War in the Middle East
US attacks Houthi positions in Yemen
The US has again attacked positions of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. photo
© Petty Officer 3rd Class Bill Dod/US Navy/AP/dpa
The Shiite militia is again shooting at a ship in the Red Sea, endangering one of the world’s most important trade routes. The USA puts the Houthis on the terrorist list and strikes back. The overview.
After another drone attack on a ship in the Gulf of Aden, they… USA again attacked positions of the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi militia in Yemen during the night.
The military strike targeted 14 missiles that had been prepared for launch, the responsible regional command of the US military said. 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.
Military chief: war more likely in the north
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.
Medicine for hostages and civilians
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.
UN: Netanyahu and Guterres had no contact
According to the United Nations, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not had direct contact since the massacre by the Islamist Hamas in Israel on October 7th. At the time, Guterres left a request for a phone call to Netanyahu’s office, a spokesman for the UN chief said. However, Netanyahu never got in touch.
“The fact that they did not call did not stop the secretary general and his staff from interacting with a variety of Israeli officials,” the spokesman said. The relationship between Israel and the United Nations is considered difficult. Many Israelis feel they are being treated unfairly by the UN.
Jordan: Field hospital heavily damaged
According to Jordanian information, the field hospital built by Jordan to treat wounded people in the Gaza Strip was badly damaged by Israeli shelling. An employee and a man who was being treated in the intensive care unit were injured, the Jordanian armed forces said. Israel bears “full responsibility for the safety of hospital staff,” it said.
Israel’s army said it encountered terrorists near the field hospital during an operation against the Islamist Hamas in Khan Yunis and an exchange of fire broke out. However, the field hospital was not attacked, the military added. It is undamaged, functional and continues to offer medical care.
Armed Palestinians killed in West Bank
According to Israel, several armed Palestinians were killed during an operation by the Israeli army in the town of Tulkarem in the West Bank. The Health Ministry in Ramallah said four people were killed in a drone attack. Israeli forces carried out “a counter-terrorism operation” in a refugee camp in the town in the northwest of the Palestinian territory, the army said.
Shots were fired at the security forces and explosives were hurled. They then opened fire and also attacked from the air. According to the army, several armed people were killed. It was initially unclear whether the dead belonged to an extremist group.
What is important today
In view of the growing tensions between the Iranian-backed militias Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen, there is a risk that the Gaza war will spread to the entire region. Meanwhile, fierce fighting continues between the Israeli armed forces and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The humanitarian situation for the Palestinian civilian population continues to worsen.