Arab Coalition reported, “At (0200), Wednesday, 05 February 2020, Coalition Naval forces responded to a communication reporting the sinking of a fishing boat in International Waters in the Red Sea as a result of a naval mine explosion.”

Turki Al Maliki, the coalition spokesman, accused the Yemeni Houthi rebels of being behind the incident that took place in the international waters on Wednesday [Februray 05].

“The Iran-backed Houthi militia’s continued planting and deploying naval mines is a serious threat to maritime navigation and international trade in the south of the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb strait,” he said.

A total of 137 mines, planted and deployed indiscriminately by the Houthi militia in the south of the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb strait, have been discovered and destroyed, the coalition spokesman claimed.

Sources: Xinhua & Al Arabiya