2 ships damaged by Houthi drone and missile attacks in Red Sea

 Two commercial ships were damaged during attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea on Tuesday. (File/AFP)
Two commercial ships were damaged during attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea on Tuesday. (File/AFP)
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Updated 01 October 2024
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2 ships damaged by Houthi drone and missile attacks in Red Sea

 Two commercial ships were damaged during attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea on Tuesday. (File/AFP)
  • Attacks mark end of a lull lasting nearly a month in the militia’s attacks on international shipping in Red Sea and other waters off Yemen

AL-MUKALLA: Two commercial ships were damaged during attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea on Tuesday. The Yemeni militia said it also targeted military sites in Israel with five drones in support of Palestine and Lebanon.

UK Maritime Trade Operations, an agency that monitors incidents at sea, said it received an alert on Tuesday morning from a ship 64 miles northwest of the west-coast Yemeni city of Hodeidah saying a drone hit the vessel, puncturing a port ballast tank. The ship’s master said he also observed four splashes close to the vessel, the crew is safe and the vessel is heading to its next port of call.

Also on Tuesday morning, the agency said the master of another ship, located 97 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah, reported a missile strike that caused damage but the crew was safe.

The ship in the first incident was identified as the Panamanian-flagged crude oil tanker Cordelia Moon, which was traveling from India to an unknown location. The Houthis claim to be targeting international shipping with links to Israel, the US or the UK in support of the Palestinian people, but details of the vessel on ship-tracking websites such as www.marinetraffic.com showed no obvious connection with those countries.

Information on TankerTrackers.com, an oil shipment tracking service, indicated the ship did not have any oil on board when attacked. In a message posted on social media network X, the website wrote: “Cordelia Moon is currently empty after delivering a million barrels of Russian crude oil to India. The fact that she’s empty makes her MORE explosive (remember Pablo?) as well as a more attainable target due to her increased height above sea level.”

The Pablo was an empty oil tanker that exploded in the Malaysian waters shortly after making a delivery last year.

The Joint Maritime Information Center confirmed the Cordelia Moon had been attacked by missiles and a drone and sustained damage but did not require assistance.

“JMIC assesses that (the ship) was likely targeted due to affiliations within the vessel’s operational structure,” the organization said.

The other targeted ship was a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier heading from Oman toward the Suez Canal.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a televised statement on Tuesday that the militia attacked the “British” oil tanker Cordelia Moon with eight ballistic missiles, an unmanned aerial vehicle and a drone boat. He said the militia also attacked a ship called Marathopolis twice in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea with a missile and a drone for violating a Houthi ban on sailing to Israel.

The Houthis also said on Tuesday that they targeted a military site in the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv, with a drone and launched four drones at similar targets in the Red Sea city of Eilat.

Sarea said the attacks against Israel were “in triumph for the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples, and in support of the valiant Palestinian and Lebanese resistance.”

The attacks at sea on Tuesday marked the end of a lull lasting nearly a month in the militia’s attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and other waters off the coast of Yemen.

Since November, the Houthis have seized one commercial ship and kidnapped its crew, sunk two others, and launched hundreds of ballistic missiles, drones and drone boats at commercial and naval vessels in international shipping lanes.

They say the aim of their terror campaign is to put pressure on Israel to end its war in Gaza, and that they only attack ships linked to Israel, bound for the country, or with parent companies that do business with Israeli ports.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate said on Tuesday that Abdo Mused Al-Mudan, a journalist held by the Houthis, has been moved to the intensive care unit at a hospital in Sanaa after his health deteriorated at a militia detention facility.

Al-Mudan was one of more than 400 people abducted from their homes or the streets by the Houthis last week for commemorating the anniversary of the Sept. 26, 1962, revolution or encouraging others to do so.

The syndicate said his health deteriorated as a result of mistreatment by his captors and poor conditions at the detention facility, raising concerns about the health of other journalists and activists held by the Houthis.

“The syndicate renews its demand for the immediate release of all journalists detained by the Houthi group, as well as all prisoners of conscience arrested since the beginning of last September,” the organization said.

Despite growing condemnation of their crackdown on those who celebrated the anniversary of the revolution, the Houthis refuse to release the detainees, accusing them of being US stooges who are undermining security in areas under the militia’s control in an attempt to put pressure on them to halt the attacks on international shipping.


UN Security Council blasts parallel authority move in Sudan, calls for ceasefire and political talks

UN Security Council blasts parallel authority move in Sudan, calls for ceasefire and political talks
Updated 21 sec ago
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UN Security Council blasts parallel authority move in Sudan, calls for ceasefire and political talks

UN Security Council blasts parallel authority move in Sudan, calls for ceasefire and political talks
  • Rapid Support Forces, one of the warring military factions in Sudan, says it will establish a governing authority in territories it controls
  • Council members express ‘grave concern’ that such unilateral action could worsen fragmentation of the nation and exacerbate already dire humanitarian crisis

NEW YORK CITY: The UN Security Council on Tuesday strongly rejected a recent announcement by one of the warring military factions in Sudan, the Rapid Support Forces, that it will establish a parallel governing authority in the territories it controls, warning that the move threatens the country’s territorial integrity and risks further escalation of the ongoing conflict.

The 15-member council expressed “grave concern” about the implications of such unilateral action and said it could worsen the fragmentation of the nation and exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis.

“The Security Council reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Sudan,” council members said in a statement, adding that any actions that undermine these principles jeopardize not only the future of Sudan but broader regional peace and stability.

They urged all parties in Sudan to immediately resume negotiations with the aim of securing a lasting ceasefire agreement and creating the conditions for a political resolution to the conflict. This process should be inclusive of all Sudanese political and social groups and lead to a credible, civilian-led transitional government tasked with guiding the country toward democratic elections, council members added.

A conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, rival military factions of the country’s military government, plunged Sudan into civil war in April 2023.

The Security Council statement highlighted Resolution 2736, which was adopted by the council in June 2024 and demands that the RSF lift its siege of El-Fasher and halt all fighting in and around the region, where famine and extreme food insecurity threaten millions.

Council members expressed “grave concern” about reports of a renewed RSF offensive there and called for unhindered humanitarian access.

On Wednesday, the UN’s high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, condemned a recent large-scale attack by RSF forces on El-Fasher and the nearby Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons, in which at least 57 civilians were killed, including 40 displaced individuals.

The attack, part of a series of assaults on the camp, has intensified fears of ethnically motivated persecution as the RSF seeks to assert control over the area. Turk highlighted the dire humanitarian conditions caused by the ongoing siege and repeated attacks, describing them as serious violations of international humanitarian law.

He also cited testimonies from survivors of previous RSF attacks, including reports of killings, widespread sexual violence, enforced disappearances and torture. He called on the international community to exert pressure to help end such abuses, and stressed the importance of ensuring that those responsible for them are held accountable to break the cycle of violence in Sudan.

The Security Council also condemned recent attacks in the Kordofan region, which have resulted in high numbers of civilian casualties. Members urged all parties involved in the conflict to

protect civilians, abide by the rule of international humanitarian law, and facilitate safe conditions for humanitarian operations to take place.

They called on both sides to uphold their commitments under the 2023 Jeddah Declaration, and to ensure accountability for serious violations of international law. Council members also urged all UN member states to avoid any external interference that might fuel conflict and instability.

The Security Council reaffirmed its full support for the UN secretary-general’s envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, commending his efforts to foster dialogue among the warring parties and civil society with the aim of achieving a sustainable peace.


Syrian Red Crescent delivers humanitarian relief to Sweida

Syrian Red Crescent delivers humanitarian relief to Sweida
Updated 13 August 2025
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Syrian Red Crescent delivers humanitarian relief to Sweida

Syrian Red Crescent delivers humanitarian relief to Sweida
  • Twenty-one trucks delivered medical supplies, food assistance and fuel to vulnerable families in the southern Sweida governorate
  • Several humanitarian organizations made contributions to the humanitarian mission, including the World Food Programme and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees

LONDON: The Syrian Arab Red Crescent delivered humanitarian relief to the southern governorate of Sweida via the Bosra Al-Sham crossing, as part of efforts to assist vulnerable families in addressing humanitarian and livelihood challenges.

Twenty-one trucks delivered medical supplies, assistance and fuel to Sweida, including food baskets, bottled water, flour, petroleum derivatives and seven kidney dialysis machines to support the health sector.

SARC received contributions from its Lebanese counterpart, the UN Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the SANA news agency reported.

Separately, SARC provided humanitarian assistance to vulnerable families in several villages throughout the Sweida countryside, with support from UNHCR, the Qatari Red Crescent and the Danish Red Cross.


Forest fire sweeps through northern Morocco

Forest fire sweeps through northern Morocco
Updated 13 August 2025
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Forest fire sweeps through northern Morocco

Forest fire sweeps through northern Morocco
  • Reports say the fire devastated vast areas of woodland between Bab Taza and Derdara

RABAT: A major mountain forest fire close to the tourist city of Chefchaouen in northern Morocco was spreading on Wednesday, according to media and witnesses who spoke to AFP.

The fire has officially been declared a “major” one, a source told AFP, adding that Canadair firefighting aircraft were working to contain the flames.

Details on the extent of the fire, damage, or any victims or evacuations were not available.

According to news site Le360, two Canadair planes were operating “despite strong winds” in Chefchaouen province, home to 400,000 people, including 50,000 in the provincial capital.

Le360 reported that the fire had devastated “vast” areas of woodland between Bab Taza and Derdara, and had caused significant damage to orchards and fields near Karankha, before spreading to a nearby forest.

Strong winds have been sweeping through northern Morocco for two days, fanning the flames.

“The situation is catastrophic... The extent of the material damage seems quite large,” Aziz Makhlouf, a resident of the province, told AFP by phone.

“I haven’t seen such a fire in about 15 years,” he said, adding that there had been significant efforts by the authorities to combat the fire.

Videos shared online showed a sky darkened by smoke, the glow of flames in the mountains and residents fighting against the fire with buckets of water.

Reports in Moroccan media and on social networks said that fires had also broken out near Tetouan and Tangier, two other tourist destinations in the north of the country, which has been gripped by persistent drought since 2018.

As with much of western and southern Europe, Morocco has been gripped by heatwaves this summer, compounded by the strong, hot desert winds known as chergui, which blow in from the Sahara.


Recognizing Palestine cannot distract from Gaza ‘genocide’: UN special rapporteur

Recognizing Palestine cannot distract from Gaza ‘genocide’: UN special rapporteur
Updated 13 August 2025
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Recognizing Palestine cannot distract from Gaza ‘genocide’: UN special rapporteur

Recognizing Palestine cannot distract from Gaza ‘genocide’: UN special rapporteur
  • Francesca Albanese: World must take stronger action against Israel including total arms embargo, end to trade deals
  • Resolving ‘the question of Palestine in line with international law is possible and necessary’

LONDON: International momentum toward recognizing a Palestinian state should not distract UN members from bringing an end to the “genocide” in Gaza, Francesca Albanese has said.

The UN special rapporteur for the Occupied Territories told The Guardian that the extended debate about Palestinian statehood has yielded no political progress, instead enabling the spread of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

“The territory has been literally eaten out by the advancement of the annexation and colonization,” she said.

Recognition of a Palestinian state is “important,” but something so simple that “it’s incoherent that they’ve not done it already,” Albanese added.

Renewed global attention toward statehood should not “distract the attention from where it should be: the genocide,” she said, calling for a total arms embargo and a cessation of trade agreements with Israel.

“Ending the question of Palestine in line with international law is possible and necessary: End the genocide today, end the permanent occupation this year and end apartheid,” she added.

“This is what’s going to guarantee freedom and equal rights for everyone, regardless of the way they want to live — in two states or one state, they will have to decide.”

Albanese said growing worldwide angst over the destruction of Gaza is an “ultimate struggle” and a matter of “light and darkness.”

Despite inaction by Western countries, she sees hope in the “millions of people taking to the streets and asking for an end to the genocide.”

She added: “An entire new generation now speaks the language of human rights. For me, this is a success in and of itself.”

Her most recent report focused on the corporate power — “profiting from genocide” — behind Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“The occupation is profitable, and so is the genocide, and this is shocking, but it is to be known in order to be seen and to be stopped,” Albanese said.

“The power is not just with the prime ministers or with the governments. The power is with us, and we can start choosing through our wallet.”


Turkiye, Syria sign defense cooperation agreement after Ankara talks

Turkiye, Syria sign defense cooperation agreement after Ankara talks
Updated 13 August 2025
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Turkiye, Syria sign defense cooperation agreement after Ankara talks

Turkiye, Syria sign defense cooperation agreement after Ankara talks
  • Defense ministers sign a memorandum of understanding on military training and consultancy

ANKARA: The defense ministers of Turkiye and Syria signed a memorandum of understanding on military training and consultancy after talks in Ankara on Wednesday, Turkiye’s defense ministry said.

The neighbors had been negotiating a comprehensive military cooperation agreement for months, after the ousting of Bashar Assad in December.