Houthi drones, missiles strike 2 ships in Red Sea, maritime agencies report

Special Houthi drones, missiles strike 2 ships in Red Sea, maritime agencies report
1 / 2
Explosions take place on the deck of the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, Red Sea, Aug. 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Special Houthi drones, missiles strike 2 ships in Red Sea, maritime agencies report
2 / 2
A satellite image shows the Sounion oil tanker, following attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, Aug. 26, 2024. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 02 September 2024
Follow

Houthi drones, missiles strike 2 ships in Red Sea, maritime agencies report

Houthi drones, missiles strike 2 ships in Red Sea, maritime agencies report
  • Panama-flagged oil tanker hit by ballistic missiles but escapes with only minor damage
  • Second vessel struck by drone but no casualties reported

A tanker carrying Russian oil and a second vessel were attacked by Houthi militia in the Red Sea on Monday, according to reports from three maritime agencies.

The news came as tugboats were trying to rescue a burning oil tanker that was attacked by the Iran-backed militia late last month.

UK Maritime Trade Operations said it received a report from the master of a ship traveling 70 nautical miles northwest of Saleef on Yemen’s Red Sea coast that it had been hit by two unknown projectiles and that a third explosion happened near the ship at 1:30 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time.

“There are no casualties on board and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call. Authorities are investigating,” the agency said.

A second UK-based maritime service, Ambrey, identified the vessel as a Panama-flagged oil tanker that might have been targeted as other ships owned by its parent company had visited Israeli ports — which is one of the Houthis’ grounds for staging such attacks.

Also on Monday, UKMTO reported that a drone struck a commercial ship at 6:30 a.m. GMT as it was traveling 58 nautical miles from the Yemeni city of Hodeidah. It said there were no reports of any casualties or damage to the ship and that it was “proceeding to its next port of call.”

Ambrey issued similar information about the incident.

The Joint Maritime Information Center identified the Panama-flagged tanker as the M/T Blue Lagoon I and said it was targeted by three ballistic missiles.

Two of the missiles struck the ship’s port side causing minor damage, while the third fell 50 meters to its stern, it said.

“The JMIC has confirmed that M/T Blue Lagoon I was subject to three ballistic missile attacks. All crew on board are safe (no injury reported). The vessel sustained minimal damage but did not require assistance,” it said.

According to Marinetraffic.com, the 278-meter-long Blue Lagoon I is a Panama-flagged shuttle tanker and was traveling from Russia through the Red Sea to an unnamed destination.

Since November, the Houthis have attacked multiple commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea and other shipping lanes off Yemen with missiles, drones and drone boats. The militia has said it targets only vessels that are bound for or have links to Israel in a bid to pressure the country into ending its war of aggression in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis have yet to take credit for the two attacks on Monday but such acknowledgments often come several hours or even days later.

The agencies’ reports came as two tugboats were en route to try and rescue the Sounion oil tanker, which has been engulfed in flames since being attacked in the Red Sea on Aug. 21, according to a Yemeni government official.

“We don’t know for certain if the two tugboats arrived at the site of the ship and started the operation but we are certain that they have left waters off Djibouti,” said the Aden-based official, who asked not to be named.

The Houthis attacked the Sounion, which was carrying nearly 1 million barrels of oil, first with small arms, projectiles and a drone boat before boarding it and detonating explosives. The incident, which poses a major threat to Red Sea ecology and shipping, was condemned around the world.

The militia said that tugboats and other vessels would begin trying to rescue the ship on Sunday, raising concerns that they may later seek to disrupt the operation and use it as a negotiating tool to win concessions from the international community. The group used similar tactics during the rescue operation for the Safter oil tanker off the coast of Yemen last year.


Six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank’s Qabatiya

Updated 6 sec ago
Follow

Six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank’s Qabatiya

Six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank’s Qabatiya
The governor, Kamal Abu Al-Rub, said four of the injured are in critical condition

RAMALLAH: Six Palestinians were killed and 18 others injured by Israeli forces during a military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Qabatiya, the governor of Jenin told Reuters on Thursday.
The governor, Kamal Abu Al-Rub, said four of the injured are in critical condition, and that Israeli forces withdrew from Qabatiya after destroying infrastructure in the area.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, with almost daily sweeps by Israeli forces that have involved thousands of arrests and regular gunbattles between security forces and Palestinian fighters.

Explosives put in devices before they arrived in Lebanon, says Lebanon’s UN mission

A man holds a walkie talkie device after he removed the battery.
A man holds a walkie talkie device after he removed the battery.
Updated 17 min 26 sec ago
Follow

Explosives put in devices before they arrived in Lebanon, says Lebanon’s UN mission

A man holds a walkie talkie device after he removed the battery.
  • The authorities also determined the devices, which included pagers and hand-held radios, were detonated by sending electronic messages to the devices

UNITED NATIONS: A preliminary investigation by Lebanese authorities into the communications devices that blew up in Lebanon this week found that they were implanted with explosives before arriving in the country, according to a letter sent to the UN Security Council by Lebanon’s mission to the United Nations.
The authorities also determined the devices, which included pagers and hand-held radios, were detonated by sending electronic messages to the devices, says the letter, seen by Reuters on Thursday. Israel was responsible for the planning and execution of the attacks, Lebanon’s UN mission said.
The 15-member Security Council is due to meet on Friday over the blasts.
The attacks on Hezbollah’s communications equipment on Tuesday and Wednesday killed 37 people and wounded around 3,000, overwhelming Lebanese hospitals and wreaking bloody havoc on the militant group.
Israel has not directly commented on the attacks, which security sources say were probably carried out by its Mossad spy agency, which has a long history of carrying out sophisticated attacks on foreign soil.


US says no change to its military posture in Middle East amid attacks in Lebanon

US says no change to its military posture in Middle East amid attacks in Lebanon
Updated 16 min 51 sec ago
Follow

US says no change to its military posture in Middle East amid attacks in Lebanon

US says no change to its military posture in Middle East amid attacks in Lebanon
  • “I am not tracking any force posture changes in the Eastern Med or in the Central Command area of responsibility,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said
  • “We’ve never wanted to see a wider regional conflict“

WASHINGTON: There are no changes to US military posture in the Middle East, the Pentagon told reporters on Thursday when asked about recent deadly Israeli attacks in Lebanon that blew up Hezbollah radios and pagers.
Lebanon and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group have blamed Israel for attacks on Hezbollah’s communications equipment that killed 37 people and wounded around 3,000, overwhelming Lebanese hospitals and wreaking bloody havoc on the militant group.
“I am not tracking any force posture changes in the Eastern Med or in the Central Command area of responsibility,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said in a press briefing.
The Pentagon said that any attack that escalates tensions in the Middle East will not be helpful.
“In pretty much every call the secretary always reiterates the need (that) we want to see regional tensions quell,” Singh said when asked about Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin’s call on Wednesday with his Israeli counterpart. “We’ve never wanted to see a wider regional conflict.”
Israel has not directly commented on the attacks, which security sources say were probably carried out by its Mossad spy agency.
The Pentagon was pressed on the potential for a Gaza ceasefire deal amid escalating regional tensions and said Washington did not believe a deal was falling apart. The spokesperson added that the US felt as of now the conflict was contained to Gaza.
President Joe Biden laid out a three phase Gaza ceasefire proposal on May 31. The deal has run into obstacles since.
Critics have urged Washington to use its leverage by conditioning military support to Israel but the US has maintained its support for its ally.
The attacks in Lebanon have raised concerns about the widening of Israel’s war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies. Israel’s assault on Gaza followed a deadly Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.


Houthis abduct 5 former ruling party members in Sanaa 

Houthis abduct 5 former ruling party members in Sanaa 
Updated 42 min 34 sec ago
Follow

Houthis abduct 5 former ruling party members in Sanaa 

Houthis abduct 5 former ruling party members in Sanaa 
  • All five are senior members of the General People’s Congress, the party of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh
  • UN envoy urges militia to release detained colleagues to restore hope and trust

AL-MUKALLA: Armed Houthis abducted five tribal leaders, academics and officials after raiding a house in Sanaa, the latest seizures following accusations of criticism and incitement of revolution celebrations.

The group stormed a house in Assafi’yah and arrested Amen Rajeh, a tribal leader and deputy minister of youth, along with Ali Jarmal, Saeed Al-Ghoules, Ahmed Al-Ashari and Nayef Al-Najjar.

All five are senior members of the General People’s Congress, the party of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. An anonymous source said they were captured for inciting the public to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the Sept. 26 revolution and for online criticism of the Houthis. The Yemeni revolution of September 1962 ended centuries of Zaidi Imamate rule in northern Yemen and laid the groundwork for establishing the Yemen Arab Republic.

The source, a GPC journalist, said: “The September 26 revolution ended the backward Imamate rule, and the Houthis supported that reactionary regime.”

In recent days, the Houthis have raided the homes of people in Sanaa, Ibb, and other areas under their control who have called for revolution celebrations. Residents and local media have reported the abductions of several people, including online activists.

The seizures come as Houthi leaders are asking Yemenis in areas under their control to take to the streets on Saturday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the military takeover which triggered the current war.

At the same time, Yemen’s human rights minister, Ahmed Arman, told Arab News the Houthis had distributed leaflets in the streets of Sanaa, Amran and other areas in northern Yemen, urging the public to assist in identifying spies for Western countries.

One leaflet, shared on X, read: “It is our responsibility as free and honorable Yemenis to report spies for America, Israel, Britain, Holland, and Germany to security authorities and intelligence agencies because they pose the greatest threat to the state, religion, and Islamic nation.”

Following raids on homes and workplaces, the Houthis abducted dozens of people working for UN agencies, international rights and aid organizations, and diplomatic missions, accusing them of using their humanitarian work to spy for US and Israeli intelligence services.

The UN and other organizations have vehemently denied the allegations and called for their employees’ immediate release.

On Wednesday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg announced the end of a trip to Iran after “frank and constructive” talks with Iranian officials about peace efforts to end the war in Yemen and the abduction of UN workers.

In a statement, Grundberg said: “Throughout all my engagements, I prioritized lending my voice to the secretary-general’s urgent call to release all detained colleagues. Their release must happen without delay to restore the hope and trust needed for moving forward.”


UN to add nutrients to second round of Gaza polio vaccinations

A Palestinian child is vaccinated against polio in Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip, September 10, 2024. (Reuters)
A Palestinian child is vaccinated against polio in Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip, September 10, 2024. (Reuters)
Updated 19 September 2024
Follow

UN to add nutrients to second round of Gaza polio vaccinations

A Palestinian child is vaccinated against polio in Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip, September 10, 2024. (Reuters)
  • The first round of the polio vaccination campaign, which began on Sept. 1, reached its target of 90 percent of children under 10 years of age

UNITED NATIONS: The second round of a vaccination campaign to protect 640,000 children in Gaza against polio will also deliver micronutrients — essential vitamins and minerals — and conduct nutritional screening, a senior UN Children’s Fund official said.
Discussions are also underway about the feasibility of adding further vaccinations to the campaign, including a measles immunization, said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s deputy executive director for humanitarian action and supply operations.
“There are over 44,000 children born in the last year and who haven’t received their basic immunization,” he said on Thursday.
The first round of the polio vaccination campaign, which began on Sept. 1, reached its target of 90 percent of children under 10 years of age, the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Monday.
It was carried out in phases over two weeks during humanitarian pauses in the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas. A second round of the polio vaccinations has to be carried out within four weeks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed last month that a baby was partially paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years.
A high risk of famine persists across Gaza as long as the war continues and humanitarian access is restricted, according to an assessment by a global hunger monitor published in June.
“In the same way that we’ve been able to reach all children with polio vaccines, we need to move and use the same modality to reach children with their basic vaccines, with some of the nutrition and hygiene interventions that are essential to save their lives,” Chaiban told reporters after visiting Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.
“Those are lifesaving interventions and the parties have shown that they can line up when necessary. It needs to happen again,” he said.