Houthis claim new attack on American warships, report new US strikes

Update In this handout image provided by the US NAVY the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits the Atlantic Ocean during an ordnance transfer, August 24, 2024. (AFP)
In this handout image provided by the US NAVY the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits the Atlantic Ocean during an ordnance transfer, August 24, 2024. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 18 March 2025
Follow

Houthis claim new attack on American warships, report new US strikes

Houthis claim new attack on American warships, report new US strikes
  • The Houthis said on Telegram they had targeted the USS Harry S. Truman carrier group with missiles and drones
  • Houthi media said fresh US strikes hit Yemen on Monday after tens of thousands demonstrated

SANAA: Iran-backed Houthis on Tuesday claimed their third attack on American warships in 48 hours, despite US strikes targeting the group in Yemen that have sparked mass protests.
The Houthis said on Telegram they had targeted the USS Harry S. Truman carrier group with missiles and drones, making the attack the “third in the past 48 hours” in the northern Red Sea.
A US defense official said the Houthis “continue to communicate lies and disinformation,” adding the Iran-backed group is “well known for false claims minimizing the results of our attacks while exaggerating the successes of theirs.”
A US Air Force official earlier said it was “hard to confirm” the attacks claimed by the Houthis as they were missing their targets “by over 100 miles.”
Houthi media said fresh US strikes hit Yemen on Monday after tens of thousands demonstrated in the capital Sanaa.
There were also large crowds in Saada, the birthplace of the Houthi movement, and demonstrations in Dhamar, Hodeida and Amran, footage from the rebels’ Al-Masirah TV station showed.
“Yemen will never back down — we defy the Americans, we defy the Zionists,” said a man shouting slogans to the Sanaa crowd.
The protests came after Washington launched a fresh campaign of air strikes on Yemen beginning Saturday, aiming to pressure the Houthis into ending their attacks on Red Sea shipping.
The Houthis have targeted ships traveling the major trade route since the start of the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.
The US strikes killed 53 people and wounded 98 on Saturday, according to the health ministry.
Al-Masirah channel and Saba press agency reported new US strikes on Monday night in the Hodeida and Al-Salif regions, while the Houthi Ansarollah website said strikes hit Sanaa early Tuesday.
Washington has vowed to keep hitting Yemen until the Houthis stop attacking shipping, with US President Donald Trump warning he will hold Iran accountable for any further attacks carried out by the Tehran-sponsored group.
“Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible,” Trump posted on social media.
Iran responded by calling his statement “belligerent.”
At the rally in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, giant flags punctuated a sea of demonstrators at Al-Sabeen Square, which has hosted large-scale demonstrations every week throughout the Gaza war.
Just two days ago, the Houthi-controlled capital was hit by heavy strikes, including in northern districts frequented by the leadership.
They were the first US strikes since Trump returned to office in January, and came despite a pause in the Houthis’ attacks coinciding with a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
The Pentagon said it had struck 30 targets in Yemen so far and vowed to use “overwhelming lethal force” to “restore freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz told ABC News that Saturday’s strikes “targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out.” The Houthis have not responded to Waltz’s claim.


The United Nations urged both sides to “cease all military activity,” while expressing concern over Houthi threats to resume the Red Sea attacks.
Before this weekend’s targeting of the US carrier group, the Houthis had not claimed any attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since January 19, when the ceasefire in Gaza began.
However, the group had threatened to resume its campaign over Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.
It said it would “move to additional escalatory options” if the “American aggression” continued.
Trump, meanwhile, has warned the Yemeni group that “hell will rain down upon you” if it did not stop its attacks.
He has also broadened the warning to include Iran, saying it would “suffer the consequences” for shots fired by the Houthis.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier condemned the US strikes and said Washington had “no authority” to dictate Tehran’s foreign policy.


A database set up by ACLED, a non-profit monitor, showed more than 130 Houthi attacks against warships, commercial vessels, and Israeli and other targets since October 19, 2023.
While the Red Sea trade route normally carries around 12 percent of world shipping traffic, Houthi attacks have forced many companies into costly detours around southern Africa.
The United States had already launched several rounds of strikes on Houthi targets under former president Joe Biden.
Israel has also struck Yemen, most recently in December, after Houthi missile fire toward Israeli territory.
The rebels control large swathes of Yemen, including most of its population centers, after ousting the internationally recognized government from Sanaa.
They have been at war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the government since 2015, a conflict that has triggered a major humanitarian crisis.
Fighting has largely been on hold since a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022, but the peace process has stalled following the Houthi attacks over Gaza.


UAE exempts Sudanese nationals from residency, visa fines

UAE exempts Sudanese nationals from residency, visa fines
Updated 14 sec ago
Follow

UAE exempts Sudanese nationals from residency, visa fines

UAE exempts Sudanese nationals from residency, visa fines
  • The authority clarified that this decision takes effect on May 19, 2025

DUBAI: The UAE on Saturday decided to exempt Sudanese nationals from paying outstanding residency or visa fines, according to WAM News Agency.  

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security said in a statement: “The decision aligns with the UAE's long-standing commitment to supporting brotherly nations and offering humanitarian aid during crises.”

It further underscores the country's role in promoting humanity and peace, it added. 

The authority clarified that this decision takes effect on May 19, 2025, and will remain valid until the end of the current year. 

Sudanese nationals with outstanding fines can regularize their status and submit renewal applications via the ICP's official digital platforms. The incurring fines will be wavered. 


Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 9 people, mostly women and children

Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 9 people, mostly women and children
Updated 17 min 33 sec ago
Follow

Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 9 people, mostly women and children

Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 9 people, mostly women and children
  • Two of the strikes hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, each killing two children and their parents
  • Israel has sealed Gaza off from all imports, including food, medicine and emergency shelter, for over 10 weeks

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday killed nine people in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, according to local health officials.
Two of the strikes hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, each killing two children and their parents. A third strike killed another child and wounded seven people, according to Nasser Hospital, which received bodies from all three strikes.
Israel has sealed Gaza off from all imports, including food, medicine and emergency shelter, for over 10 weeks in what it says is a pressure tactic aimed at forcing Hamas to release hostages. Israel resumed its offensive in March, shattering a ceasefire that had facilitated the release of more than 30 hostages.
Aid groups say food supplies are running low and hunger is widespread.

The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths in the 19-month-old war because the militants are embedded in densely populated areas. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the latest strikes.
US President Donald Trump, whose administration has voiced full support for Israel’s actions, is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week in a regional tour that will not include Israel.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage. Fifty-nine hostages are still inside Gaza, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants or civilians. The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory and displaced some 90 percent of its population of around 2 million.


Fires at key Sudan fuel depot ‘fully contained

Fires at key Sudan fuel depot ‘fully contained
Updated 11 May 2025
Follow

Fires at key Sudan fuel depot ‘fully contained

Fires at key Sudan fuel depot ‘fully contained
  • A military source told AFP on condition of anonymity on Saturday that air defenses in the towns of Jebeit and Sinkat
  • Port Sudan is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Sudan and UN chief Antonio Guterres

PORT SUDAN: Sudan’s civil defense forces said on Sunday they had “fully contained” fires that erupted at the main fuel depot and other strategic sites in Port Sudan — the seat of the army-backed government which has come under drone attacks blamed on paramilitaries over the past week.
In a statement posted on the force’s Facebook page, civil defense director Osman Atta said the fires — involving “large quantities of petroleum reserves” — were brought under control following an intensive operation using “foam materials” and a “meticulously executed plan.”
The fires caused by a strike on the fuel depot last Monday had spread across “warehouses filled with fuel,” the Sudanese army-aligned authorities said, warning of a “potential disaster in the area.”
The Red Sea port city, which had been seen as a safe haven from the devastating two-year conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has been hit by daily drone strikes since last Sunday.
The long-range attacks have damaged several key facilities, including the country’s sole international civilian airport, its largest working fuel depot and the city’s main power station.
A military source told AFP on condition of anonymity on Saturday that air defenses in the towns of Jebeit and Sinkat — around 120 kilometers west of Port Sudan — shot down two drones that had been targeting facilities in the area.
Witnesses also reported on Sunday drone strikes targeting the airport in Atbara, a city in the northern state of River Nile.
Port Sudan is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Sudan and UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the attacks “threaten to increase humanitarian needs and further complicate aid operations in the country,” his spokesman said.
More than two years of fighting have killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 13 million in what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.


MSF-run hospital in Amman treats war casualties from across Middle East

MSF-run hospital in Amman treats war casualties from across Middle East
Updated 11 May 2025
Follow

MSF-run hospital in Amman treats war casualties from across Middle East

MSF-run hospital in Amman treats war casualties from across Middle East
  • At Al-Mowasah, also known as the Specialized Hospital for Reconstructive Surgery, is run by medical charity Doctors Without Borders
  • MSF says the hospital has patients from conflict zones across the Middle East, such as Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Gaza

AMMAN: Shahd Tahrawi was wounded in an Israeli strike on Gaza, Hossam Abd Al-Rahman suffered burns in an explosion in Iraq and bombardment in Yemen has left Mohammed Zakaria in need of multiple surgeries.
They all met at the charitable Al-Mowasah hospital in the Jordanian capital Amman, which treats some of the many civilians wounded in conflicts across the Middle East.
“I feel sad when I look around me in this place” seeing “people like me, innocent, simple civilians” whose lives have been blighted by the horrors of war, said Abd Al-Rahman, a 21-year-old Iraqi patient.
“They are victims of war, burned by its fires... but had no part in igniting them,” he told AFP.
He is waiting for his ninth operation at the Amman hospital, to treat third-degree burns to his face, neck, abdomen, back and hand he suffered in an accident with unexploded ordnance in his native city of Samarra, north of Baghdad.
“I was a child when I was burned 10 years ago,” he said.
“My life was completely destroyed, and my future was lost. I left school even though my dream was to become a pilot one day.”

Hanna Janho, orthopedic and joint surgery consultant examines a patient at the Al-Mowasah hospital, run by medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Amman, on April 15, 2025. (AFP)

Abd Al-Rahman, who had 17 surgeries in Iraq before arriving at the hospital in Jordan, said that through “all these painful operations,” he hopes to “regain some of my appearance and life as a normal human being.”
At Al-Mowasah, also known as the Specialized Hospital for Reconstructive Surgery and run by medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Abd Al-Rahman said he has found comfort in meeting patients from around the region.
“We spend long periods of time here, sometimes many months, and these friendships reduce our loneliness and homesickness.”

MSF field communications manager Merel van de Geyn said the hospital has patients “from conflict zones across the Middle East, from Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Gaza.”
“We provide them with complete treatment free of charge” and cover the cost of flights, food and other expenses, she said.
In addition to the medical procedures, the hospital places great importance on psychological support.
“Here, they feel safe,” said van de Geyn.
“They’re surrounded by people who have gone through similar experiences... Mutual support truly helps them.”
From her room on the hospital’s fifth floor, Shahd Tahrawi, a 17-year-old Palestinian, recalled the night of December 9, 2023, when a massive explosion destroyed her family’s home in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli bombardment killed her father and 11-year-old sister, and left Shahd and her mother wounded.
Shahd has had five operations on her left leg, three of them in Jordan.

Shahd Tahrawi, who was wounded in an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip, uses crutches to walk at the Al-Mowasah hospital, run by medical charity Doctors Without Borders in Amman, on April 15, 2025. (AFP)

She said that on the night of the strike, she was woken up by the sound of the explosion and the rubble falling on her.
“I started screaming, ‘Help me, help me!’... and then I lost conciousness.”
Now, she said her dream was to become a doctor and help “save people’s lives, just like the doctors save mine.”

The hospital was established in 2006 to treat victims of the sectarian violence that erupted in Iraq in the aftermath of the US-led invasion, but has since expanded its mission.
In just under two decades, 8,367 patients from Iraq, Yemen, the Palestinian territories, Sudan, Libya and Syria have undergone a total of 18,323 surgeries for injuries caused by bullets, explosions, bombardment, air strikes and building collapses in conflict.
The hospital has 148 beds, three operating theaters, and physiotherapy and psychological support departments.

Young patients, who sustained injuries in conflict zones, gather at the MSF-run Al-Mosawah hospital in Amman on April 15, 2025. (AFP)

In one room, four Yemeni patients were convalescing.
One of them, 16-year-old Mohammed Zakaria, had dreamt of becoming a professional footballer, before his life changed dramatically when an air strike blew up a fuel tanker in Yarim, south of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, in 2016.
The blast killed six of his relatives and friends, his father, Zakaria Hail, said.
“The war has brought us nothing but destruction,” said the father, sitting next to his son who is unable to speak after recent surgery to his mouth.
 


Israeli airstrikes kill 23 in Gaza as outcry over aid blockade grows

Israeli airstrikes kill 23 in Gaza as outcry over aid blockade grows
Updated 11 May 2025
Follow

Israeli airstrikes kill 23 in Gaza as outcry over aid blockade grows

Israeli airstrikes kill 23 in Gaza as outcry over aid blockade grows
  • Israel has said the blockade is meant to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages and disarm

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza City: Israeli airstrikes overnight and into Saturday killed at least 23 Palestinians in Gaza, including three children and their parents whose tent was bombed in Gaza City, health officials said.
The bombardment continued as international warnings grow over Israeli plans to control aid distribution in Gaza as Israel’s blockade on the territory of over 2 million people is in its third month.
The UN and aid groups have rejected Israel’s aid distribution moves, including a plan from a group of American security contractors, ex-military officers and humanitarian aid officials calling itself the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Among the 23 bodies brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours were those of the family of five whose tent was struck in Gaza City’s Sabra district, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
Another Israeli strike late Friday hit a warehouse belonging to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, in the northern area of Jabaliya. Four people were killed, according to the Indonesian Hospital, where bodies were taken.
AP video showed fires burning in the shattered building. The warehouse was empty after being hit and raided multiple times during Israeli ground offensives against Hamas fighters over the past year, said residents including Hamza Mohamed.
Israel’s military said nine soldiers were lightly wounded Friday night by an explosive device while searching Gaza City’s Shijaiyah neighborhood. It said they were evacuated to a hospital in Israel.
Israel resumed its bombardment in Gaza on March 18, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. Ground troops have seized more than half the territory and have been conducting raids and searching parts of northern Gaza and the southernmost city of Rafah. Large parts of both areas have been flattened by months of Israeli operations.
Under Israel’s blockade, charity kitchens are virtually the only source of food left in Gaza, but dozens have shut down in recent days as food supplies run out. Aid groups say more closures are imminent. Israel has said the blockade is meant to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages and disarm. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.
Israel accuses Hamas and other militants of siphoning off aid in Gaza, though it hasn’t presented evidence for its claims. The UN denies significant diversion takes place, saying it monitors distribution.
The 19-month-old war in Gaza is the most devastating ever fought between Israel and Hamas. It has killed more than 52,800 people there, more than half of them women and children, and wounded more than 119,000, according to the Health Ministry. The ministry’s count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed thousands of militants, without giving evidence.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped over 250 others. Hamas still holds about 59 hostages, with around a third believed to still be alive.
Hamas released a video Saturday showing hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Haim Ohana, who appeared under duress. They were abducted during the Oct. 7 attack from a music festival where over 300 people were killed. Hamas released a video of them a month and half ago and has released several videos of Bohbot alone since then.
Protesters on Saturday night rallied once more in Tel Aviv to demand a ceasefire that would bring all hostages home.
“Can you grasp this? The Israeli government is about to embark on a military operation that could and will endanger the lives of the hostages,” Michel Illouz, father of hostage Guy Illouz, told the gathering, referring to the plan to vastly expand operations in Gaza.