Houthis launch second wave of attacks on Red Sea vessels after deadly British-US airstrikes

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea chants slogans in Sanaa, Yemen, after delivering a statement on the group's latest attacks against US and British naval vessels as well as commercial ships on the Red Sea. (REUTERS)
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Updated 02 June 2024
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Houthis launch second wave of attacks on Red Sea vessels after deadly British-US airstrikes

  • Saturday's operations were the second in response to the latest US-British airstrikes in Yemen, says militia spokesman
  • US military said no injuries or damage were reported by US, coalition or commercial ships from the attacks

RIYADH: Houthi forces launched anti-ballistic missiles and armed drones targeting a US aircraft carrier, a US destroyer and three vessels in the Red Sea, the Iran-backed Yemeni militia’s military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Saturday.

The US military confirmed the attacks but said no injuries or damage were reported by US, coalition or commercial ships.

In a statement on X, the US Central Command said its forces destroyed one Iran-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial system in the southern Red Sea and saw two others crash into Red Sea.

US forces also destroyed two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles fired in direction of the US Navy ship Gravely, it said.

The attacks came a day after a Houthi official vowed to hit back after a joint British US airstrikes hit militia installations in Yemen on Thursday.

“We will meet escalation with escalation,” Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi official, wrote on X.

The Houthi militia, which controls the most populous parts of Yemen and is aligned with Iran, has attacked ships off its coast for months, saying it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in Gaza.

Saree on Saturday said the group “targeted the American aircraft carrier, the Eisenhower, north of the Red Sea, with a number of missiles and drones,” adding that it was “the second targeting operation against the carrier during the past 24 hours.”

The spokesperson also added that the other operations have targeted a US destroyer and the ABLIANI ship in the Red Sea, along with “the MAINA ship that has been targeted twice in the Red Sea and in the Arabian Sea as well.”

Additionally, “the ship ALORAIQ has been targeted in the Indian Ocean,” he added.

On Friday, F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft hit a wide range of Houthi underground facilities, missile launchers, command and control sites, a vessel and other facilities, according to the US military.

The militia acknowledged that the joint British-US airstrikes killed at least 16 people and wounded 42 of its fighters. It was the highest publicly acknowledged death toll from the multiple rounds of strikes carried out over the Houthi attacks on shipping.

But the Houthis focused Friday morning on a strike they said struck a building housing Hodeida Radio and civilian homes in the port city on the Red Sea. Their Al Masirah satellite news channel aired images of one bloodied man being carried down stairs and others in the hospital, receiving aid. It said all the dead and nearly all the wounded from the strikes came from there.

The Houthis described all those killed and hurt in Hodeida as civilians. The rebel force that’s held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014 includes fighters who often aren’t in uniform.

Other strikes hit outside of Sanaa near its airport, and communication equipment in Taiz, the broadcaster said. Little other information was released on those sites — likely signaling that Houthi military sites had been struck. One person was wounded in Sanaa.

“We confirm this brutal aggression against Yemen as punishment for its position in support of Gaza, in support of Israel to continue its crimes of genocide against the wounded, besieged and steadfast Gaza Strip,” Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam posted on X.

The US and the UK have launched strikes against the Houthis since January, with the US regularly carrying out its own in the time since as well.

Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, the Houthis’ secretive supreme leader, offered an overall death toll for the strikes up to that point as 40 people killed and 35 others wounded. He didn’t offer a breakdown between civilian and combatant casualties at the time.

The Houthis have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, killed three sailors, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration. This week, they attacked a ship carrying grain to Iran, the rebels’ main benefactor.

On Wednesday, another US MQ-9 Reaper drone apparently crashed in Yemen, with the Houthis claiming they fired a surface-to-air missile at it. The US Air Force didn’t report any aircraft missing, leading to suspicion that the drone may have been piloted by the CIA. As many as three may have been lost in May alone.

(With Reuters & AP)


Hezbollah targets Israeli mountain base in ‘largest’ air attack

Updated 07 July 2024
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Hezbollah targets Israeli mountain base in ‘largest’ air attack

  • Hezbollah, Iran-backed Hamas ally, has traded almost daily fire with Israeli forces since Palestinian militant group’s Oct. 7 attack

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement said on Sunday it launched its “largest” air operation, sending explosive drones at a mountaintop Israeli military intelligence base in the annexed Golan Heights.
It is the latest incident among escalating cross-border exchanges of fire that have triggered global alarm.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Hamas ally, has traded almost daily fire with Israeli forces since the Palestinian militant group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel triggered war in the Gaza Strip.
Announcing “the largest operation” carried out by its aerial forces, Hezbollah said in a statement that its fighters sent “multiple, successive squadrons of drones to target the reconnaissance center” on Mount Hermon.
The Israeli military said an explosive drone “fell in an open area in the Mount Hermon area” but there were “no injuries.”
Attacks as well as rhetoric have escalated in recent weeks, spurring fears of an all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah which last went to war in 2006.
The Lebanese movement said the drone attack was part of its “response” to the killing of an operative in a strike Saturday deep into east Lebanon around 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the border.
The Mount Hermon attack targeted intelligence systems, “destroying them and starting a major fire,” Hezbollah said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited troops on Mount Hermon earlier on Sunday, his office said.
In two additional statements, the military said its air defenses “successfully intercepted” several “aerial targets” that crossed from Lebanon after sirens sounded in the Golan Heights area.
Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and later annexed it in a move largely unrecognized by the international community.
The Israeli strike on Saturday killed “a key operative in Hezbollah’s Aerial Defense Unit,” the military has said.
Throughout Sunday, Hezbollah announced four more attacks on Israeli military sites across the border with barrages of rockets as well as some guided missiles. Israeli authorities reported four wounded.
Gallant, in a video from Mount Hermon, said that “even if there is a ceasefire” in Gaza, “we will continue fighting and doing everything necessary to bring about the desired result” in the campaign against Hezbollah.
The cross-border violence has killed at least 497 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters but also including 95 civilians, according to an AFP tally.
On the Israeli side, at least 16 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed, according to the authorities.
Tens of thousands of residents have been displaced from the border areas in both southern Lebanon and northern Israel.


UK’s Starmer uges ‘caution’ on Israel-Lebanon border

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese village of Dhayra on July 4, 2024. (AFP)
Updated 07 July 2024
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UK’s Starmer uges ‘caution’ on Israel-Lebanon border

  • Starmer told Abbas that his “longstanding policy on recognition to contribute to a peace process had not changed, and it was the undeniable right of Palestinians”

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday called on all sides to exercise “caution” on the border between Israel and Lebanon, in his first telephone conversation since he was elected with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Starmer told his counterpart the “situation on the northern border of Israel was very concerning, and it was crucial all parties acted with caution,” a spokesperson for his 10 Downing Street office said.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement on Sunday fired another 20 rockets at northern Israel, leaving one person injured there, the latest cross-border attacks launched in solidarity with Hamas.
Hezbollah has traded near daily fire with the Israeli army across Lebanon’s southern border since its Palestinian ally Hamas attacked Israel last year, triggering the war in Gaza.
Discussing the conflict, the prime minister reiterated his condolences for the mass loss of life during the October 7 attacks, the spokesperson said.
“He then set out the clear and urgent need for a ceasefire, the return of hostages and an immediate increase in the volume of humanitarian aid reaching civilians.”
In his conversation with Netanyahu, Starmer added that it was also “important to ensure the long-term conditions for a two-state solution were in place, including ensuring the Palestinian Authority had the financial means to operate effectively.”
Efforts toward a truce are continuing with US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators hoping to halt the worst-ever Gaza war, which has caused mass civilian casualties and devastated the coastal territory.
The spokesperson said the prime minister also spoke by phone to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
Starmer told Abbas that his “longstanding policy on recognition to contribute to a peace process had not changed, and it was the undeniable right of Palestinians.”
The October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
The militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 42 the military says are dead.
In response, Israel’s military offensive has killed at least 38,153 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.


Israel accused of sabotaging Gaza ceasefire proposal

Updated 07 July 2024
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Israel accused of sabotaging Gaza ceasefire proposal

  • Reports indicated that Hamas had provisionally approved a new phased deal proposal
  • But Mossad official David Barnea reportedly presented mediators with new conditions

LONDON: Israel has been accused of trying to sabotage a US-backed ceasefire proposal by adding new conditions after initially accepting the plan, Israeli news outlets reported on Sunday.

Recent days had seen an increase in optimism for a Gaza ceasefire, with reports indicating that Hamas had provisionally approved a new phased deal proposal.

Egyptian officials and Hamas representatives noted that the Palestinian militant group conceded a key demand for Israel to commit to a permanent end to the war before any cessation of hostilities, Reuters and the Associated Press reported.

Two Hamas officials told Reuters they were now waiting for Israel’s response.

However, David Barnea, the chief of the Mossad foreign intelligence service, who was sent over the weekend to Qatar where talks are being held, reportedly presented mediators with a list of new conditions.

Haaretz, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that these new Israeli demands could delay negotiations by “at least three weeks” and it was uncertain if Hamas would agree to them.

“Hamas has already agreed to the latest position presented by Israel,” the source told Haaretz. “But in Friday’s meeting, Israel presented some new points it demands that Hamas accept.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under fire from opposition parties, the media, and families of Israeli hostages, who accuse him of sabotaging efforts to reach a ceasefire and secure the hostages’ release for his political gain.

As a potential agreement nears, Netanyahu has shown a pattern of pulling back from hostage negotiations. In recent months, he has been accused of hindering progress toward ending the war through public statements, covert communications, or by restricting the negotiating team’s authority.

Over 38,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, as the war marks its ninth month.


Yemeni parties fail to reach prisoner exchange deal in Muscat

The UN Yemen envoy, Hans Grundberg, announced the end of the dialogue in Muscat. (File/AFP)
Updated 07 July 2024
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Yemeni parties fail to reach prisoner exchange deal in Muscat

  • Officials from both sides declared on Saturday that the UN-brokered discussions in Muscat had ended without reaching an agreement on a new prisoner arrangement
  • Houthis ransack home of Yemen central bank chief in Sanaa, says state media

AL-MUKALLA: Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthis have failed to strike a fresh prisoner exchange deal, crushing Yemeni families’ hopes of seeing their detained relatives released.

Officials from the two sides declared on Saturday night that the UN-brokered discussions in Muscat had ended without reaching an agreement on a new prisoner arrangement.

The UN Yemen envoy, Hans Grundberg, announced the end of the dialogue in Muscat, saying that the talks achieved “a significant breakthrough” when the Yemeni government and the Houthis agreed to release prominent politician Mohammed Qahtan, a point of contention between the two sides.

The government and militia agreed to meet again to approve the names of detainees set for release.

“Thousands of Yemenis are waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. Despite the positive progress, much more needs to be done, and faster, to provide relief to the suffering families,” Grundberg said in a statement.

Despite accusing the Houthis of attempting to derail the prisoner swap talks, Majed Fadhail, a spokesperson for the government delegation, also spoke of “some breakthroughs” in issues concerning war prisoners and forcibly disappeared people.

The government had agreed with the Houthis to return for a “supplementary” round of talks in two months, he added.

Last week, the Yemeni government and Grundberg expressed confidence about the negotiation progress after the Houthis agreed to exchange Qahtan for 50 of their inmates, removing a key impediment to the discussions.

In a post on X, Abdulkader Al-Murtada, head of the Houthi National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, said that during the discussions, the militia settled its dispute with the Yemeni government over the release of Qahtan and swapped prospective names of prisoners for release, citing “time constraints” as the reason for the termination of the talks.

The latest round of UN-sponsored negotiations between the Yemeni government and the Houthis started last Sunday in the hopes of reaching a fresh jail exchange agreement to ease the suffering of hundreds of war prisoners and abducted civilians.

It comes as the Yemeni government accused the Houthis of assaulting the Sanaa home of Ahmed Ahmed Ghaleb, the governor of Yemen’s central bank in Aden.

Central bank chief's home ransacked

According to the official news agency on Saturday, armed Houthi fighters stormed Ghaleb’s residence in Sanaa and removed those inside, apparently in response to the governor’s recent actions against Sanaa’s banking institutions.

Ghaleb recently sanctioned numerous banks for refusing to move their offices from Houthi-held Sanaa to government-controlled Aden.

He also ordered the removal of banknotes printed before 2016 that are extensively used in Houthi territory.

Since seizing power in Yemen more than a decade ago, the Houthis have seized the homes and other assets of hundreds of Yemeni politicians, journalists, human rights advocates, military and security personnel, attorneys and others who have challenged their harsh policies.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Ministry of Endowments and Guidance said on Saturday that all stranded Yemeni pilgrims have returned home after the Houthis permitted a Yemenia Airways jet to fly them from Jeddah to Sanaa.

Hundreds of Yemeni pilgrims were trapped in Saudi Arabia when the Houthis seized three Yemenia aircraft at Sanaa airport and prevented them from flying to Saudi Arabia to bring back pilgrims.

A Yemeni government official told Arab News that the standoff with the Houthis over the capture of Yemenia planes has not ended and that the Houthis have once again seized the Yemenia plane that carried pilgrims and have refused all mediations to release the aircraft.

The Houthis claim they will administer Yemenia Airways, repair the aircraft and reorganize flights from Yemeni airports, including those held by the government.

The Yemeni government accused the Houthis of “hijacking” the flights and compounding the agony of Yemenis who are left unable to travel as a result of the aircraft seizures.


Israel accused of sabotaging Gaza ceasefire proposal

Updated 07 July 2024
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Israel accused of sabotaging Gaza ceasefire proposal

  • New Israeli demands could delay negotiations by “at least three weeks”

LONDON: Israel has been accused of trying to sabotage a US-backed ceasefire proposal by adding new conditions after initially accepting the plan, Israeli news outlets reported on Sunday.

Recent days had seen an increase in optimism for a Gaza ceasefire, with reports indicating that Hamas had provisionally approved a new phased deal proposal.

Egyptian officials and Hamas representatives noted that the Palestinian militant group conceded a key demand for Israel to commit to a permanent end to the war before any cessation of hostilities, Reuters and the Associated Press reported.

Two Hamas officials told Reuters they were now waiting for Israel’s response.

However, David Barnea, the chief of the Mossad foreign intelligence service, who was sent over the weekend to Qatar where talks are being held, reportedly presented mediators with a list of new conditions.

Haaretz, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that these new Israeli demands could delay negotiations by “at least three weeks” and it was uncertain if Hamas would agree to them.

“Hamas has already agreed to the latest position presented by Israel,” the source told Haaretz. “But in Friday’s meeting, Israel presented some new points it demands that Hamas accept.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under fire from opposition parties, the media, and families of Israeli hostages, who accuse him of sabotaging efforts to reach a ceasefire and secure the hostages’ release for his political gain.

As a potential agreement nears, Netanyahu has shown a pattern of pulling back from hostage negotiations. In recent months, he has been accused of hindering progress toward ending the war through public statements, covert communications, or by restricting the negotiating team’s authority.

Over 38,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, as the war marks its ninth month.