Houthis warn Red Sea attacks will intensify during Ramadan

Special Houthis warn Red Sea attacks will intensify during Ramadan
Filipino crewmen, who survived the deadly Houthi attack on the commercial ship ‘True Confidence,’ arrive at Manila International Airport, in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, Mar. 12, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 12 March 2024
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Houthis warn Red Sea attacks will intensify during Ramadan

Houthis warn Red Sea attacks will intensify during Ramadan
  • US strikes destroy 18 Houthi missiles, unmanned underwater vessel
  • Yemeni government praises X for removing verification from Houthi accounts

AL-MUKALLA: US Central Command said it carried out six strikes on Yemen on Monday, destroying an unmanned underwater vessel and 18 anti-ship missiles that the Yemeni Houthi militia had prepared to launch at US and international ships in the Red Sea, as the group warned it was prepared to step up attacks in the region during Ramadan.

The Houthis launched two missiles at the Pinocchio, a Singaporean-owned and Liberian-flagged ship, between 8:50 a.m. and 12:50 p.m. Sanaa time on Monday, according to CENTCOM. The missiles failed to impact the ship and caused no injuries or damage.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea claimed the Pinocchio is owned by the US and that their missiles “precisely” targeted the ship, pledging to intensify their assaults on shipping in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden during Ramadan.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces declare that, with God’s help, their military actions would expand throughout Ramadan, the month of jihad in support of the oppressed Palestinian people and our mujahideen brothers in Gaza,” Sarea said in a televised statement.

Houthi media also said that the US and UK carried out five strikes on the northern province of Saada on Monday, but did not provide specific targets. 

Since November, the Iran-backed Houthis have attacked commercial and military ships in international waters off Yemen, claiming to be acting in support of Palestinians and attempting to force Israel to end its campaign in Gaza.

Last week, Houthi militia leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said the group has launched over 400 drones and missiles against more than 60 ships since the start of their operations.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani praised social media platform X for removing verification badges from Houthi media outlet and militia commanders’ accounts.

According to the ministry, X has withdrawn the blue verification mark from Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah Channel as well as accounts belonging to Sarea, Al-Houthi and others, and is preparing to shut those accounts at the request of the government.

“We commend this step that we have repeatedly called for as part of government efforts to dry up the Houthi militia (financial, political and media) resources, and we renew our demand for social media applications and satellite companies to ban the content of the Houthi militia,” Al-Eryani said on X.

Days after the US decision to reclassify the Houthis as terrorists in January, the Yemeni government sent official letters to major social media platforms such as Meta and X, demanding that they close Houthi media accounts as well as those belonging to the militia’s officials and sympathizers, accusing the Houthis of using social media platforms to incite hatred, recruit children for terrorism, and call for attacks on maritime traffic.

The Houthis criticized X for removing their verification, accusing it of attempting to silence them.

“Restricting Ansar Allah’s accounts on the X platform will not affect our position even if they close them permanently,” Houthi leader Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti said on X, using the official name of their group.


Iran says to keep ‘military advisers’ in Syria

Iran says to keep ‘military advisers’ in Syria
Updated 5 sec ago
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Iran says to keep ‘military advisers’ in Syria

Iran says to keep ‘military advisers’ in Syria

TEHRAN: Iran said on Monday that it plans to keep military advisers in Syria after its ally’s second city Aleppo was overrun by militants in a surprise offensive.
The Islamic republic, which has backed President Bashar Assad since Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011, says it only deploys military advisers in the country at the invitation of Damascus.
“We entered Syria many years ago at the official invitation of the Syrian government, when the Syrian people faced the threat of terrorism,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaeil.
“Our military advisers were present in Syria, and they are still present” and would remain in the country “in accordance with the wishes” of its government, he told a news conference in Tehran.
Baqaeil did not specify whether or not Iran would be increasing its forces in Syria in the wake of the lightning militant offensive.
His remarks come a day after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Assad in Damascus to show support for the Syrian president.
Aleppo fell to an Islamist-dominated militant alliance over the course of the past week, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.


Syrian and Russian air forces strike Aleppo’s eastern countryside

Syrian and Russian air forces strike Aleppo’s eastern countryside
Updated 23 min 40 sec ago
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Syrian and Russian air forces strike Aleppo’s eastern countryside

Syrian and Russian air forces strike Aleppo’s eastern countryside

CAIRO: Syrian and Russian air forces were striking militant-held positions in Aleppo’s eastern countryside, killing and wounding dozens of insurgents, according to a statement from the Syrian Prime Minister’s office on Monday.

Russia said it continues to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is analysing the situation on the ground after Islamist insurgents and other rebel groups seized territory in Syria.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday Russia would form its position based on unfolding events.

Meanwhile, Kurdish YPG forces began pulling out of areas under their control in the northeastern sector of Aleppo city under a deal with militant forces, sources and a resident said on Monday.

The deal to pull out of Sheikh Maqsoud and Bustan al Basha and other areas in the city allows civilians to leave to areas in northeast Syria under Kurdish control, the sources told Reuters. 


Lebanon army says Israeli drone hits post in east, wounding soldier

Lebanon army says Israeli drone hits post in east, wounding soldier
Updated 02 December 2024
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Lebanon army says Israeli drone hits post in east, wounding soldier

Lebanon army says Israeli drone hits post in east, wounding soldier

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s army said an Israeli drone strike wounded one of its soldiers in the eastern region of Hermel on Monday, the latest such raid since an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire last week.
“An enemy drone struck an army bulldozer at a position, injuring one soldier,” the army said, five days after a ceasefire ended more than a year of war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group.


Pro-Iranian militias enter Syria from Iraq to aid beleaguered Syrian army

Pro-Iranian militias enter Syria from Iraq to aid beleaguered Syrian army
Updated 32 min 52 sec ago
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Pro-Iranian militias enter Syria from Iraq to aid beleaguered Syrian army

Pro-Iranian militias enter Syria from Iraq to aid beleaguered Syrian army

AMMAN: Iranian-backed militias entered Syria overnight from Iraq and were heading to northern Syria to beef up beleaguered Syrian army forces battling insurgents, according to two Syrian army sources.
Dozens of Iran-aligned Iraqi Hashd al Shaabi fighters from Iraq also crossed into Syria through a military route near Al Bukamal crossing, a senior Syrian army source told Reuters.
“These are fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the front lines in the north,” the officer said, adding the militias included Iraq’s Katiab Hezbollah and Fatemiyoun groups.
Iran sent thousands of Shiite militias to Syria during the Syrian war and, alongside Russia with its air power, enabled Syrian President Bashar Assad to crush the insurgency and regain most of his territory.
A lack of that manpower to help thwart the militant onslaught in recent days contributed to the speedy retreat of Syrian army forces and withdrawal from Aleppo city, according to two other army sources. Militias allied to Iran, led by Hezbollah, have a strong presence in the Aleppo area.
Israel has also in recent months stepped up its strikes on Iranian bases in Syria while also waging an offensive in Lebanon which it says has weakened Hezbollah and its military capabilities.


GCC leaders call for halt to war crimes in Gaza, end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories

GCC leaders call for halt to war crimes in Gaza, end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories
Updated 02 December 2024
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GCC leaders call for halt to war crimes in Gaza, end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories

GCC leaders call for halt to war crimes in Gaza, end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories
  • The leaders stressed their firm support for the Palestinian cause and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital
  • The ‘Kuwait Declaration,’ issued at the 45th session of the GCC Supreme Council, praised the growing role of Gulf countries in addressing regional, global challenges

RIYADH: Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council on Sunday called for an end to Israeli war crimes in Gaza, the displacement of the region’s population, and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

The leaders stressed their firm support during a meeting in Kuwait for the Palestinian cause and its sovereignty over all Palestinian territories occupied since June 1967, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The “Kuwait Declaration,” which was issued at the 45th session of the Supreme Council of the GCC, praised the growing role of Gulf countries in addressing regional and global political, security, and economic challenges.

It also praised their contribution to resolving issues that threatened peace, security, and stability, and for enhancing international dialogue and communication between countries.

A statement said: “The Supreme Council called for an end to the killings and collective punishment in Gaza, the displacement of the population, and the destruction of civilian facilities and infrastructure, including health facilities, schools, and places of worship, in clear violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”

GCC leaders also welcomed the resolutions of the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia in November to enhance international action to stop the war on Gaza; achieve permanent and comprehensive peace; implement the two-state solution in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative; mobilize support for recognizing the State of Palestine; and lead the international coalition to implement the two-state solution.

They also praised Qatar’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and exchange detainees.

The leaders condemned continued Israeli aggression on Lebanon and warned against the expansion of the conflict in the region. They also welcomed the recently brokered ceasefire in the country.

The leaders also welcomed continued efforts made by Saudi Arabia and Oman to revive the political process in Yemen.

The leaders stressed the peaceful approach of GCC countries and their preference for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve all disputes in the region and beyond, in accordance with the requirements of international law and the UN Charter.