Possible Houthi missiles damage ship in Red Sea

Update Possible Houthi missiles damage ship in Red Sea
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea region since November. (File/AFP)
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Updated 28 May 2024
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Possible Houthi missiles damage ship in Red Sea

Possible Houthi missiles damage ship in Red Sea
  • “The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” UKMTO said in its notice about the incident
  • Ambrey, another UK marine security agency, said three ballistic missiles hit a ship in the Red Sea

AL-MUKALLA: A ship in the Red Sea was damaged after being hit by missiles suspected to have been launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia on Tuesday, two British maritime agencies said.
A shipmaster reported to the UK Maritime Trade Operations that the ship was damaged after being struck by missiles at 9:30 a.m. (UTC) 31 nautical miles southwest of Yemen’s Hodeidah and that the ship’s crew members were safe.
“At 1040UTC the Master of the MV reports an impact in the water in close proximity to the vessel. The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” UKMTO said in its notice about the incident.
Ambrey, another UK marine security agency, said three ballistic missiles hit a ship in the Red Sea, forcing it to tilt to one side roughly 54 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah Port.
The incident occurred less than a day after the Iran-backed Houthis claimed to have fired a volley of drones and ballistic missiles against warships and commercial ships in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on Monday night that their military forces carried out two “successful” drone attacks against two US warships in the Red Sea, as well as fired missiles at Largo Desert and MSC Michela in the Indian Ocean, and Minerva Lisa in the Red Sea.
Sarea said that the first ship was targeted because it was American, the second because it was owned by Israel, and the third for violating the ban on ships going to Israel through the Red Sea. He did not provide an exact date for the attacks.
According to www.marinetraffic.com, which monitors ships, Largo Desert is an oil and chemical ship that was flying the Marshall Islands flag and that arrived at the Omani Duqm port on the Arabian Sea four days ago. The Liberian-flagged Minerva Lisa is a crude oil tanker that stopped at the Egyptian Ain Sokhna on the Suez Canal on Tuesday, according to the same source, while the container ship MSC Michela is operating under the Portuguese flag and left Valencia Port in Spain on Saturday for Brazil.
At the same time, the US Central Command said that its forces shot down a drone over the Red Sea launched by the Houthis from regions under their control in Yemen on Monday morning.
The Houthis claimed to have launched hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at over 100 commercial and navy ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean, and, most recently, the Mediterranean since November. They say that they only target Israel-linked ships and those traveling to Israel to push the latter to cease its assault in Gaza, and that they attacked US and UK ships after the two countries began attacks on Yemeni territory under their control.
On Monday, the UK Royal Navy announced that its HMS Duncan destroyer had been sent to the Red Sea to engage in international naval operations to defend ships from Houthi attacks, replacing sister ship HMS Diamond.
“HMS Duncan will be ready to deliver on operations around the clock as we join efforts to protect trade routes from Houthi attacks, continuing the excellent work of HMS Diamond and HMS Richmond in the region.”
UK Navy Commanding Officer Cmdr. Dan Lee said in a statement that the HMS Diamond had destroyed nine drones and one missile that the Houthis in Yemen had launched at ships since the commencement of its Red Sea mission before Christmas.
Meanwhile, the national carrier of Yemen, Yemenia, resumed direct flights between the Houthi-controlled Sanaa airport and Jeddah airport on Tuesday to facilitate the transportation of thousands of Yemeni pilgrims.
Four Yemeni planes carrying 600 pilgrims left Sanaa on Tuesday, the first of 44 identical flights that would transport 8,200 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. Yemenia has been flying from Sanaa to Amman since April 2022, when the UN-brokered ceasefire was implemented.


Lebanon refuses Israeli demand to stay in five southern locations after February 18

Lebanon refuses Israeli demand to stay in five southern locations after February 18
Updated 15 sec ago
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Lebanon refuses Israeli demand to stay in five southern locations after February 18

Lebanon refuses Israeli demand to stay in five southern locations after February 18
  • Nabih Berri: ‘I informed them in my name and on behalf of President General Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Judge Nawaf Salam of our absolute rejection’

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s powerful parliament speaker Nabih Berri said on Thursday that Beirut rejected Israel’s demand to remain in five locations in the south after the deadline for fully implementing a fragile ceasefire deal next week.
The United States, a key mediator, “informed me that the Israeli occupation will withdraw from villages it still occupies on February 18, but it will remain in five points,” Hezbollah-ally Berri said in a statement, adding: “I informed them in my name and on behalf of President General Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Judge Nawaf Salam of our absolute rejection” of this proposal.


Abbas thanks China over support for two-state solution, rejection of Gaza displacement

Abbas thanks China over support for two-state solution, rejection of Gaza displacement
Updated 13 February 2025
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Abbas thanks China over support for two-state solution, rejection of Gaza displacement

Abbas thanks China over support for two-state solution, rejection of Gaza displacement
  • Palestinian Authority leader sends letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping
  • He commends Beijing’s call for international community to reach just resolution to Palestinian issue

LONDON: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for his country’s rejection of plans to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

In a letter to the Chinese leader on Thursday, Abbas commended Beijing’s call for the international community to stop the violence in the Middle East and reach a just resolution to the Palestinian issue.

Abbas said that the PA is confident in China’s support for Palestinian and Arab “efforts to consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza, stop the current Israeli aggression on the cities and camps of the West Bank, accelerate the reconstruction of Gaza, reconnect it to the West Bank, move toward implementing the two-state solution, end the Israeli occupation and embody the independent, geographically integrated state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, so that we can live with all the peoples of the region in security, peace and stability,” according to Wafa agency.

Since early February, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that the US will take over Gaza and that its Palestinian inhabitants should be relocated from the enclave to other countries, including Egypt and Jordan, which have both rejected the proposal.

The PA labeled Trump’s plan — which was welcomed by the Israeli government and settler leaders — as ethnic cleansing. Arab and some European countries, including France, also denounced the US idea and called for reconstruction in Gaza without displacing its residents.


Kuwait’s PM affirms country’s diplomatic neutrality, leads delegation to Munich Security Conference

Kuwait’s PM affirms country’s diplomatic neutrality, leads delegation to Munich Security Conference
Updated 13 February 2025
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Kuwait’s PM affirms country’s diplomatic neutrality, leads delegation to Munich Security Conference

Kuwait’s PM affirms country’s diplomatic neutrality, leads delegation to Munich Security Conference
  • Kuwait committed to leading humanitarian efforts in disaster-hit countries

LONDON: Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah arrived in Germany on Thursday to participate in the 61st session of the Munich Security Conference, which is being held from Feb. 14 to 16.

Sheikh Ahmad is leading the Kuwaiti delegation at a conference that brings together hundreds of decision-makers and opinion leaders to discuss global security.

The prime minister reaffirmed Kuwait’s commitment to building strong connections with the international community while advocating for the resolution of conflicts through dialogue and supporting efforts for peace and security.

Sheikh Ahmad said Kuwait had maintained its diplomatic ties by upholding neutrality and remaining at an equal distance from conflicting parties, the Kuwait Press Agency reported.

He added that Kuwait was committed to leading humanitarian efforts in disaster-stricken countries, and actively mediating to resolve regional and international crises.

Reem Mohammed Al-Khaled, Kuwait’s ambassador to Germany, along with embassy staff, received the prime minister on his arrival.


Houthis threaten new attacks if Gazans displaced

Demonstrators, one with a portrait of Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, shout slogans during a march in solidarity with Gaza.
Demonstrators, one with a portrait of Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, shout slogans during a march in solidarity with Gaza.
Updated 13 February 2025
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Houthis threaten new attacks if Gazans displaced

Demonstrators, one with a portrait of Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, shout slogans during a march in solidarity with Gaza.
  • US President Donald Trump’s plan to move Gaza’s inhabitants and redevelop the territory has been widely condemned in the Arab world

SANAA: The Houthis on Thursday threatened to launch new attacks if the United States and Israel go ahead with plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza.
“We will take action by firing missiles and drones and launching maritime attacks if the United States and Israel implement their plan to displace” Palestinians from Gaza, Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said in a televised speech.
US President Donald Trump’s plan to move Gaza’s inhabitants and redevelop the territory has been widely condemned in the Arab world.
The Houthis have launched scores of attacks on Israeli targets and Red Sea shipping during the Israel-Hamas war.
“I call on the armed forces to be ready to take military action in the event that the criminal Trump carries out his threat,” Houthi said on the militia’s Al-Masirah TV station.


Construction equipment awaiting Gaza entry from Egypt: report

Bulldozers and trucks carrying caravans wait to enter Gaza at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Bulldozers and trucks carrying caravans wait to enter Gaza at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Updated 13 February 2025
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Construction equipment awaiting Gaza entry from Egypt: report

Bulldozers and trucks carrying caravans wait to enter Gaza at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
  • Israeli government spokesman said heavy machinery would not be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing with Egypt

RAFAH: Dozens of bulldozers, construction vehicles and trucks carrying mobile homes lined up on Egypt’s side of the Rafah border crossing on Thursday, awaiting to enter Gaza, state-linked Egyptian media reported.
Al-Qahera News, with close ties to Egyptian intelligence services, said the equipment was positioned at the crossing in preparation for entry into the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
An AFP photographer also confirmed seeing the vehicles, including trucks carrying caravans, waiting at the border.
However, an Israeli government spokesman said heavy machinery would not be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
“There is no entry of caravans (mobile homes) or heavy equipment into the Gaza Strip, and there is no coordination for this,” Omer Dostri, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wrote on X.
“According to the agreement, no goods are allowed to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing,” he added.
Under an ongoing truce agreement, Rafah has been opened for evacuation of the wounded and sick. Other aid is also allowed to enter the territory via the Kerem Shalom crossing.
“We stand behind them (Palestinians) and hopefully better days are ahead,” Ahmed Abdel Dayem, a driver at the border, told AFP.
The situation unfolds amid growing tensions over a US President Donald Trump plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, a move that has faced staunch opposition from both countries.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called such displacement an “injustice” that Egypt “cannot take part in,” while Jordan’s King Abdullah said his country remains “steadfast” in its position against forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Egypt is set to host a summit of Arab nations later this month and announced this week that it would present a “comprehensive vision” for Gaza’s reconstruction in a way that ensures Palestinians remain on their land.
Egypt and Jordan, both key US allies, are heavily reliant on foreign aid and the US is considered one of their top donors.