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Why the Houthis are threatening Red Sea shipping and what it means for oil markets

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they would ban vessels linked to Israel from transiting the Red Sea, following renewed Israeli military strikes on Iran. The move has raised concerns about global shipping security and energy flows. The announcement comes amid heightened regional tensions, with markets closely watching whether the conflict could again disrupt key maritime trade routes. How big is the risk to global energy markets? Iran’s reported closure of the Strait of Hormuz following Israeli and US strikes on February 28 has already disrupted much of the Gulf’s oil and energy exports, contributing to higher prices and a broader energy shock. Saudi Arabia has since redirected more than 70% of its daily crude exports through the Red Sea port of Yanbu, making the route a critical lifeline for global oil supply and price stability. Any sustained Houthi disruption — through attacks on ships or port infrastructure — could significantl...
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Fact-check: Viral video does not show Iranian attack in northern Israel; it’s an old Egyptian restaurant fire

Multiple pro-Iranian users, based on their past posts, have been sharing a video on social media platform X since Sunday claiming that it shows an attack in the Galilee and Kiryat Shmona settlements of northern Israel. However, the video is old, from March 18, 2026, and shows a fire at an Egyptian restaurant. US and Israeli forces launched a war against Iran on February 28. After more than five weeks of intense military confrontation, President Donald Trump indefinitely extended what was initially a two-week ceasefire, but the conflict remains unresolved. On Sunday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it targeted Israel’s Ramat David airbase with ballistic missiles and that Israel ⁠must stop its attacks ⁠on Lebanon. In response, Israel attacked Iran with explosions reported in Tehran, Tabriz, and Isfahan as tensions escalated. How it started On Sunday, a pro-Iranian account, based on its past posts, shared a video on X, allegedly showing an explosive attack in northern Israel, with the following caption: “Massive explosions and fires right now in the Finger of the Galilee and Shemona settlements in northern Israel.” The post gained 248,000 views. The same clip was shared by another user with the same caption, gaining 101,100 views. Another pro-Iranian account posted the same clip with the following caption: “Powerful blasts and major fires have erupted across the Galilee Panhandle and Kiryat Shmona area in northern Israel.” It gained 71,000 views. Another user shared the same clip with the following caption: “Breaking: Powerful blasts and major fires have erupted across the Galilee Panhandle and Kiryat Shmona area in northern Israel. Israel can’t hide their damage!” It gained 42,000 views. The same video was subsequently shared by several other users with similar claims, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively gaining 11,000 views. Methodology A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the Israel-US war on Iran. It was observed that two of the posts that had shared the video had reposted a clip originally uploaded on March 24 with the following caption: “Clouds of fire have enveloped Israel, hiding the truth is no longer possible! Iran has just seized the opportunity to easily target Israel’s military bases, and according to various sources, at least 800 or more have gone straight to hell, and around 7,000 have been injured.” بریکنگ 🚨:اسرائیل پر آگ کے بادل چھا گئے ہیں، سچائی چھپانا اب ممکن نہیں! ایران نے ابھی ابھی موقع کا فائدہ اٹھا کے اسرائیل کے ٹھکا نو کو باسانی نشانہ بنایا اور مختلف ذریعے کے مطابق کم سے کم 800 سے اوپر جہنم واصل ہو گئے اور 7 ہزار کے قریب زخمی ہو گئے pic.twitter.com/SAkI7meG3R — Asif Ali (@AsifAli_Haider) March 24, 2026 Thus, it was clear the video had nothing to do with any of the recent attacks. A reverse image search yielded the same video shared on Facebook by an Egyptian digital media outlet, Khabar, dated March 20 with the following caption: “A fire broke out inside a restaurant in Kafr Tehrames in Faisal, and the fire quickly spread to the rest of the property.” https://ift.tt/mP9eNJX A keyword search yielded a news report by an Egyptian news portal, Veto, dated March 18 with the title, “A massive fire engulfs the contents of a popular restaurant in Kafr Tahrmas, Giza” According to the news report, a large fire broke out at a restaurant in the Kafr Tahrmas area, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air and sparking fear among passersby and residents. Firefighters were able to contain and completely extinguish the fire. Fact-check status: False The claim that a video shows an attack in the Galilee and Kiryat Shmona settlements in Israel is false. The video is old of a restaurant fire in Egypt and is unrelated to the current crisis in the Middle East. This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.

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