NAfter another drone attack on a ship in the Gulf of Aden, the USA again attacked positions of the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi militia in Yemen on Thursday night. The military strike targeted 14 rockets that had been prepared for launch, the responsible regional command of the US military announced on Wednesday evening (local time). The US military had previously announced that a combat drone launched in Yemen had hit a US freighter flying the flag of the Marshall Islands. There was some damage, but no injuries.
In response to repeated attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, the USA and Great Britain, with the support of allies, carried out a comprehensive military strike against the Houthis last week. The USA also put the Houthis back on the list of global terrorist organizations.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas, the militia has repeatedly attacked freighters with alleged Israeli connections. Large shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the Red Sea route, through which around ten percent of world trade normally passes.
Israel's military chief: War in the north more likely than before
Given the tense situation on the border with Lebanon, Israel's military chief described the likelihood of war in the north as much higher than before. “I don’t know when the war will start in the north,” said Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi during a visit to soldiers in northern Israel. But he could say that the probability that war could break out in the coming months is much higher than in the past.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, there have been repeated confrontations on the border between Israel and Lebanon between the Israeli army and the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia. Both sides report rocket fire and exchanges of fire almost every day. There have already been some deaths. It is the worst escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006.
Qatar: Medicines for hostages and civilians in Gaza
According to the Qatari Foreign Ministry, the medicine intended for hostages kidnapped by the Islamist Hamas arrived in the Gaza Strip. Medicine and aid supplies for the civilian population and hostages had been brought to the sealed-off coastal strip, ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari said on X (formerly Twitter). Qatar previously mediated between Israel and Hamas to facilitate the delivery of medicine.
In the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7, 2023, 1,200 people were killed and around 250 people were kidnapped as hostages in the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli information, there are still 132 hostages in the coastal area. A government spokesman also said that a third of the remaining hostages were chronically ill and needed medicine. It was initially unclear whether the hostages would actually receive medication or to what extent.
#War #Middle #East #USA #attacks #Houthi #targets #Yemen
