Saudi blacklists 25 individuals entities over financing Houthis
IDF warned that the hijacking was “a very grave incident of global consequence”…reports Asian Lite News
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have confirmed that they have hijacked an “Israeli cargo ship” in the Red Sea.
“The Houthis announce the implementation of a military operation in the Red Sea, the results of which included the seizure of an Israeli ship,” Houthi military spokesman Yehya Sarea said on Sunday in a statement aired by the group’s al-Masirah TV.
Renewing the rebel group’s threat to target all ships belonging to or dealing with Israel, Sarea called on “all countries whose citizens work in the Red Sea to stop any activity with Israeli ships or ships rented by Israelis”.
The spokesman reiterated that the group would continue to carry out military operations against Israel until “its aggression against the Gaza Strip” stops, Xinhua news agency reported.
Hours earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday in a statement that the Houthis took control of the cargo ship near Yemen in the southern Red Sea, adding that the vessel was heading from Turkey to India.
IDF warned that the hijacking was “a very grave incident of global consequence”.
The ship was identified as the Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship that transports cars, according to a report by the Saudi-based Al Arabiya TV news.
Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that the ship was operated by a Japanese company, which leased it from a British company co-owned by Rami Ungar, an Israeli shipping mogul and importer of vehicles.
Marine Traffic, an online vessel tracking platform, published its last update about the hijacked Galaxy Leader at 13:04 local time on Saturday.
The Houthi militia controls much of Yemen’s north, including the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah since the Yemeni civil war erupted in late 2014.
Bahrain’s military command said a drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed the two Bahraini soldiers…reports Asian Lite News
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry has accused the Houthi rebels, alleging their responsibility for an attack resulting in the deaths of two Bahraini soldiers and the injury of several others along the southern border of the Kingdom.
“We express our deepest and sincerest condolences to the leadership and people of the sisterly state of Bahrain, and to the families of the heroic martyrs,” the ministry said in a statement published on X (formerly Twitter).
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands by the sisterly state of Bahrain and renews its stance of rejection to the continued flow of weapons to the terrorist Houthi militia as well as calls to ban arms export to Yemeni territories.”
Bahrain’s military command said a drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed the two Bahraini soldiers — one an officer — at Saudi Arabia’s southern border early Monday. The soldiers had been patrolling the area, the Arab News reported.
The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge carrying out the attack as efforts to strike a peace deal between Riyadh and the rebels continue, it was reported.
The military’s statement, carried by the state-run Bahrain News Agency, said “a number” of Bahraini soldiers were also wounded in the strike, without elaborating, the Arab News reported.
“This terrorist attack was carried out by the Houthis, who sent aircraft targeting the position of the Bahraini guards on the southern border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia despite the halt of military operations between the warring sides in Yemen,” the statement said.
Yemeni government soldiers patrol in Harad district of Hajjah province, which is a frontline between the Houthi militia and the internationally-recognized government in northern Yemen, on Feb. 10, 2022. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua/IANS)
Despite recent international efforts to broker a peace deal, the conflict has shown no signs of abating, as the Houthis continued to focus their attacks on strategic targets…reports Asian Lite News
Yemen’s Houthi militia has intensified their military operations targeting various areas controlled by the country’s government, further exacerbating the years-long conflict, a government official said.
“The Houthis attacked the government’s Shabwa Defense Forces stationed in a mountainous area that links the Merkhah Al Ulya district with the adjacent Bayda province, sparking bloody armed confrontations,” the local government official told Xinhua news agency on Sunday.
Despite recent international efforts to broker a peace deal, the conflict has shown no signs of abating, as the Houthis continued to focus their attacks on strategic targets, particularly in the oil-rich provinces of Shabwa and Marib during the past 48 hours.
The official clarified that the Houthis’ continued military operations in these oil-rich provinces underscore their ambition to expand their control over Yemen and its resources.
“Following hours of fighting, the government forces managed to thwart the Houthi assault on Shabwa, causing many people on both sides to be killed or injured,” said the official.
5 soldiers killed in Yemen despite truce
Elsewhere in Yemen, the Houthis began their preparations for carrying out a large-scale military operation against Marib which is strategically important as it houses gas resources and an oil refinery.
The government forces have been fighting fiercely to hold their ground in the Harib district of Marib, while the Houthi rebels have been pushing hard to take control of the area, according to the official.
On Saturday, Yemen’s DefenCe Minister and other government officials narrowly escaped a drone attack carried out by the Houthis against their convoy in the country’s southwestern province of Taiz.
The recent Houthi attacks on the Yemeni government-controlled areas and military officials dealt a serious blow to the international diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing violence and promoting peace in the war-torn nation, jeopardising the progress that has been made thus far.
It also comes at a particularly critical time, as the two warring sides had agreed in Switzerland to exchange hundreds of war prisoners under the auspices of the UN.
The UN-sponsored agreement was seen as a significant step towards building trust between the Yemeni warring parties and moving towards more negotiations to achieve a lasting peace agreement.
On Friday, Yemen’s government warned of a possible return to all-out military conflict in the war-ravaged Arab country following an uptick in Houthi attacks in Marib.
Various regions in Yemen have witnessed sporadic armed confrontations between the local warring factions, after a cease-fire brokered by the United Nations in April expired in October last year.
Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, with the Houthis fighting against the internationally-recognized government and its allies, which include a Saudi Arabia-led coalition.
The years-long war brought the Arab world’s poorest country to the brink of collapse causing famine and widespread suffering as well as disrupting the country’s food supply chain, leaving millions of people without access to adequate nutrition.
Dr Gargash said the UAE remains a regional and global business center and a preferred place for young people to live, work and achieve ambitions.
A year has passed since the vicious terrorist attack on civilian facilities in the UAE, and the nation is more powerful and invincible and more determined to continue its development path, said Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President.
Dr Gargash was speaking about the blasts in Abu Dhabi on January 17 last year, which left three civilians dead and six injured.
The attacks on an oil distribution plant in Mussaffah were condemned by world leaders. Several further attempted rocket and drone strikes were also intercepted.
عام على الهجوم الإرهابي الآثم على منشآت مدنية في دولة الإمارات، والوطن أكثر قوة ومنعة وأشد تصميماً على مواصلة مسيرته التنموية، هم أرادوا زعزعة الثقة ببلادنا إلا أنها اقوى من أي تهديد إرهابي، شامخة بعزيمة قيادتها وشعبها وبقدراتها على حماية مكتسباتها وانجازاتها ولحمتنا الوطنية 1/3
“They wanted to shake confidence in our country, but it is stronger than any terrorist threat, proud of the determination of its leadership and people and its capabilities to protect its gains and achievements and our national cohesion,” Dr Gargash posted on twitter.
He said the UAE remains a regional and global business center and a preferred place for young people to live, work and achieve ambitions.
“The UAE is more attractive and vibrant, a regional and global business center, an economy exceeding half a trillion dollars, a global center for innovation and investment, a preferred place for young people to live, work and achieve ambitions, and a source of inspiration for many looking for security, safety, opportunities for growth, development and a decent life.”
Dr Gargash said in the past year, the UAE has continued its regional and global leadership role.
“In general, the UAE is more influential and plays a balanced role through its balanced policy and wide network of relations. Our leadership’s vision for the future is ambitious and enlightened to dedicate the UAE’s position as a country of safety and business and a partner for brothers and friends in building a more stable and prosperous region,” he said.
A year has passed, and terrorism has only increased us in strength and honour, he added.
A six-year-old Yemeni boy died on Sunday after Houthi shelling of a residential area in the besieged city of Taiz. A total of 13 children were injured in an attack…reports Asian Lite News
A six-year-old Yemeni boy died on Sunday after Houthi shelling of a residential area in the besieged city of Taiz. A total of 13 children were injured in an attack.
“Mortar shells were fired randomly by the Houthis on residential houses of a densely populated neighbourhood in the southwestern part of Taiz during the past hours,” the official said.
“A total of 13 children were injured as a result of the shells that landed indiscriminately on the residential area controlled by the government,” he said.
The attack coincided with the arrival of a high-ranking UN delegation to Taiz, the third largest city in Yemen, to push the warring sides in Yemen to extend the truce that expires on August 2.
During the past days, Yemen’s Houthis carried out a series of attacks against various areas of the war-ravaged Arab country, as UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg stepped up his effort to extend the Yemeni truce.
Several rounds of negotiations between the government and the Houthis were conducted under the auspices of the UN but failed to achieve any progress toward ending Yemen’s years-long military conflict.
The Houthi militia backed by Iran set new conditions to accept the UN proposal to extend the truce with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition for another six months.
As hopes for truce extension begin to fade, political observers said that the possible failure to break the years-long political stalemate on Yemen’s issue will badly affect the Yemeni people aspiring for permanent peace.
The truce in Yemen, first enforced on April 2 and renewed for another two months on June 2, will expire on August 2.
“An extended and expanded truce will increase the benefits to the Yemeni people,” Grundberg’s office said in a statement, adding that the truce will also provide a platform to build more confidence between the parties and start serious discussions on economic priorities.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of the capital Sanaa.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the poor Arab country to the brink of starvation.
Hours after the shelling, dozens of people in Taiz staged a small protest in front of a local hotel that hosts the head of the UN-facilitated military coordination committee, Brig. Gen. Antony Hayward, and called him and the UN to denounce the Houthi attacks on civilians.
“This heinous crime, during UN truce & presence of a UN delegation in Taiz to monitor truce, confirms Houthi terrorist militia’s defiance of intl (sic) community & indifference to intl de-escalation calls & efforts to alleviate human suffering, & put an end to civilians’ suffering,” Yemen’s Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani tweeted.
Abdul Baset Al-Qaedi, undersecretary at Yemen’s Ministry of Information, said the sounds of explosions from Houthi attacks on the city have not stopped since the beginning of the truce, accusing the Houthis of exploiting the truce to attack Taiz.
“The killing continues on a daily basis, and this child is one of the victims of the shelling of the criminal Houthi militia,” Al-Qaedi said.
Save the Children said in a statement that some of the wounded children are under five, urging warring factions in Yemen to avoid targeting children during the conflict.
“Our team reported that some of the kids are in critical conditions and most of them are under five years old,” the international aid organization said.
“It’s the warring parties’ responsibility to protect children and spare them this horror at all costs.”
The coalition takes and supports all measures to maintain the truce between Yemeni parties, the statement carried on Saudi state news agency stated…reports Asian Lite News
The Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen has dismissed in a statement claims by the Houthi militia that it carried out airstrikes on Yemen’s Al-Dhale governorate, adding that the coalition has not conducted any sorties since the truce came into effect.
“The coalition has stopped air strikes since the truce became effective,” the coalition was quoted by Saud Press Agency as saying on Twitter.
The coalition takes and supports all measures to maintain the truce between Yemeni parties, the statement carried on Saudi state news agency stated.
The UN-brokered truce came into effect on April 2 and was renewed for another two months in June. The truce has led to a significant reduction in violence and allowed the resumption of commercial flights from Sanaa airport and fuel ships to Hodeidah port.
Three Yemeni soldiers were killed in a drone strike launched by the Houthi militia in the country’s southern province of Dhalea, a government official said…reports Asian Lite News
“An explosive-laden drone of the Houthi group struck a security site near Qatabah district in the northern parts of the government-controlled province of Dhalea,” the official told Xinhua news agency late Monday.
He confirmed that the drone attack resulted in the killing of three security personnel and the injury of two others.
“An ambulance rushed to the bombing site to rescue the injured soldiers but were targeted by the Houthi snipers stationed in the area,” he noted.
The Houthis, which control large swathes of northern Yemen, are yet to comment on the attack.
Since April 2, the warring parties in Yemen have been abiding by a nationwide ceasefire.
Although the truce has largely been upheld, the internationally-recognized government and the Houthi group frequently trade accusations of violations.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognised government out of the capital Sanaa.
The war has since killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.
Yemen’s Houthi group has sent a delegation to Jordan’s capital Amman to resume the UN-sponsored truce talks with the Yemeni government, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported…reports Asian Lite News
The delegation would discuss the violations of the ongoing truce and the opening of roads in Taiz, the report said on Thursday.
There was no comment yet from the Yemeni government, Xinhua news agency reported.
On Tuesday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg urged the Houthi group, which controls large swathes of northern Yemen, to open the main roads to the besieged city of Taiz in southwestern Yemen in accordance with the terms of the ongoing truce.
Grundberg made the appeal during his meeting with Mohammed Abdulsalam, Houthi’s chief negotiator for the ongoing ceasefire, in Muscat, Oman’s capital.
“Opening roads is critical to ease the humanitarian suffering of Yemenis and build confidence,” the envoy said in a tweet.
Ending the Taiz siege is the last major term to be fulfilled under the agreement reached by the country’s warring parties before starting the ceasefire in April.
The government-controlled Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, has been under siege since the civil war erupted in Yemen in late 2014. Lifting the blockade would facilitate the movement of citizens and their access to humanitarian aid.
Yemen accuses Houthi of recruiting children in conflict
Yemen’s internationally-recognised government has accused the Houthi rebels of recruiting children in their ongoing fighting in the Arab country…reports Asian Lite News
According to a statement released by the country’s Information Minister Muammar Eryani on Wednesday, the Houthi rebels are opening dozens of summer camps for children in the areas under their control, trying to enlist them for military service in the war-torn country.
“The Houthi militia talks openly through its media outlets on dragging on children to brainwash them with extremist thoughts imported from Iran, train them on fighting and send them to war fronts as fuel to its hopeless battles in implementation of Iranian expansion policies,” said Eryani, adding the actions are “in gross violation of international laws and conventions”.
He also urged the international community to intervene and confront “the Houthi crimes”.
The Houthi rebels have yet to comment on the allegations from the goverment, Xinhua news agency reported.
Previous humanitarian reports released in 2018 indicated that more than 19,500 children had been recruited by the Houthi group in the country’s northern provinces, while the UN claimed to have verified the recruitment of nearly 3,500 Yemeni children.
The Houthi rebels agreed in April to rid their ranks of child soldiers during a round of negotiations with the UN, according to a UN statement.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of the capital Sanaa.
Yemen accuses Houthi of attacking oil-rich province despite truce
The Yemen government has accused the Houthi rebels of attacking the oil-rich province of Marib despite a two-month ceasefire brokered by the UN…reports Asian Lite News
“The Houthis launched a sniper operation killing a member of the armed forces and injuring another on the northwestern front of Marib Province,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
The Ministry accused the Houthis of committing a series of breaches of the UN-brokered truce in various areas of the war-ravaged Arab country, reports Xinhua news agency.
On May 13, the Yemeni army accused the Houthis of firing a number of shells randomly against a residential neighbourhood in the Dhabab area in the southwestern province of Taiz.
The attack killed a child and seriously injured his parents, according to the army, but the rebels did not respond to the accusations of the government forces.
The ceasefire agreement, meant to last two months, went into effect on April 2, marking the first major breakthrough in years to end the Yemeni war that has killed tens of thousands and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.
So far the ceasefire has been largely held despite occasional breaches alleged by the warring sides.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of the capital Sanaa.
