War in the Middle East
First military strike against Houthi rebels
The USA and Great Britain, with the support of other allies, “successfully” attacked Houthi rebel positions in Yemen during the night. photo
© Paul Ellis/Pool AFP/AP/dpa
The Houthi rebels have ignored all warnings, and now they are getting paid. Meanwhile, Israel is issuing a violent verbal broadside against South Africa. The overview.
The consequences of the Gaza war have resulted in a military strike by the USA and allies against those hostile to Israel Houthi rebels in Yemen have reached a new peak. The attacks carried out during the night on the positions of rebels allied with Iran were “successful,” the White House said in a written statement from US President Joe Biden. The Houthis, who had repeatedly attacked ships with alleged Israeli connections in the Red Sea, announced revenge. Meanwhile, Israel continues the war against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip and accused South Africa of being a legal stooge of Hamas with its genocide lawsuit.
Sunak: Cannot accept Houthi attacks
“Despite repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea, including against British and American warships as recently as this week. This cannot be tolerated,” said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The strikes, carried out with the help of the Netherlands, Canada and Bahrain, followed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to Houthi attacks on merchant ships. However, the rebels ignored all warnings.
Houthis vow revenge
“America and Britain will have to be prepared to pay a heavy price,” said a Houthi official. Since the Gaza war broke out between Israel and the Islamist Hamas, the rebels have repeatedly attacked ships with alleged Israeli connections in the Red Sea. They also repeatedly attack Israel directly with drones and missiles.
Israeli spokesman: South Africa legal wing of Hamas
Today, representatives of Israel will testify before the International Court of Justice on the genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa. In response to the accusation made by South Africa’s legal representatives at the start of the proceedings, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat accused South Africa of acting as the “legal arm of the terrorist organization Hamas” on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
South Africa wants to allow Hamas to repeat the massacres carried out in Israel on October 7th. “Today we once again saw a world turned upside down in which the state of Israel is accused of genocide at a time when it is fighting genocide,” said Israel’s right-wing conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The unprecedented attack by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups left 1,200 people dead and around 250 others kidnapped in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s military responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. Israel invokes its right to self-defense. However, given the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the sealed-off coastal area and the high number of civilian casualties among the Palestinians, Israel is facing strong pressure from around the world.
Doctor in the Gaza Strip: No more morphine
Almost 100 days after the start of the Gaza war, conditions in the few remaining functioning hospitals in the Gaza Strip remain horrendous, according to aid workers. “There is no more morphine,” said American doctor Seema Jilani in an audio message distributed by the aid organization International Rescue Committee (IRC). Jilani had previously returned from a two-week assignment with the IRC at Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip.
“So we give patients on the verge of death, in the agony of death, midazolam, a drug for anxiety, but which does not relieve pain,” said the doctor. According to Jilani, it is thanks to “absolutely heroic nurses, doctors and volunteers” that Al-Aqsa Hospital is still functioning at all. But even so, it will only be able to work for a few more days, she said.
Report: Qatar talks to Hamas about medicines for Gaza hostages
Qatar is making progress in talks with Israel to allow more supplies of medicine for the civilian population of the Gaza Strip, according to a media report. At the same time, the emirate is in talks with Hamas to provide vital medicine to the Israeli hostages still held, the New York Times reported, citing informed sources. Many of the hostages suffered from illnesses such as cancer and diabetes.
Israel assumes that 136 hostages are still being held in the sealed-off coastal area. 25 of them are probably no longer alive. On the hostage issue, Qatar is an important mediator between Hamas and Israel, which do not speak to each other directly. As a result of Israeli military operations, 23,469 people have been killed and a further 59,604 injured since the start of the war, according to the latest figures from the Hamas-controlled health authority. The numbers cannot currently be independently verified.
This will be important today
The Houthi rebels have announced revenge after the military strike by the USA and allies against their positions in Yemen. Meanwhile, Israel will be heard on South Africa’s genocide charges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.