Houthis claim 2 attacks on ships in Red Sea

Special Houthis claim 2 attacks on ships in Red Sea
Crew man the decks of the USS Mason, which the Houthis claimed to have struck with a missile in the Red Sea. (AFP)
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Updated 15 May 2024
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Houthis claim 2 attacks on ships in Red Sea

Houthis claim 2 attacks on ships in Red Sea
  • Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said that the militia’s naval forces launched an “accurate” missile strike on the US Navy destroyer USS Mason in the Red Sea
  • Statement comes a day after US Central Command said that the USS Mason shot down an incoming anti-ship ballistic missile launched by the Houthis

AL-MUKALLA: Yemen’s Houthi militia claimed responsibility on Wednesday for two drone and missile attacks on a US warship and a commercial ship in the Red Sea, vowing to continue striking ships in international seas, mostly near Yemen’s borders, in support of Palestinians.

In a televised broadcast, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said that the militia’s naval forces launched an “accurate” missile strike on the US Navy destroyer USS Mason in the Red Sea, as well as a combined attack on the Destiny in the Red Sea. Sarea did not specify when Houthis forces assaulted the two ships, or if the militia caused any human casualties or damage. The statement comes a day after US Central Command said that the USS Mason shot down an incoming anti-ship ballistic missile launched by the Houthis from areas under militia control in Yemen on Monday evening.

According to marinetraffic.com, which provides information on ship locations and identities, the Destiny is a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier that left Bangladesh’s Port of Chittagong on March 31 and landed at the Saudi Red Sea port of Jeddah on April 17. The Houthis said they attacked the ship when it reached Israel’s Eilat on April 20, defying militia warnings to ships sailing the Red Sea to avoid the port.

The Houthis have sunk one ship, seized another and launched hundreds of ballistic missiles, drones, and explosive-laden drone boats at International commercial and naval ships in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and, more recently, the Indian Ocean. The militia claimed its strikes were intended to push Israel to cease its blockade of the Gaza Strip, and that they targeted US and UK ships after the two nations blasted Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen.

On Tuesday, Houthi media said that jets from the US and the UK had launched four strikes on Hodeidah airport in the Red Sea city, the second round of airstrikes on the same airport this week. The US and UK replied to the Houthi Red Sea campaign by unleashing hundreds of airstrikes on Sanaa, Saada, Hodeidah and other Houthi-controlled Yemeni regions. According to the two nations, the strikes prevented many Houthi missile, drone, or drone boat assaults on ships in international seas while significantly weakening Houthi military capabilities.

The US-led Combined Maritime Forces said on Tuesday that Lebanon and Albania joined the international marine coalition as the 44th and 45th members, respectively. “It is a pleasure to welcome both Lebanon and Albania to the Combined Maritime Forces,” US Navy Vice Admiral George Wikoff, the CMF commander, said in a statement. The Bahrain-based CMF is made up of five task teams that protect major maritime waterways such as the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.


365 Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in West Bank refugee camps since mid-January

365 Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in West Bank refugee camps since mid-January
Updated 29 sec ago
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365 Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in West Bank refugee camps since mid-January

365 Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in West Bank refugee camps since mid-January
  • Some detainees subjected to threats, beatings, investigations
  • Rights group says homes in Jenin, Tulkarem turned into military positions

LONDON: Israeli forces have detained 365 Palestinians in the occupied northern West Bank cities of Jenin and Tulkarem since mid-January, according to a rights group affiliated with the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society documented the arrest of 365 people following the Israeli launch of a military campaign in Jenin on Jan. 21, just days after a ceasefire and captives-exchange deal was reached with Hamas in Gaza.

The group said that during 35 days of Israeli operations in the Jenin refugee camp, at least 200 individuals were detained, while in Tulkarem, 165 people were arrested, including children, women and the elderly.

Israeli forces deployed tanks this week to the Jenin refugee camp after displacing nearly 20,000 people, along with another 20,000 Palestinians from Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, and said it planned to keep forces in these areas “for many months.”

The PPS said Israeli forces had turned Palestinian homes in Jenin and Tulkarem into military positions, deployed snipers on the rooftops of buildings and used bulldozers to destroy roads and infrastructure.

Some of those detained were subject to threats, beatings and field investigations, it said.

Since late 2023, nearly 900 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. At least 32 Israelis have died from Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations during the same period, according to official figures.


Red Cross says ‘deeply concerned’ with impact of Israeli operation in West Bank

Israeli tanks are deployed during an ongoing army operation in the West Bank Jenin refugee camp, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP)
Israeli tanks are deployed during an ongoing army operation in the West Bank Jenin refugee camp, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP)
Updated 58 min 16 sec ago
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Red Cross says ‘deeply concerned’ with impact of Israeli operation in West Bank

Israeli tanks are deployed during an ongoing army operation in the West Bank Jenin refugee camp, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP)

JERUSALEM: The International Committee of the Red Cross expressed on Monday its concern over the impact of a weeks-long Israeli offensive in the occupied West Bank that has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians.
“The International Committee of the Red Cross is deeply concerned with the impact of ongoing security operations on the civilian population in Jenin and Tulkarem, Tubas and other locations in northern West Bank,” it said in a statement, adding that “people are struggling to access basic needs such as clean water, food, medical care and shelter.”


Bahraini military commander-in-chief reviews defense ties with UK ambassador

Bahraini military commander-in-chief reviews defense ties with UK ambassador
Updated 24 February 2025
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Bahraini military commander-in-chief reviews defense ties with UK ambassador

Bahraini military commander-in-chief reviews defense ties with UK ambassador
  • Field Marshal Khalifa highlights historic relationship between the kingdoms
  • Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Theyab bin Saqr Al-Nuaimi attended the meeting

LONDON: Field Marshal Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, commander-in-chief of the Bahrain Defence Force, reviewed historical and defense ties with Alastair Long, the UK ambassador to Manama.

Several senior military officials from Bahrain attended the meeting, including Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Theyab bin Saqr Al-Nuaimi and Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa, an adviser for financial and technical affairs at General Command.

Khalifa highlighted the historic relationship between Bahrain and the UK during his meeting with Long, and outlined developments in various sectors, according to the Bahrain News Agency.


Morocco foils attacks by cell loyal to Daesh

Morocco’s counterterrorism agency said on Monday it had foiled attacks against targets in the country by a cell loyal to Daesh.
Morocco’s counterterrorism agency said on Monday it had foiled attacks against targets in the country by a cell loyal to Daesh.
Updated 24 February 2025
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Morocco foils attacks by cell loyal to Daesh

Morocco’s counterterrorism agency said on Monday it had foiled attacks against targets in the country by a cell loyal to Daesh.
  • Suspects, arrested in nine cities, had been receiving orders from a Libyan leader of Daesh, the head of Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations said

RABAT: Morocco’s counterterrorism agency said on Monday it had foiled attacks against national and international targets in the country by a 12-member cell loyal to Daesh in the Sahel.
The operation underscores the threat emanating from extremist militancy in the Sahel, as groups linked to Daesh and Al-Qaeda expand activity in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The suspects, arrested in nine different cities, had been receiving orders from a Libyan leader of Daesh, the head of Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, Habboub Cherkaoui, told reporters.
The suspects, aged 18 to 40, have been radicalized online, Cherkaoui said, adding that most of them had “occasional jobs.”
The group, which branded itself “the Lions of the Caliphate in the Maghreb Al Aqsa (Morocco),” was planning remotely controlled bomb attacks, he said.
Explosive devices and chemical substances were found during the operation, in addition to a weapons cache including automatic firearms and handguns, in the south-eastern region of Errachidia near the Algerian borders, Cherkaoui said.
The seized weapons and ammunition had been supplied by the Daesh leader via smugglers, he said. The operation “confirms that the African branches of IS tend to internationalize their activities,” Cherkaoui said, adding that the nexus between “terrorist groups and criminal networks is a real threat” to Morocco and Europe.

In recent years, Daesh branches in Africa have recruited more than 130 Moroccan fighters, Cherkaoui said. Since its establishment in 2015, the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations has dismantled dozens of militant cells and arrested more than 1,000 suspected extremists.
The last extremist attack in the country was in 2023, when three individuals loyal to Daesh killed a Moroccan policeman in Casablanca.


Egyptian military delegation visits Oman’s top military training college

Egyptian military delegation visits Oman’s top military training college
Updated 24 February 2025
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Egyptian military delegation visits Oman’s top military training college

Egyptian military delegation visits Oman’s top military training college
  • Delegation attended a presentation about Joint Command and Staff College and its curricula

LONDON: An Egyptian military delegation visited the Joint Command and Staff College in Muscat on Monday, reinforcing the strong ties between Oman and Egypt.

The delegation from Egypt’s Military Academy for Postgraduate and Strategic Studies was received by Omani Brig. Saif Hamad Al-Yousefi, commandant of the Joint Command and Staff College, the leading organization responsible for training personnel from the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces in Oman.

The delegation attended a presentation about the college, its curricula, and its educational training programs. Additionally, they toured the college’s facilities and departments, the Oman News Agency reported.

The college has previously hosted military delegations, including those from the Royal Jordanian Command and Staff College and Saudi Arabia’s Command and Staff College of the National Defense University.