Houthis claim to have attacked Tel Aviv with ‘new hypersonic’ ballistic missile 

Update Houthis claim to have attacked Tel Aviv with ‘new hypersonic’ ballistic missile 
Responders put out a fire in the area of Lod, near Tel Aviv, in central Israel on September 15, 2024. The Israeli military said a missile fired from Yemen crossed into central Israel on September 15 and "fell in an open area". (AFP)
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Updated 15 September 2024
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Houthis claim to have attacked Tel Aviv with ‘new hypersonic’ ballistic missile 

Houthis claim to have attacked Tel Aviv with ‘new hypersonic’ ballistic missile 
  • Air raid sirens had sounded in Tel Aviv and across central Israel, sending residents running for shelters

AL-MUKALLA: Yemen’s Houthi militia claims to have fired a ballistic missile at the capital of Israel and vowed to continue firing rockets at Israel as well as attacking its ships in support of the Palestinian people.

In a televised statement, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Sunday that Houthi forces fired a hypersonic missile at a military location in Tel Aviv, which traveled 2,040 kilometers and evaded US and Israeli air defenses.

“The Israeli enemy should expect more strikes and qualitative operations to come,” Sarea said, adding that the attack on Tel Aviv was also retaliation for Israel’s airstrikes on Yemen’s western city of Hodeidah on July 20.

Thousands of Israelis rushed to shelters in Tel Aviv on Sunday, and large explosions rocked the city as Israeli defenses tried to intercept a Houthi missile that landed in the city center.

After the Houthi rocket attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to launch a new wave of strikes on Yemen, similar to the attacks on Hodeidah.

“The Houthis should have known by now that we are charging a heavy price for any attempt to harm us. Those who need a reminder — are welcome to visit Hodeida port,” Netanyahu said at his Cabinet meeting.

Speaking to large crowds of followers in areas under his control, Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi also vowed on Sunday to continue the campaign against international ships in the Red Sea and other waters, as well as firing missiles at Israel until it ends its war in Gaza.

“Our forces continue their successful and highly effective sea operations against ships linked to the Israeli, American and British adversaries,” Al-Houthi said.

Since November, the Houthis have fired more than 100 ballistic missiles, drones and drone boats at commercial and navy ships in international shipping lanes, as well as rockets and drones at Israel, claiming that they are acting in support of the Palestinian people.

Critics say the Houthis are using Yemen’s widespread outrage over Israel’s devastating operation in Gaza to recruit fighters, boost their dwindling public support, and mobilize forces to attack opponents in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the EU naval mission in the Red Sea, known as EUNAVFOR Aspides, said on Sunday that the salvage operation of the burning oil tanker Sounion is underway, raising hopes of averting a disaster for the Red Sea ecosystem and shipping.

“The salvage of the MV Sounion is a complex operation and consists of various phases. The tugboats have successfully connected to the vessel and the towing of the MV Sounion to a safe location is in progress,” the EU mission said on X, adding that its navy ships are providing protection to rescue vessels.

The Sounion, carrying nearly a million barrels of crude oil, has been burning and deserted in the Red Sea since late last month, after being repeatedly attacked by the Houthis.

The EU mission said earlier this month that the tugboats that arrived at the site of the burning oil tanker discovered that the ship was too dangerous to be moved to another location to neutralise the threat, forcing rescuers to consider other options.

On Sunday, a government official in Aden, the interim capital of Yemen, told Arab News that the rescuers were able to tow the ship after the arrival of a new tugboat sent by the Sounion’s owner.

Marine experts, who had previously warned of a major environmental disaster in the Red Sea if the ship exploded or leaked oil, reacted positively to the news of the towing.

“With naval protection around it, the MV Sounion is now being towed to a safe location for salvaging, that would prevent an environmental disaster in the Red Sea after the ship was rigged with explosives by the Houthis and burning for weeks,” Wim Zwijnenburg of the Humanitarian Disarmament Project at the Dutch peace organization PAX said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, a Yemeni government officer was killed on Sunday in clashes with the Houthis in the southern province of Dhale, the latest in a series of Houthi attacks on government troops in the province.

Mohammed Al-Naqeeb, a military spokesperson for the Southern Transitional Council, told Arab News that the Houthis used drones and thermal missiles to attack their forces in Dhale’s Qatabah district on Sunday, sparking clashes that killed field commander Mohammed Ali Al-Humaidi.

Dozens of Yemeni government troops have been killed in Houthi attacks in Dhale, Marib, Taiz, and other contested areas during the past two years, despite a significant drop in hostilities since a UN-brokered truce went into effect in 2022. 


US, France working on Lebanon diplomatic initiative, Cyprus president says

US, France working on Lebanon diplomatic initiative, Cyprus president says
Updated 3 sec ago
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US, France working on Lebanon diplomatic initiative, Cyprus president says

US, France working on Lebanon diplomatic initiative, Cyprus president says
UNITED NATIONS: The United States and France are trying to hammer out an interim accord to halt hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah with a view to opening broader diplomatic talks, Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday.
“I don’t see that we can have a (broad) agreement but a form of interim agreement in order to avoid further escalation. This is the effort right now especially from the United States and France,” Christodoulides told Reuters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The Mediterranean island of Cyprus is the closest European Union member state, some 264 km (164 miles) from Lebanon. It has been at the forefront of maritime aid efforts for Gaza and has a key interest on developments in Lebanon should there be a need to evacuate foreign nationals.
Christodoulides said he had spoken to Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and French President Emmanuel Macron in New York and by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“During the last days there are a lot of deliberations to avoid further escalation, especially with Lebanon. There is a diplomatic initiative from the United States and France,” he said, adding that meetings in New York on Wednesday would be crucial.
“Avoid further escalation to give time to diplomacy to find a permanent solution,” he said.

Libya factions agree on process for picking central bank governor, UN mission says

Libya factions agree on process for picking central bank governor, UN mission says
Updated 15 min 42 sec ago
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Libya factions agree on process for picking central bank governor, UN mission says

Libya factions agree on process for picking central bank governor, UN mission says
  • The agreement could help defuse a crisis over control of the central bank and oil revenue

CAIRO: Libya’s factions signed an agreement on the procedures, criteria and timelines for appointing a governor, deputy governor and board of directors for the country’s central bank, the United Nations Libya mission (UNSMIL) said on Wednesday in a statement.
The agreement could help defuse a crisis over control of the central bank and oil revenue that has slashed Libya’s oil output and exports.


Houthis threaten to ‘cut off heads’ of Yemenis who celebrate Sept. 26 revolution

Houthis threaten to ‘cut off heads’ of Yemenis who celebrate Sept. 26 revolution
Updated 51 min 23 sec ago
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Houthis threaten to ‘cut off heads’ of Yemenis who celebrate Sept. 26 revolution

Houthis threaten to ‘cut off heads’ of Yemenis who celebrate Sept. 26 revolution
  • Militant group deploys forces across northern Yemen to crack down on gatherings, and abducts more than 200 people over online anniversary celebrations
  • The 1962 revolution overthrew the Zaidi Imamate, which ruled northern Yemen for centuries and was ideologically similar to the Houthis

AL-MUKALLA: The Houthis vowed to violently suppress any public celebrations this week of the 62nd anniversary of the Sept. 26 revolution in Yemen.

The militant group has deployed armored vehicles and forces across northern Yemen to crack down on any gatherings that take place on Thursday, and abducted more than 200 people who celebrated it online.

The revolution, which began on Sept. 26, 1962, resulted in the overthrow of the Zaidi Imamate rulers who had controlled northern Yemen for centuries, paving the way for the establishment of the Yemen Arab Republic.

The Houthis share a similar ideology with the Zaidi Imamate, including a desire to limit rule over the country to Hashemites. The group fears people will be motivated by the anniversary to take to the streets in large numbers and demand an end to repressive Houthi rule.

Nasruddin Amer, a Houthi media official, threatened to “cut off the heads” of those who gather on Thursday to commemorate the 1962 revolution. He accused them of being “stooges for the Zionists” and seeking to undermine security and stability in areas under Houthi control. Houthi authorities will allow people to celebrate the anniversary under supervision, in designated locations, he added.

“We do not have mercy or pity for enemies … If anyone tries to twist our arm, we will remove his head,” Amer said. “This is our nature and methodology. We are unconcerned about the entire world or public opinion.”

Abdulkader Al-Murtada, the head of the Houthi prisoner-exchange committee, issues similar threats and accused people who would celebrate the revolution of “serving the US agenda” in an attempt to force the Houthis to halt their attacks on international shipping, which the group claims to be carrying out in support of the Palestinian people.

“We will deal with any anarchists or charlatans, as well as anyone who attempts to cause trouble, in the same way that we deal with the enemy, and everyone is aware of how we do so,” Al-Murtada said.

Local media and residents of Sanaa, Hodeidah and other Houthi-controlled areas confirmed on Wednesday that the group had deployed armed vehicles and military forces as part of an intensive crackdown on those who celebrate the revolution or incite others to do so online.

The Mayyun Organization for Human Rights and Development said that in the past few days the Houthis abducted 270 Yemenis, including teachers, activists, journalists and members of the former ruling party, the General People’s Congress, in Sanaa and other areas for posting online messages that praised the Sept. 26 revolution and urged the public to commemorate it.

“We denounce these intimidation campaigns against civilians, particularly women, which coincide with security crackdowns and public threats of arrest aimed at deterring people from participating in planned public celebrations and raising the national flag,” the organization said.

Activists reported that in the past 24 hours the Houthis abducted people in Sanaa and other areas for flying the Yemeni flag, as well as a person in Sanaa who appeared in a video dancing to nationalist songs commemorating the revolution.

The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate also demanded the immediate release of four Yemeni journalists abducted over the past six days as part of the Houthi crackdown on Sept. 26 anniversary celebrations.

“The syndicate reiterates its call to all organizations concerned with freedom of opinion and expression to show solidarity with the abducted journalists and press for their release,” it said.

Hundreds of people marched through the streets of the government-controlled southern city of Taiz on Tuesday night to commemorate the 1962 revolution, carrying the Yemeni flag and chanting nationalist slogans. Thousands of people in Marib and other cities were expected to hold similar rallies on Wednesday and Thursday.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command said on Wednesday that its forces destroyed a Houthi drone over the Red Sea before it reached a vessel it was targeting in a critical shipping lane.

It was the latest US military response against the Houthis intended to weaken them and pressure them into halting their attacks on ships in international waters off the coast of Yemen.


US announces $424 mn in new aid for Sudanese at UN meeting

US announces $424 mn in new aid for Sudanese at UN meeting
Updated 25 September 2024
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US announces $424 mn in new aid for Sudanese at UN meeting

US announces $424 mn in new aid for Sudanese at UN meeting
  • The US ambassador to the United Nations made a new appeal to let assistance into El-Fasher
  • “We must compel the warring parties to accept humanitarian pauses,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield

UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Wednesday announced $424 million in new aid for displaced and hungry Sudanese at a high-level meeting on the country’s brutal war at the United Nations.
The US mission to the UN said the assistance includes $175 million with which the United States will buy surplus food from its own farmers to feed people in and around Sudan, where a UN-backed assessment has warned of wide-scale famine.
Addressing the event, the US ambassador to the United Nations made a new appeal to let assistance into El-Fasher, which has been besieged by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as the paramilitary force seeks a complete takeover of the western Darfur region.
“We must compel the warring parties to accept humanitarian pauses in El-Fasher, Khartoum and other highly vulnerable areas, eliminate barriers to humanitarian access along all routes, and put down their weapons and come to the negotiating table,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Sudan plunged into a devastating war last year as the army battled the RSF.
The World Health Organization said this month at least 20,000 people have been killed. But some estimates are far higher, with the US envoy on Sudan, Tom Perriello, saying that up to 150,000 people may have died.


Iraq hangs 21 mostly on ‘terror’ charges: security sources

Iraq hangs 21 mostly on ‘terror’ charges: security sources
Updated 33 sec ago
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Iraq hangs 21 mostly on ‘terror’ charges: security sources

Iraq hangs 21 mostly on ‘terror’ charges: security sources
  • It was reportedly the highest number of executions reported in one day in years in Iraq
  • The same security source said they were executed in Al-Hut prison in the southeastern city of Nassiriya

BAGHDAD: Iraqi authorities have hanged at least 21 people, including a woman, most of them convicted over “terrorism” charges, three security sources said on Wednesday.
It was reportedly the highest number of executions reported in one day in years in Iraq, which has previously come under fire over its trial processes and the use of capital punishment on a mass scale.
“Twenty-one convicts including a woman were executed” on charges including “terrorism” and being part of the Daesh militant group, an Iraqi security official told AFP.
“The woman was part of a group who killed a person” in 2019 as anti-government protesters demonstrated elsewhere in Baghdad, the source said.
A young man accused of firing shots was killed and his body hanged from a pole.
The same security source said they were executed in Al-Hut prison in the southeastern city of Nassiriya. Two other sources said they were all Iraqi nationals.
A medical source in Dhi Qar province, of which Nassiriya is the capital, said the forensic department had received the bodies of the executed convicts from the prison authority.
It was not immediately possible to confirm when the executions took place, with some sources saying Tuesday and others Wednesday.
Courts have handed down hundreds of death and life sentences in recent years to Iraqis convicted of “terrorism,” in trials rights groups have denounced as hasty.
In July, authorities hanged 10 “terror” convicts in Nassiriya, prompting a rights group to call for an end to the death penalty.
And in May, eight people were executed after being convicted on similar charges, while another 11 people were hanged earlier that month.
In late January, UN experts looking into the issue expressed “deep concern at reports that Iraq has begun mass executions in its prison system.”
The independent experts, who are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but do not speak on its behalf, mentioned in their statement executions carried out late last year in the Nassiriya prison.
The statement said that “13 male Iraqi prisoners — previously sentenced to death — were executed on 25 December 2023,” calling it “the largest number of convicted prisoners reportedly executed by the Iraqi authorities in one day” since November 16, 2020, when 20 were executed.
At the end of July, Iraq’s Justice Minister Khaled Shuani dismissed the UN experts’ analysis as “not based on documented evidence,” the official Iraqi News Agency reported.