DUBAI: The leader of Yemen’s Houthis said Thursday that retaliation for an Israeli strike on a port under the control of the Iran-backed militants was inevitable.
The vow added to regional tensions that have soared after Iran vowed reprisals against Israel for the high-profile killings of two Tehran-allied militant leaders last week.
A response to Israel’s July 20 attack that targeted fuel storage tanks in Hodeida harbor is “inevitable and will come,” Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said in a televised speech.
The battle with Israel was “at its zenith,” the militant chief added.
The Houthis are fighting Israel as part of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance,” which includes militant groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
The delayed response by the Houthis and Iran’s regional allies to Israel’s latest moves was “purely tactical,” the militant chief said.
“The aim is a genuinely impactful response” in light of preemptive defense measures taken by Israel and its American backers, he added.
“The decision to respond is a decision made by everyone; at the level of the entire axis,” he said.
The Hodeida strike was the first claimed by Israel on the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country.
It came a day after the Houthis launched their first fatal strike on Israel — a drone attack in Tel Aviv that killed an Israeli civilian.
The Israeli response decimated the port’s fuel storage capacity and killed at least nine people, according to the militants.
Since November, the Houthis have launched a flurry of missile and drone strikes on Israel-linked shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
They say the campaign that has disrupted maritime traffic is intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war.
“The decrease in maritime traffic is a great victory,” the Houthi leader said, adding that a total of 177 vessels had been targeted.
Yemen’s Houthis say retaliation for Israel port strike ‘inevitable’
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Yemen’s Houthis say retaliation for Israel port strike ‘inevitable’
- The battle with Israel was “at its zenith,” the militant chief added.
- The Houthis are fighting Israel as part of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance,” which includes militant groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon
UN chief rejects new Israeli plan to control Gaza aid
- No aid has been delivered to the Palestinian enclave of some 2.1 million people since March 2
- Antonio Guterres called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access in Gaza
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday rejected a new Israeli proposal to control aid deliveries in Gaza, saying it risks “further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour.”
“Let me be clear: We will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality,” Guterres told reporters.
No aid has been delivered to the Palestinian enclave of some 2.1 million people since March 2. Israel has said it would not allow the entry of all goods and supplies into Gaza until Palestinian militants Hamas release all remaining hostages.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, last week met with UN agencies and international aid groups and said it proposed “a structured monitoring and aid entry mechanism” for Gaza.
“The mechanism is designed to support aid organizations, enhance oversight and accountability, and ensure that assistance reaches the civilian population in need, rather than being diverted and stolen by Hamas,” COGAT posted on X on Sunday.
Jonathan Whittall, the senior UN aid official for Gaza and the West Bank, said last week that there was no evidence of aid being diverted.
Israel last month resumed its bombardment of Gaza after a two-month truce and sent troops back into the enclave.
“Gaza is a killing field – and civilians are in an endless death loop,” said Guterres as he again called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access in Gaza.
“With crossing points into Gaza shut and aid blockaded, security is in shambles and our capacity to deliver has been strangled,” he said.
“As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law – including international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” Guterres said.
That means Israel should facilitate relief programs and ensure food, medical care, hygiene and public-health standards in Gaza, he said. “None of that is happening today,” he added.
Israel says it does not exercise effective control over Gaza and therefore is not an occupying power.
The war in Gaza was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities.
Palestinian minister appeals to Egyptian counterpart to support Gaza’s education
- Israeli actions in Gaza have led to the destruction of 95 percent of schools
- Ministry resumed educational activities through online platforms by creating new virtual classrooms amidst displacement
LONDON: The education system in the Gaza Strip has lost nearly 95 percent of its operational capacity due to Israeli attacks since October 2023.
Amjad Barham, the Palestinian minister of education, informed his Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Abdel-Latif, during a meeting in Cairo on Tuesday about the significant damage sustained by the schooling sector in Gaza.
Barham reported that Israeli actions in Gaza have led to the destruction of 95 percent of schools, either through demolition, bombing, or severe damage, rendering 293 out of 309 schools non-operational.
Over 720,000 students in Gaza have been affected, with approximately 700,000 having no access to adequate education. He added that Gaza’s universities were significantly damaged by the Israeli military attacks, with around 85 percent of their buildings reduced to rubble.
Despite significant challenges, the ministry resumed educational activities through online platforms by creating new virtual classrooms amidst displacement. It also conducted 2024’s final year school exams in Egyptian schools for nearly 1,350 students from Gaza.
Barham appealed to his Egyptian counterpart to continue supporting online education initiatives for Palestinian students, according to Wafa news agency.
He urged opening courses in math, science, and language subjects. He requested that Palestinian teachers residing in Egypt be allowed to work and teach online for students in Gaza and those who have left the territory, Wafa added.
Oman, Pakistan sign MoU to cooperate in scientific fields between military learning institutions
- The signing ceremony was attended by senior officers from Oman’s Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies
- Lt. Gen. Babar Iftikhar, president of the National Defence University in Pakistan, led his country’s delegation to Muscat
LONDON: Oman and Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday to collaborate in academic and scientific fields between their respective military and defense learning institutions.
The MoU was signed by Maj. Gen. Hamid Ahmed Sakroon, chairman of the Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies, and Lt. Gen. Babar Iftikhar, president of the National Defence University in Pakistan.
Iftikhar led the Pakistani delegation visiting Bait Al-Falaj Camp on Tuesday, where the Omani and Pakistani representatives exchanged friendly conversation and discussed academic matters, the Oman News Agency reported.
The signing ceremony was attended by senior officers from Oman’s Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies, the Pakistani ambassador, and the military attache at the Pakistani Embassy in Muscat.
Iran says deal can be reached if US shows goodwill
- Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s principal aim remained the lifting of sweeping US sanctions
- Speaking Monday in the Oval Office, Trump said he was hopeful of reaching a deal with Tehran
TEHRAN: Iran’s top diplomat said Tuesday he believed a new nuclear deal could be agreed with the United States provided Tehran’s longtime foe shows sufficient goodwill in talks to begin in Oman on Saturday.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s principal aim remained the lifting of sweeping US sanctions. Their reimposition by President Donald Trump in 2018 has dealt a heavy blow to the Iranian economy.
Trump made the surprise announcement that his administration would open talks with Iran during a White House meeting on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country is an arch foe of Tehran.
Trump said the talks would be “direct” but Araghchi insisted his negotiations with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday would be “indirect.”
“We will not accept any other form of negotiation,” Araghchi told official media. “The format of the negotiations... is not the most important thing in my view. What really counts is the effectiveness or otherwise of the talks.
“If the other side shows enough of the necessary willingess, a deal can be found... The ball is in America’s court.”
Speaking Monday in the Oval Office, Trump said he was hopeful of reaching a deal with Tehran, but warned that the Islamic republic would be in “great danger” if the talks failed.
“We’re dealing with the Iranians, we have a very big meeting on Saturday and we’re dealing with them directly,” Trump told reporters.
Trump’s announcement came after Iran dismissed direct negotiations on a new deal to curb the country’s nuclear activities, calling the idea pointless.
The US president pulled out of the last deal in 2018, during his first presidency, and there has been widespread speculation that Israel, possibly with US help, might attack Iranian facilities if no new agreement is reached.
Trump issued a stern warning to Tehran, however.
“I think if the talks aren’t successful with Iran, I think Iran’s going to be in great danger, and I hate to say it, great danger, because they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
In an interview with US network NBC late last month. Trump went further. “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” he said.
China and Russia held consultations with Iran in Moscow on Tuesday, after which the Kremlin welcomed the planned talks.
Key Iranian ally Russia welcomed the prospect of negotiations for a new nuclear accord to replace the deal with major powers that was unilaterally abandoned by Trump in 2018.
“We know that certain contacts — direct and indirect — are planned in Oman. And, of course, this can only be welcomed because it can lead to de-escalation of tensions around Iran,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that Moscow “absolutely” supported the initiative.
China called on the United States to “stop its wrong practice of using force to exert extreme pressure” after Trump threatened Iran with bombing if it fails to agree a deal.
“As the country that unilaterally withdrew from the comprehensive agreement on the Iran nuclear issue and caused the current situation, the United States should demonstrate political sincerity (and)... mutual respect,” its foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.
Washington should “participate in dialogue and consultation, and at the same time stop its wrong practice of using force to exert extreme pressure,” Lin added.
The Israeli prime minister, whose government has also threatened military action against Iran to prevent it developing a nuclear weapon, held talks with Witkoff as well as Trump on Monday.
Netanyahu was a bitter opponent of the 2015 agreement between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States which Trump later abandoned.
That deal saw Iran receive relief from international sanctions in return for restrictions on its nuclear activities overseen by the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Trump’s withdrawal from the deal was followed by an Iranian decision one year later to stop complying with its own obligations under the deal.
The result has been that Iran has built up large stocks of highly enriched uranium that leave it a short step from weapons grade.
In its latest quarterly report in February, the IAEA said Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilograms (605 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent. Weapons grade is around 90 percent.
World bank approves $1.1 billion in new financing to support Jordan
AMMAN: The World Bank said on Monday it approved $1.1 billion in new financing to support Jordan's economy in the face of external shocks.
The bank said the financing bolsters the country's IMF-led reforms focused on four areas that aim to accelerate growth, create jobs and invest in sustainable energy projects.
