The fresh airstrikes occurred following a reported missile attack towards the Red Sea…reports Asian Lite News
The US-British coalition launched three airstrikes on Yemen’s northern province of Saada before dawn on Tuesday, media reported.
The strikes targetted sites in the eastern part of the province’s capital city, which bears the same name, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said without elaborating.
The fresh airstrikes occurred following a reported missile attack towards the Red Sea, Xinhua news agency reported.
The US Central Command confirmed that the US military struck two Houthi explosive uncrewed surface vehicles in Yemen.
The command said in a statement that the strikes were launched at nearly 3:30 p.m. Sanaa time, and the targets were deemed “an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region”.
The airstrikes are part of an ongoing military response by Washington and London since January 12, targetting Houthi-controlled areas of Sanaa and other northern provinces. The actions are reportedly in retaliation for Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, who have been engaging in military actions in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden since last November, claim to be targetting Israeli ships and vessels sailing to Israel.
These actions unfold against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis in Gaza since October. The situation remains tense, with both sides showing no signs of de-escalation.
There was no immediate comment from the US side on the claims….reports Asian Lite News
Yemen’s Houthi group has said that they launched a missile attack on a US commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, claiming a “direct hit”.
The group added on Wednesday that they targeted the vessel KOI, a container ship that was heading to Israeli ports, “in support of the Palestinians in Gaza and response to the US-British aggression against Yemen,” according to a statement released by Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea.
Sarea said the attack was carried out with “several suitable naval missiles that directly hit the target”.
He added the attack came hours after the group fired missiles at a US destroyer, the USS Gravely, in the Red Sea, Xinhua news agency reported.
He noted the Houthis would confront “any US-British escalation with escalation” and would not hesitate to launch more attacks in retaliation for any “foolishness” against Yemen.
He also added that all US and British ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea were “legitimate targets” for the group as long as the US-British “aggression” continued.
There was no immediate comment from the US side on the claims.
Earlier on Wednesday, the US Central Command said in a statement that US forces launched a strike on a Houthi missile launch site in northern Yemen and destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile that was ready to launch.
It added that US forces identified the missile in Houthi-held areas of Yemen and determined it posed an imminent threat to US aircraft.
The Houthis confirmed that the US strike hit a site in the northern part of Saada city, according to a statement broadcast by al-Masirah TV.
File photo shows Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking during a daily news briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, Aug. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie E/IANS)
The spokesman refused to say how many US and British nationals are working for the UN in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen….reports Asian Lite News
The United Nations has asked Yemen’s Houthi authorities to reconsider their decision to expel US and British nationals working for the world body in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, confirmed on Wednesday that the United Nations has received communications from the Houthis, which gave the world body one month for all US and British nationals to leave the areas under the control of the de facto authorities, Xinhua news agency reported.
“What needs to be said is that any request or requirement for UN staff to leave based solely on the nationality of that staff is inconsistent with the legal framework applicable to the UN,” said Dujarric. “It also, of course, impedes our ability to deliver on the mandate to support all of the people in Yemen. And we call on all the authorities in Yemen to ensure that our staff can continue to perform their functions on behalf of the UN.”
He said UN staff serve impartially and serve the flag of the United Nations and none other.
The spokesman refused to say how many US and British nationals are working for the UN in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
“I can find out the number of international staff. We do not give breakdowns of our staff’s own nationality,” said Dujarric.
The order of the Houthi militia came amid rising tensions between the US and British forces stationed in the Red Sea and the Houthis who have been attacking “Israeli-linked ships” in the region since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023.
The US-UK maritime coalition in the Red Sea has carried out multiple airstrikes on Houthi camps in various northern provinces of Yemen. It said these actions are aimed at preventing further Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea shipping lane.
The Houthi group vowed to continue targeting ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea until Israel ends its attacks and blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Ravindra did not name the Yemeni Houthi rebels who are carrying out the attack or specifically mention the Red Sea around where the incidents have taken place…writes Arul Louis
The spillover of the Israel-Hamas conflict to “the vicinity of India” with attacks on shipping by Houthi rebels has an impact on India’s economic interests, according to Deputy Permanent Representative R. Ravindra.
The conflict’s impact on the safety of commercial shipping in the Indian Ocean “has a direct bearing on India’s own energy and economic interests”, he said on Tuesday at a high-level meeting of the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East.
He said some of the attacks were happening “in the vicinity of India” and “this fraught situation is not to the benefit of any party, and this must be clearly recognised,” he said.
Ravindra did not name the Yemeni Houthi rebels who are carrying out the attack or specifically mention the Red Sea around where the incidents have taken place.
The Houthi rebels have said that they are attacking ships as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians under attack from Israel in Gaza.
The Red Sea forms the link for the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal, the main link for India and Asia to areas of the Middle East, Europe and beyond.
India’s Navy has said that it was “surging” its presence in the region and earlier this month one of its ships acted to protect a commercial ship under attack.
France, the president of the Security Council for this month, convened the high-level meeting presided over by Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne with the participation of about 15 foreign ministers, including Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and Iran’s Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the situation in the Red Sea is “deeply worrying”.
“Houthi attacks are disrupting global trade”, he said, and “these have been followed by airstrikes by the United States and the United Kingdom on Houthi positions in Yemen.”
“De-escalation is essential — and all attacks on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea must cease immediately,” he said.
He said that a two-state solution of independent Israel and Palestine living side-by-side is the only way to end the conflict.
Referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a two-state solution, he said that it was “unacceptable” and noted that it came against “the strongest appeals from even the friends of Israel, including those sitting around this table”.
“It would exacerbate polarisation and embolden extremists everywhere,” he warned.
Guterres said that 1,200 Israelis and others “were killed in the horrific terror attacks launched by Hamas against Israel, with over 250 people taken hostage” at the start of the conflict.
“Nothing can justify deliberate killing, injuring, kidnapping of civilians, the use of sexual violence against them — or the indiscriminate launching of rockets towards civilian targets,” he said.
The counter-operations launched by Israel have “been heartbreaking and catastrophic for Palestinian civilians in Gaza” where more than 25,000 people, mainly women and children, have reportedly been killed”, he said, reiterating his call for a ceasefire.
Ravindra said that India has “strongly condemned the death of civilians” in the Israel-Hamas conflict which has led to “an alarming humanitarian crisis”.
“There can be no justification for terrorism and hostage-taking,” he said.
India “has a long-standing and uncompromising position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”, he said.
Ravindra said that India reiterates “the demand for their immediate and unconditional release” of all hostages taken by Hamas.
He reiterated India’s backing for a two-state solution “where the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country within secure borders with due regard to the security needs of Israel”.
That is the only way for “an enduring peace that the people of Israel and Palestine desire and deserve”, he said.
US Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya said that President Joe Biden believes that a two-state solution is “the only path to a durable peace, as well as the only guarantor of a secure and democratic Israel”.
Zeya, who is of Indian descent and the highest-ranking Muslim in the Stage Department, said, “A stronger, reformed and revitalised Palestinian Authority that can more effectively deliver for its own people in both the West Bank and Gaza must also be part of the equation”.
Strongly denouncing the Hamas assault on Israel, she said that “we lament” that Russia, which has veto powers, has blocked efforts in the Council to condemn the Hamas terrorist attack..
Facing a tide of criticism of Israel, some of that directed against the US, Zeya also had strong words for Israelis.
“We continue to convey to Israeli leaders that they need to do more to protect civilians and take feasible precautions to minimize civilian harm, in line with international humanitarian law,” she said.
She said the US is “deeply troubled” by the “unprecedented levels of violence by extremist settlers” from Israel and “we condemn killings of Palestinian civilians and we urge Israel to prevent and investigate settler violence, as well as hold perpetrators accountable”.
Outlining the calamitous outcomes of the Israeli attacks on Gaza, Palestine’s Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said, “There are two choices — a spreading fire or a ceasefire”.
He asked that Palestine should be made a full member of the UN, upgraded from its present observer status that does not give it a vote in the General Assembly.
That was echoed by several ministers.
Malaysia Foreign Minister Mohamad Hassan said Palestine should no longer be treated as a “second-class citizen”.
Israel’s Gilad Erdan said that the UN was ineffective in dealing with the problems of the Middle East, offering “aspirin for cancer” instead of going to the root cause of the malaise.
He said “Israelis will face another attempted Holocaust” from the cease-fire demanded by some Council members as it will enable Hamas to regroup and rearm.
The strikes coincided with the US officially designating the Houthis as specially designated global terrorists, a move aimed at cutting off financial support…reports Asian Lite News
The US military launched another round of missile strikes on Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen, marking the fourth consecutive direct targeting amid ongoing regional unrest stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The strikes coincided with the US officially designating the Houthis as specially designated global terrorists, a move aimed at cutting off financial support to violent extremist groups. US officials disclosed these actions anonymously to discuss details not yet made public.
Following the rebels’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the US started strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on Wednesday, prompting Washington to relist the group as “specially designated global terrorists.”
Since November, the organisation with ties to Iran has been carrying out attacks that have hampered marine trade between Asia and Europe, reported Al Jazeera.
The Houthis claim that until Israel’s war on Gaza ends, they will keep hitting targets, including ships that have ties to Israel.
“Today, in response to these continuing threats and attacks, the United States announced the designation of Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
“This designation is an important tool to impede terrorist funding to the Houthis, further restrict their access to financial markets, and hold them accountable for their actions. If the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the United States will immediately reevaluate this designation,” the statement said.
The designation will take effect 30 days from now, to ensure humanitarian carve-outs are in place.
“We are rolling out unprecedented carve-outs and licenses to help prevent adverse impacts on the Yemeni people. The people of Yemen should not pay the price for the actions of the Houthis. We are sending a clear message: commercial shipments into Yemeni ports on which the Yemeni people rely for food, medicine and fuel should continue and are not covered by our sanctions. This is in addition to the carveouts we include in all sanctions programs for food, medicine, and humanitarian assistance,” the statement added.
“As President Biden has said, the United States will not hesitate to take further actions to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce,” Sullivan said further.
Meanwhile, the United States carried out new strikes against Houthi ballistic missiles in Yemen on Tuesday, according to the US Central Command. The US carried out strikes after Houthi launched an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea.
Residents in the Jahaf district reported a massive explosion on Monday after a ballistic missile fell in a hilly part of the district….reports Asian Lite News
The UK Maritime Trade Operations organization said it received reports of a missile hitting a ship southeast of Yemen’s southern city of Aden, shortly after residents in the central province of Al-Bayda and neighboring Abyan province reported seeing a missile fired from a Houthi-controlled area.
UKMTO “has received a report of an incident 95NM South East of Aden, Yemen. Master reports port side of vessel hit from above by a missile,” the agency said.
The warning came roughly an hour after locals in Abyan’s Lawdar district — which is close to the missile’s supposed launch site — reported seeing a missile launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Al-Bayda’s Mukayras fly over their neighborhoods.
“The missile was launched at around 3:55 p.m. from a hilly position held by the Houthis in Mukayras, and residents heard an explosion and observed missile smoke in the sky,” Mohsen Al-Markhi, a journalist from Lawder said.
Another missile launched by the Houthis exploded near a village in the southern province of Al-Dhale on Monday, only hours after the US shot down a Houthi missile aimed at a US Navy ship in the Red Sea.
Residents in the Jahaf district reported a massive explosion on Monday after a ballistic missile fell in a hilly part of the district.
Residents say the missile was not targeting their neighborhoods and landed before it reached its intended target.
Yemen’s Defense Ministry news site reported that the ballistic missile was fired from the Houthi-controlled Al-Jaefri village in Al-Dhale and detonated in an area between two minor villages in Jahaf.
Since the start of the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea in November, residents across Yemen, primarily those living in or near Houthi-controlled territory, have reported seeing Houthi missiles and drones flying over their areas, while others exploded near their farms after failing to reach their targets.
This comes as the US Central Command said that an anti-ship missile launched by the Houthis was shot down by a US fighter aircraft near Yemen’s coastal city of Hodeidah before reaching its target, the USS Laboon naval destroyer.
The Houthis pledged retaliation for the US and UK raids on regions under their control on Friday, adding they would not back down from assaults on any Israel-bound ships in the Red Sea.
According to the Houthis, their efforts are intended to push Israel to lift its siege of Gaza.
In Sanaa, the Houthis said that Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi called the leader of the militia’s Supreme Political Council, Mahdi Al-Mashat, to denounce the UK and US strikes on Yemen and to urge them to continue their attacks on ships en route to Israel via the Red Sea.
“Raisi emphasized that Yemen’s move to safeguard international navigation and prohibit Israeli ships or those traveling to occupied Palestine from passing was courageous and prudent,” the official Houthi news agency quoted Raisi as saying to Al-Mashat.
Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, head of the militia’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee, said many ships had reported their destinations to them and alerted them that they had no ties with Israel while sailing through the Red Sea to avoid attacks following Houthi instructions to do so last week. He called on all such ships to follow suit.
In a post on X, Al-Houthi said: “We greet ships sailing through the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab, and the Arabian Sea that announce ‘We have no relationship with Israel.’”
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the new strikes were carried out at about 3.45 a.m. on Saturday.
Just a day after launching a coordinated multi-nation attack on nearly 30 Houthi positions in Yemen, the US on Saturday carried out fresh airstrikes against the Iran-backed militia in the war-torn nation.
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the new strikes were carried out at about 3.45 a.m. on Saturday.
“This strike was conducted by the USS Carney (DDG 64) using Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and was a follow-on action on a specific military target associated with strikes taken on January 12 designed to degrade the Houthi’s ability to attack maritime vessels, including commercial vessels,” it said in a post on X.
The Central Command said that since November 19, 2023, the Houthi militants have attempted to “attack and harass” vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at least 28 times.
“These illegal incidents include attacks that have employed anti-ship ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles,” it said.
The CENTCOM also clarified that these strikes have no association with and are separate from Operation Prosperity Guardian, a defensive coalition of over 20 countries operating in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden.
On Friday, the US and UK struck 28 separate Houthi sites in an attempt to disrupt their ability to fire upon international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, reports CNN.
The two countries were also backed by Canada, Australia, Bahrain, and the Netherlands.
The US had threatened the possibility of additional military action if the Houthis continued to launch drone and missile attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
On Jan. 11 at 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces, in coordination with the United Kingdom, and support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain conducted joint strikes on Houthi targets to degrade their capability to continue their illegal and… pic.twitter.com/bR8biMolSx
“We will make sure we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior along with our allies,” US President Joe Biden said on Friday while in Pennsylvania.
But after the US-led strikes, the Iran-backed rebel group launched another anti-ship ballistic missile towards a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, south of Yemen.
Saturday’s strikes also come after the White House said it was trying to avoid an escalation.
“Everything we’re doing, everything we’re trying to do is to prevent any further escalation,” John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, told CNN on Friday.
Friday’s strikes targeted radar facilities and command and control nodes, as well as facilities used for the storage and launch of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.
“These are the primary weapons the Houthis have used to target commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
The attacks killed five people and wounded six more, CNN quoted a spokesman for the Houthi military as saying.
The Houthis vowed that their forces would respond to the attack, calling US and UK assets “legitimate targets”.
The militia control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
The Houthis said they only attack those Israel-linked or Israel-bound ships to press Israel to stop its war on the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.
Houthi’s launch ballistic missile at Yemen’s army positions in Shabwa
The renewed clashes in Marib and other regions highlight the challenges in implementing a lasting ceasefire..reports Asian Lite News
Despite ongoing talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi militia in Yemen’s capital Sanaa to discuss a permanent solution to the years-long civil war, sporadic fightings have erupted in the war-torn nation’s Marib province.
The oil-rich province on Tuesday witnessed the sporadic clashes and heavy artillery shellings between government forces and the Houthi militia along the Alkasarah and Raghwan frontlines, raising concerns about the outlook of the peace process, a government official told Xinhua news agency.
The ongoing talks between the Houthi militia and Saudi Arabia, the primary backer of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, signaled a potential turning point in the long-standing conflict that has left the country devastated.
A new hope for reaching a peaceful resolution to the conflict was raised by the Saudi-Houthi talks, which focused on renewing the ceasefire, reopening the Sanaa airport and lifting restrictions on the Red Sea port to facilitate humanitarian aid for millions of citizens facing food insecurity and inadequate healthcare.
Mahdi al-Mashat (1st L), chairman of the Houthi’s political council, meets with Muhammad Al Jaber (2nd L), Saudi ambassador to Yemen, in Sanaa, Yemen, on April 9, 2023. (Houthi-run Saba News Agency/Handout via Xinhua)
However, the renewed clashes in Marib and other regions highlight the challenges in implementing a lasting ceasefire and addressing the deep-rooted issues that have fuelled the civil war in Yemen.
The situation in Marib, a strategic city in northern Yemen, is particularly tense, as it has been the scene of heavy fightings between the government forces and the Houthis in recent months.
Despite the setbacks, the recent talks still represent a glimmer of hope for ending the protracted military conflict.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Yemeni government announced it is ready for the exchange of prisoners with the Houthis, set to begin on Thursday.
The process will be carried out in three phases over three days, and the first exchange will involve 72 prisoners, according to Majed Fadael, a member of the government negotiating delegation.
The number of peace initiatives has increased, particularly after Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations in rapprochement talks hosted by China in early March.
Over the weekend, Saudi and Omani delegations held talks with the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Sanaa to restore peace in the war-torn country, which was praised by the UN as “a welcome step towards the de-escalation of tensions”.
Yemen has been embroiled in the civil war after the Houthi militia took control of several northern cities and ousted the Saudi-backed government from Sanaa in 2014.
The conflict has resulted in a staggering number of casualties and pushed Yemen to the brink of a humanitarian crisis, including widespread famine.
A UN Security Council meeting (Photo Xinhua_Li Muzi)
The council members reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, reports Asian Lite News
The members of the UN Security Council on Friday strongly condemned Monday’s “heinous terrorist attacks” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as in other sites in Saudi Arabia.
The attacks, claimed by the Houthi militia, killed three people and injured six others. The three killed included two Indian nationals.
In a statement, the members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims of the Houthi attacks and to the governments of India and Pakistan, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.
The council members reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
They stressed the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, and urged all states to cooperate actively with the UAE government and all other relevant authorities in this regard.
The council members reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.
They reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
UAE hails UNSC censure
The Security Council’s unanimous condemnation is “a really important step” in efforts to hold the Houthi militia in Yemen accountable for its crimes and prevent future atrocities, according to the UAE’s permanent representative to the UN, the Arab News reported.
Lana Nusseibeh added that her country has a “sovereign right to defend itself, our people and our way of life, as any nation in same situation would do.”
“The UAE cares deeply about our citizens and about millions of citizens from around the world who have made our country their home,” the Arab News quoted Nusseibeh as saying.
“This meeting and this statement are clear indication of the concern that the international community takes at this attack. More than 200 nationalities call the UAE home and more than 60,000 passengers transit through Abu Dhabi International Airport every day.”
Call for restraint
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed alarm at the continued airstrikes in Sanaa, Hodeidah and elsewhere in Yemen in recent days, said his spokesman.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Guterres also noted with alarm that missile attacks and shelling continued in several areas in the country. All of these actions have resulted in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman.
“The secretary-general reiterates his call on the parties to exercise maximum restraint and prevent any escalation amid heightened tensions in the region, as well as to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law,” Xinhua news agency quoted the spokesman as saying at a daily press briefing.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Houthi militia overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition that intervened since 2015 to support the Yemeni government.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has just left Riyadh after concluding a visit to Saudi Arabia.
Pro-govt Yemeni forc
He met Saudi Vice Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak, and other Saudi and Yemeni interlocutors, said Dujarric.
During his meetings, Grundberg also denounced the recent wave of military escalation, including the heavy airstrikes on Sanaa, which have engulfed Yemen and spilled over the borders to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Grundberg exchanged views on possible options to achieve immediate de-escalation and pave the way for comprehensive political talks, said the spokesman.
