NEW DELHI: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday discussed the need to protect shipping and the global economy from attacks by Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen, as per an Israeli statement.
Attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militants on ships in the Red Sea have disrupted maritime trade and led the US to announce a coalition to try to deal with the threat.
In the latest attack on Monday, the Houthis launched drone attacks on two cargo vessels. As a result, supply chains have been disrupted and shipping firms are rerouting ships around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Suez Canal. This has reportedly led to a 40 per cent hike in shipping costs. The biggest impact has been on oil prices which have started rising.
The leaders also spoke about moving forward on a proposal to send labourers from India to Israel, which has suffered a flight of Thai and other foreign workers during the Gaza war. They discussed the plans to bring in 50,000 to 1 lakh Indian workers after Palestinians from West Bank and Gaza stopped coming.