NAfter a series of attacks by the Yemeni Houthi militia on shipping in the Red Sea, the US government wants to put the Shiite group back on the list of global terrorists, according to media reports. This could mean that more far-reaching sanctions could be imposed against the organization, which is supported by Iran and has recently repeatedly fired rockets into the south of Israel.
Meanwhile, Qatar brokered an agreement between Israel and the Islamist Hamas to provide urgently needed medicine to the Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip. In addition, aid deliveries for the civilian population in need would be brought to the sealed-off coastal strip, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.
Reports: USA wants to put Houthi militia back on terror list
In view of the attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Israel, Washington wants to upgrade the Houthis to the terrorist list. This was reported by CNN and the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday evening (local time), citing people familiar with the matter. When it comes to terrorism classifications, the USA differentiates between global terrorists and foreign terrorist organizations. The distinction plays a role in the sanctions associated with each category.
Shortly before the end of the term of office of the then US President Donald Trump, his Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo had the Houthis classified in both categories in 2021. Pompeo's successor, Antony Blinken, reversed this shortly afterwards to make it easier to deliver humanitarian aid to Yemen. Civil war has been raging in the impoverished country since 2014. A large part of the population lives in areas controlled by the Houthis. According to the UN, millions of people suffer from hunger.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas, the Houthi militia has repeatedly attacked merchant ships with alleged Israeli connections in the Red Sea. The USA and Great Britain responded with a comprehensive military strike on Houthi positions in Yemen. Large shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the Red Sea route, through which around ten percent of world trade normally passes. The Houthi militia in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon belong to the “axis of resistance” against Israel.
Medicine for Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip
Medicine purchased in France for the Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip will first be flown to Egypt on Wednesday aboard two Qatari military planes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said. From there they would be taken to the Gaza Strip.
In the attack and massacre on Israel by the Islamist Hamas and other Palestinian organizations on October 7, around 250 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip. 136 people are currently being held in the coastal strip. Israel estimates that around two dozen of them are no longer alive.
German war weapons for 20 million euros to Israel in 2023
Last year, the federal government approved the export of war weapons worth 20.1 million euros to Israel. These included 3,000 portable anti-tank weapons and 500,000 rounds of ammunition for machine guns, submachine guns or other fully or semi-automatic firearms. This emerges from a response from the Ministry of Economics to a request from Bundestag member Sevim Dagdelen from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, which was submitted to the German Press Agency. In total, the traffic light government approved arms deliveries to Israel worth 326.5 million euros – ten times as much as the previous year.
Von der Leyen calls on Iran to de-escalate
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Iran to de-escalate after attacks on targets in Syria and Iraq. The region is highly at risk, said von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Attacking targets in Iraq without any reason is “escalatory behavior.” “In this respect, everything must be done to ensure that Iran also assumes its responsibility. “Iran is the one that controls many of the aggressive actions in the background,” said von der Leyen. Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired missiles at targets in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday night amid tensions in the Middle East.
Report: Tunnel network under Gaza Strip probably longer than expected
According to a US media report, the Islamist Hamas tunnel network in the Gaza Strip may be longer than Israel previously assumed. It is estimated to be around 560 to 720 kilometers long, reported the New York Times, citing senior Israeli defense officials. According to the report, as recently as December, Israeli estimates assumed that the tunnel system under the Palestinian territory was around 400 kilometers long. The Gaza Strip itself is around 45 kilometers long and between six and 14 kilometers wide. It is hardly bigger than Munich. For comparison: the subway network in the Bavarian capital covers a distance of 95 kilometers.
What will be important on Wednesday
The Gaza war is also likely to be the focus of discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In view of crises and wars, the meeting of the world's political and economic elite in the Swiss ski resort is intended to provide a platform for exchange and cooperation. UN Secretary General António Guterres, among others, will speak on Wednesday.
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