War in the Middle East
Major attack by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked ships with alleged Israeli connections in the Red Sea. photo
© Sayed Hassan/dpa
As the war rages on in the Gaza Strip, fears of an escalation of the conflict are growing. Now the Houthi rebels from Yemen are striking again. The overview.
Shortly before the talks between Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock Lebanon, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched one of their largest attacks yet on shipping in the Red Sea.
The responsible US regional command announced on Tuesday evening that 18 drones and three missiles had been intercepted by US and British units. No injuries or damage were reported, it said. Meanwhile, Israel has confirmed the killing of another Hezbollah militia commander in Lebanon.
The Houthis’ projectiles were fired from Yemeni areas controlled by the rebels into the southern Red Sea in the direction of international shipping routes with dozens of merchant ships, the US regional command said.
Since the Gaza war broke out between Israel and the Islamist Hamas, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships with alleged Israeli connections in the Red Sea. The rebels also repeatedly attack Israel directly with drones and rockets.
Hezbollah denies commander’s death
There are fears that the conflict in Gaza will spread to other countries in the region – especially Lebanon. In the border area with Israel, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, which is also supported by Iran, have increased significantly. Hezbollah is allied with Hamas.
“Today we eliminated the Hezbollah commander of the air unit in southern Lebanon, Ali Hussein Berji, with the help of an aircraft in the north,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday. A Hezbollah spokesman confirmed his death but denied that he was the leader of their drone unit. Just the day before, a Hezbollah commander was killed in the south. According to Israel’s foreign minister, his country was also behind the attack.
Berdji was in a car on the way to the funeral of Hezbollah commander Wissam al-Tauil, who was killed in an Israeli attack on Monday, in the town of Kherbet Selem in southern Lebanon when a rocket hit the vehicle, eyewitnesses told the German Press Agency. Israel’s army released a video taken from an aircraft showing a vehicle exploding.
Berji is said to have been in command of dozens of drone attacks on Israel. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Wissam al-Tauil was also responsible for several attacks on Israel. Given the tense situation in the region, Germany and the USA are conducting intensive shuttle diplomacy.
Baerbock expected for talks in Lebanon
Foreign Minister Baerbock wants to visit the UN observation mission Unifil in the Lebanese capital Beirut today and find out about the current situation. Unifil monitors the border area between Israel and Lebanon. Baerbock’s program in Beirut also includes talks with the acting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the commander of the armed forces.
Previously, during a visit to Egypt with a view to the Gaza war, the Green politician insisted that civilians in the Gaza Strip must be better protected and cared for. “The Israeli army must do more to protect civilians in Gaza,” she said. Baerbock also called for a significantly less intensive, more targeted anti-terror operation in Gaza.
Baerbock’s US colleague Antony Blinken also called for the prevention of further casualties among the civilian population of the Gaza Strip and more humanitarian aid during talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the War Cabinet in Tel Aviv. He also advocated a two-state solution. “All partners I met on this trip expressed their willingness to support a lasting solution that ends the cycle of violence and ensures Israel’s security,” Blinken said Tuesday evening.
What is important today
While Foreign Minister Baerbock is holding talks in Lebanon, her party colleague Robert Habeck is visiting Saudi Arabia. The Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economic Affairs wants to hold talks in the capital Riyadh about the security situation in the region and energy issues. Saudi Arabia plays an important role in the Gaza war.
Israel and the government in Riyadh had recently come closer, a process that did not completely come to a standstill after the terrorist attack by Hamas and other extremist Palestinian groups in Israel on October 7th. Saudi Arabia is also helping to intercept rocket fire by the Houthis on Israel.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Blinken is also continuing his trip to the Middle East. Previous stops have included Israel, Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Blinken now wants to visit the West Bank and Egypt by Thursday.