US Navy shoots down missiles, kills Houthi hijackers in Red Sea

US Navy helicopters destroyed three Houthi boats and killed the men aboard when they attempted to kidnap a commercial ship in the Red Sea. (CENTCOM)
US Navy helicopters destroyed three Houthi boats and killed the men aboard when they attempted to kidnap a commercial ship in the Red Sea. (CENTCOM)
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Updated 01 January 2024
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US Navy shoots down missiles, kills Houthi hijackers in Red Sea

US Navy helicopters destroyed three Houthi boats and killed the men aboard when they attempted to kidnap a commercial ship.
  • Militia overstepped the line by firing on a commercial ship and American helicopters, analyst says
  • First Houthi deaths by US troops reported since their Red Sea operations began in November 

AL-MUKALLA, Yemen: US Navy helicopters destroyed three Houthi boats and killed the men aboard when they attempted to kidnap a commercial ship in the Red Sea, the first Houthi deaths by US troops since their operations in the busy waterway began in November. 

According to accounts by American, Maersk, and Houthi officials, the naval battle occurred around 0330 GMT on Sunday as the attackers sought to board the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou.

Helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely joined the ship’s security team in repelling the attackers after receiving a distress call on Sunday morning, said the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which is in charge of operations in the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia.
 




A 20mm Phalanx CIWS weapons defense cannon is mounted on the US Navy destroyer USS Gravely. The US military said on Dec. 31, 2023 the destroyer shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired toward a container ship by Yemen's Houthi militia in the Red Sea. (AP/File)

The helicopters sank three boats, killing their crews, and one escaped after they attempted to shoot down the helicopters after failing to hijack the ship.

“The US Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the area. There was no damage to US personnel or equipment,” the US military said in a statement on social media platform X.

Earlier, CENTCOM reported that the USS Gravely — in response to a request for assistance from the container ship Maersk Hangzhou — shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis from areas under their control in Yemen at commercial ships in the Red Sea, bringing the total of Houthi Red Sea attacks since Nov. 19 to 23.

The Red Sea is the entry point for ships using the Suez Canal, which handles about 12 percent of global trade and vital for the movement of goods between Asia and Europe.

A spokesman for the Houthis said the group carried out the attack because the ship’s crew refused to heed warning calls. He confirmed that 10 Houthi naval personnel were “dead and missing” after their boats were attacked by US forces in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have launched ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones at commercial and naval ships in the Red Sea, threatening to block major trade routes for Israeli-linked or Israel-bound ships.

The Houthis claim that their activities are to help the Palestinians and intended to push Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza.

Yemen analysts say that the US Navy ship used force against the Houthis after they violated a red line by firing on US Navy helicopters.

Elisabeth Kendall, Middle East expert and head of Girton College at the University of Cambridge, said that the US Navy is now better prepared to repel and destroy Houthi attacks that imperil commercial and navy vessels, in contrast to November, when the Houthis commandeered the Galaxy Leader.

“The Houthis have for weeks been testing the limits of US tolerance and today they found out that the US does have red lines and will react forcefully when they are crossed,” she said.

She added: “The Houthis’ first ship hijacking of the Galaxy Leader in November took the world by surprise. This time, the US was prepared.

“The Houthis overstepped the line by firing on both the ship and the US Navy helicopters, a move which apparently justified the US lethal retaliation as self-defense.”

At the same time, the Houthis have reiterated their threats to strike US Navy ships if they attacked Yemen or stopped them from implementing their ban on Israel-bound ships, and they also organized protests in Yemeni cities under their control to condemn the US and Israel.

“This is a message to all enemies and their pawns that the Yemeni armed forces are ready for any confrontation with the actual enemy, America and Israel,” Houthi leader Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti told Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen TV news channel.

Experts believe that it is difficult to foresee Houthi retaliation for the deaths of their personnel in the Red Sea, or if the Houthi Red Sea strikes would spark an all-out conflict between the US-led maritime task forces that protect the Red Sea.

Kendall says that the Houthis are less eager to start a fight in the Red Sea because it would impede the UN-brokered peace talks that are supposed to give them legitimacy.

“Houthis are on the cusp of finding political legitimacy as part of a UN-mediated roadmap to resolve the Yemen war,” Kendall said.

“Entering a new international war would destroy their chances of becoming a recognized part of Yemen’s governance structure.”

Despite their commitment to support the UN Yemen envoy’s roadmap to end the war in Yemen, the Houthis have launched attacks on government troops in the besieged city of Taiz and launched an explosive-laden drone at a market in the southern province of Lahj, killing two civilians. 

Reluctant allies

The botched Houthi boarding operation was the second attack on the Maersk Hangzhou in as many days. The ship, which is carrying 14,000 containers en route from Singapore, was on Saturday hit by a missile about 55 nautical miles southwest of Al Hodeidah, Yemen.

The shipping company said that the crew of the Maersk Hangzhou crew was safe and there was no indication of fire onboard the vessel, which continued its journey north toward the Suez Canal.

The United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian on Dec. 19, saying more than 20 countries had agreed to participate in the efforts to safeguard ships in Red Sea waters near Yemen.

However, attacks have continued and US allies have proven reluctant to commit to the coalition, with nearly half not declaring their presence publicly.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby declined to say what options the US is considering when asked on ABC’s “Good Morning America” if Washington would consider a preemptive strike on the Houthis.

“We have made it clear publicly to the Houthis, we’ve made it clear privately to our allies and partners in the region, that we take these threats seriously.”

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Sunday that he had told Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a call that Iran should help stop the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

“I made clear that Iran shares responsibility for preventing these attacks, given their long-standing support to the Houthis,” Cameron said in a post on social media site X, adding that the attacks “threaten innocent lives and the global economy.”

 

 

The BIMCO shipping association condemned the attacks and thanked those states involved in repelling them.

“We are thankful to US, French, and UK efforts so far and hope even more states will support the coalition with naval assets or other impactful means including diplomatic pressure on the Houthis and their sponsors,” Jakob Larsen, BIMCO’s head of maritime safety and security, told Reuters.

(With Agencies)


Dozens of arrests follow Turkish unseating of mayors

Dozens of arrests follow Turkish unseating of mayors
Updated 11 November 2024
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Dozens of arrests follow Turkish unseating of mayors

Dozens of arrests follow Turkish unseating of mayors
  • Ankara and its Western allies have branded the PKK a “terrorist” organization. The group has waged a bloody guerrilla war since 1984 that has left more than 40,000 dead.

ISTANBUL: More than 30 people have been charged in Turkiye after protests against the removal of three mayors in the Kurdish-majority southeast, who were then replaced by government-appointed trustees, the interior ministry said Sunday.
Those detained, after the authorities sacked the mayors on “terrorism” charges, include a journalist from news website 10Haber.
His lawyer said the reporter was arrested late Saturday following a series of articles on the removal of a mayor in a district of Istanbul.
Authorities have alleged the mayor is linked to the banned Workers Party of Kurdistan (PKK).
More than 250 people have also been detained for participating in protest rallies in mainly-Kurdish southeastern Turkiye against the mayors’ removal.
The ministry said 33 of those detained had been charged, while 37 have been placed under judicial surveillance, while three others face house arrest.
Monday’s replacement of the mayors sparked widespread anger and brought a rebuke from Europe’s top rights body, the Council of Europe, which said the move undermined local democracy.”
The trio all are from the main pro-Kurdish party DEM. They were elected in March when opposition candidates won in many areas, including Istanbul.
Authorities banned rallies in several Kurdish majority provinces after the move.
Images filmed mid-week in Batman showed police officers targeted by firecrackers and dispersing demonstrators with armored vehicles equipped with water cannons.
Ankara and its Western allies have branded the PKK a “terrorist” organization. The group has waged a bloody guerrilla war since 1984 that has left more than 40,000 dead.
 

 


Iran calls to expel Israel from UN after Syria strike

Iran calls to expel Israel from UN after Syria strike
Updated 11 November 2024
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Iran calls to expel Israel from UN after Syria strike

Iran calls to expel Israel from UN after Syria strike
  • Iran's foreign ministry also called for “an arms embargo” against Israel

TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign ministry called Sunday for an arms embargo on Israel and the expulsion of its arch-foe from the United Nations, following a deadly strike in Syria.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran “strongly condemned the aggressive attack carried out today by the Zionist regime against a residential building” in the Damascus area.
The strike on an apartment belonging to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, killed nine people including a Hezbollah commander, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said.
Baghaei called for measures against Israel, including “an arms embargo” and its “expulsion from the United Nations.”
Regional tensions have soared since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, triggered by the Palestinian Hamas militant group’s unprecedented attack on Israel.
The conflict has drawn in Tehran-aligned militants in the region, and included rare direct attacks between Iran and Israel.
Since Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, mainly targeting army positions and fighters including from Hezbollah.
Israeli authorities rarely comment on the strikes, but have repeatedly said they will not allow arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence in Syria.


Five killed in Turkish drone strikes on PKK members in northern Iraq

Five killed in Turkish drone strikes on PKK members in northern Iraq
Updated 10 November 2024
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Five killed in Turkish drone strikes on PKK members in northern Iraq

Five killed in Turkish drone strikes on PKK members in northern Iraq
  • Turkiye regularly carries out airstrikes on PKK militants in northern Iraq and has dozens of outposts in the Iraqi territory

BAGHDAD: Turkish drone strikes killed five members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan’s counter-terrorism service and security sources said on Sunday.
The first Turkish strike targeted a vehicle in a mountain area near Iraq’s northern province Dohuk late on Saturday, killing three, including one person identified by the Iraqi Kurdistan’s counter-terrorism service statement as a “senior PKK official,” the statement added.
Another drone strike on Sunday targeted a vehicle, killing two fighters from the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a militia affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), two security sources and a local official in the district of Sinjar told Reuters.
Turkiye regularly carries out airstrikes on PKK militants in northern Iraq and has dozens of outposts in the Iraqi territory.
The PKK launched an insurgency against Ankara in 1984 with the initial aim of creating an independent Kurdish state. It subsequently moderated its goals to seeking greater Kurdish rights and limited autonomy in southeast Turkiye.

 


Egypt hosts 1.2 million Sudanese, with ‘hundreds’ arriving daily: UN

Sudanese who fled the war in their country cool off on the banks of the Nile river in the Egyptian city of Aswan. (File/AFP)
Sudanese who fled the war in their country cool off on the banks of the Nile river in the Egyptian city of Aswan. (File/AFP)
Updated 10 November 2024
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Egypt hosts 1.2 million Sudanese, with ‘hundreds’ arriving daily: UN

Sudanese who fled the war in their country cool off on the banks of the Nile river in the Egyptian city of Aswan. (File/AFP)
  • Egypt currently hosts 546,746 Sudanese refugees who are officially registered with the United Nations’ refugee agency UNHCR

CAIRO: Hundreds of people fleeing war-torn Sudan arrive in neighboring Egypt every day, a UN official said Sunday, adding to more than 1.2 million who have found refuge there, according to official figures.
The war between rival Sudanese generals since April 2023 has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 11 million, with 3.1 million of them seeking shelter beyond the country’s borders, according to the UN.
Egypt currently hosts 546,746 Sudanese refugees who are officially registered with the United Nations’ refugee agency UNHCR, as well as others who are awaiting registration, said Christine Bishay, associate external relations officer at UNHCR Egypt.
A UNHCR report issued on Friday said that “recent data from the government of Egypt indicates that more than 1.2 million Sudanese have sought international protection in Egypt.”
This has made the North African country the largest host of Sudanese refugees despite imposing stricter entry requirements during the war in Sudan, which shares a long border with Egypt.
Sudanese nationals “now make up two-thirds of the country’s total registered refugee population” of 827,644 people representing 95 nationalities, including Syria, South Sudan and Eritrea, she said.
“Initially, at the very beginning of the conflict, thousands of Sudanese arrived in Egypt on a daily basis, before stabilising to a few hundreds per day,” Bishay added.
Cairo had initially waived visa requirements for Sudanese women, children and men over 50 at the start of the war.
But a month after the conflict erupted, the Egyptian government introduced visa entry requirements for all Sudanese, leaving many to resort to irregular crossings.
In September this year, Egypt further tightened entry requirements, obliging people entering from Sudan to obtain “prior security clearance” alongside a consular visa, according to Egypt’s interior ministry.
Raga Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a 27-year-old Sudanese woman who crossed into Egypt illegally in August, told AFP she had paid about 500,000 Sudanese pounds ($830) to travel in a pick-up truck with 16 others.
The desert journey, which took a gruelling day and a half, was “exhausting and terrifying,” Abdel Rahman said.
“We were constantly afraid of being stopped by RSF forces,” she added, referring to the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces who have been battling the regular army.
Hundreds of thousands of others who fled Sudan have sought refuge primarily in neighboring countries, including Chad, South Sudan and Libya.
In the report published on Friday, UNHCR Egypt warned that the humanitarian crisis caused by Sudan’s war has placed “immense pressure on Egypt’s resources and infrastructure.”
Hanan Hamdan, UNHCR representative to Egypt’s government and the Arab League, said that “the burden on Egypt is unsustainable and requires immediate and substantial international assistance to ensure the protection and well-being of those affected by the conflict.”
UNHCR also noted that so far, just over half of the funding needed for an aid scheme for Sudanese refugees has been secured.
The Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan 2024 “has received $1.52 billion in funding, which is 56.3 percent of the required $2.7 billion,” the UN agency said.
“Despite this significant contribution, the funding gap remains substantial.”


Five Iranian security forces killed in attack in Sistan-Baluchistan province

Five Iranian security forces killed in attack in Sistan-Baluchistan province
Updated 10 November 2024
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Five Iranian security forces killed in attack in Sistan-Baluchistan province

Five Iranian security forces killed in attack in Sistan-Baluchistan province
  • Iranian forces launched a major operation in the area after an attack on October 26 killed 10 police officers

TEHRAN: At least five members of Iran’s security forces were killed Sunday in a “terror attack” in the restive southeast, where authorities have been conducting operations against rebels, local media reported.
The Fars news agency reported that in a “terror attack in Saravan county, in the south of the Sistan-Baluchistan province, five members of the security forces were killed.”
Sistan-Baluchistan borders both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and is one of Iran’s most impoverished provinces. It is one of the few mainly Sunni Muslim provinces in Shiite-dominated Iran.
For years it has faced unrest involving drug-smuggling gangs, rebels from the Baluchi minority and extremists.
Fars said that after the attack in Saravan, “units stationed in the region were quickly deployed to pursue the criminals.”
Iranian forces launched a major operation in the area after an attack on October 26 killed 10 police officers.
That attack was later claimed by the Pakistan-based Sunni jihadist group Jaish Al-Adl (Arabic for Army of Justice).
Local media reported that those behind the October attack have been killed in the current security operation.
Some 15 militants have been reported killed in Sistan-Baluchistan province since the October attack, including three on Sunday, state television said.
It also said more than 30 suspects have been arrested.
Formed in 2012 by Baluch separatists, Jaish Al-Adl is designated a terrorist organization by both Iran and the United States.