Yemeni

Yemen's Houthi rebels look to gain from continuing conflict in Mideast

In the days since Israel intensified its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, including the strike that killed the militant group's leader Hassan Nasrallah, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been quick to show they are an important player in the complex conflicts convulsing the Middle East. In a brazen attack on Saturday, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Israel's main airport as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was arriving back from New York, where he had addressed the United Nations. On Monday, they threatened escalating military operations to target Israel after apparently shooting down a U.S. military drone flying over Yemen. And on Tuesday, an explosive-loaded drone crashed into one ship in the Red Sea as a missile exploded against another, the British military and private security officials said, the latest in the Houthis' assaults on commercial shipping in the key waterway. The salvo of Houthi attacks has again drawn attention to the Yemeni rebels and raised .

Hezbollah recovers Hassan Nasrallah's body; Israel targets Houthis: Updates

Following the death of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday, Israel intensified attacks on Lebanon while waging simultaneous airstrikes on Houthis in Yemen

Israel targets power plants, seaport in Yemen; Hezbollah missiles hit Haifa

Meanwhile, tensions also escalated in the Middle East after Hezbollah launched missile strikes targeting Haifa and northern Israel

UN cutting back on Yemen activities after crackdown by Houthi rebels

The United Nations is cutting back its activities in Yemen in response to a crackdown by Houthi rebels on staff working for the UN and other humanitarian, human rights, development and education organisations, the top UN aid official said Thursday. Acting UN humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya told the UN Security Council that the United Nations has taken steps to minimise the exposure of staff to risk in Houthi-controlled areas. The UN has narrowed its focus to essential lifesaving and life-sustaining activities, she said, and is deprioritising broader activities to develop the Arab world's poorest nation. In June, the Houthis detained more than 60 people working with the UN and other organisations, according to the UN Human Rights Office. Days later, the Houthis said they had arrested members of what they called an American-Israeli spy network. The Houthis' claims could not be independently verified. Msuya said the UN strongly rejects false allegations by the Houthis against ...

Houthis shoot down US' multimillion-dollar surveillance aircraft MQ-9

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed early Sunday they shot down another American-made MQ-9 drone flying over the country, marking potentially the latest downing of the multimillion-dollar surveillance aircraft. The US responded with airstrikes over Houthi-controlled territory, the rebels said. The US military did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the Houthi claim. The rebels offered no pictures or video to support the claim as they have in the past, though such material can appear in propaganda footage days later. However, the Houthis have repeatedly downed General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones in the years since they seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Those attacks have exponentially increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas war and the Houthis launched their campaign targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree made the claim in a prerecorded video message. He said the Houthis shot down the drone over Yemen's .

Iranian backed Yemen's Houthi rebels target oil tanker in Red Sea

An attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted an oil tanker in the Red Sea on Monday, authorities said, as a second ship nearby also came under fire. Both attacks were near where crews hope to salvage a tanker loaded with oil and still ablaze after another assault by the group. The attacks are believed to be the latest in the Iranian-backed rebels' campaign that has disrupted the $1 trillion in goods that pass through the Red Sea each year over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip as well as halted some aid shipments to conflict-ravaged Sudan and Yemen. Meanwhile, the efforts to salvage the still-burning Sounion seek to head off the potential ecological disaster posed by its cargo of 1 million barrels of crude oil. In Monday's first assault, ballistic missiles hit the Panama-flagged oil tanker Blue Lagoon I, and a third exploded near the ship, the multination Joint Maritime Information Center overseen by the U.S. Navy said. All crew on board are safe (no injury reported), the cente

Projectiles strike ship in Red Sea in suspected Yemen rebel attack

A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the Red Sea on Monday, authorities said. Two projectiles hit the vessel, and a third explosion occurred near the ship, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Damage control is underway, UKMTO said. There are no casualties onboard and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call. The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack. However, it can take the rebels hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults. The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a United States-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets. The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel's campaign against H

Houthi rebels target ship with missiles in Gulf of Aden as oil tanker burns

Two missiles suspected to have been fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the Gulf of Aden late Friday, splashing down nearby without causing any damage, authorities said. The attack comes after the Houthis repeatedly assaulted and then boarded a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the nearby Red Sea, planting explosives on it they later detonated. That attack, the worst in weeks, risked a major oil spill as the rebels' campaign disrupts the USD 1 trillion in goods that pass through the Red Sea each year over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, as well as halting some aid shipments to conflict-ravaged Sudan and Yemen. The attack Friday saw two missiles exploding in close proximity to the vessel some 240 km (150 miles) east of Aden, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. The ship reports all crew are safe and proceeding to next port of call, the UKMTO said. Investigations are ongoing. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack. ...

Houthi video shows rebels planting bombs on tanker, risking oil spill

Yemen's Houthi rebels released footage on Thursday showing their fighters boarded and placed explosives on a Greek-flagged tanker, setting off blasts that put the Red Sea at risk of a major oil spill. The vessel was abandoned earlier, after the Houthis repeatedly attacked it. In the video, the Iran-backed Houthis chant their motto as the bombs detonated aboard the oil tanker Sounion: God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam. The blasts capped the most-serious attack in weeks by the Houthis in their campaign disrupting the $1 trillion in goods that pass through the Red Sea each year over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, as well as halting some aid shipments to conflict-ravaged Sudan and Yemen. The Sounion carried some 1 million barrels of oil when the Houthis initially attacked it on Aug 21 with small arms fire, projectiles and a drone boat. A French destroyer operating as part of the European Union's Operation Aspides rescued th

Greek-flagged ship on fire from Aug 23 post Houthi attack: EU naval mission

Houthis, who control Yemen's most populous regions, said on Thursday that they attacked the Sounion oil tanker in the Red Sea

Prince Mohammed forged king's sign on Yemen war decree: Ex-official

A former Saudi official alleged in a report that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman forged the signature of his father on the royal decree that launched the kingdom's yearslong, stalemated war against Yemen's Houthi rebels. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the allegations made without supporting evidence by Saad al-Jabri in an interview published Monday by the BBC, though the kingdom has described him as a discredited former government official." Al-Jabri, a former Saudi intelligence official who lives in exile in Canada, has been a yearslong dispute with the kingdom as his two children have been imprisoned in case he describes as trying to lure him back to Saudi Arabia. The allegation comes as Prince Mohammed now serves as the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, often meeting leaders in place of his father, the 88-year-old King Salman. His assertive behaviour, particularly at the start of his ascension to power around the beginning of

Suspected Houthi attack targets ship in southern Red Sea, officials say

A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the southern reaches of the Red Sea early Tuesday, officials said, the latest in their campaign of assaults over the Israel-Hamas war. The attack comes as Yemen's main sponsor, Iran, weighs a possible retaliatory attack against Israel over the assassination of Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh in late July, which has renewed fears of a wider regional war breaking out across the Mideast. Already, the Houthi assaults have have disrupted the $1 trillion of goods that flow annually through the maritime route crucial to trade between Asia, Europe and the Middle East, while also sparking the most intense combat the US Navy has seen since World War II. The attack happened around 115 kilometres (70 miles) south of the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. The attack saw an explosive detonate near the ship, though the vessel and crew are reported safe, the UKMTO

Suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi targets ship in Bab el-Mandeb Strait

A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a ship on Thursday in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait that links the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, authorities said. The Houthis did not immediately claim the assault, though it follows a monthslong campaign by the rebels targeting shipping through the Red Sea corridor over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. After a recent two-week pause, their attacks have resumed following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor, amid renewed concerns over the war breaking out into a regional conflict. The attack saw a rocket-propelled grenade explode close to the ship, according to the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre. Two smaller craft, with men aboard wearing white and yellow raincoats, launched the RPG, the UKMTO said. The vessel and crew are reported to be safe, and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call, the centre added. Authorities are ...

Houthi militants strike, damage Singapore-flagged vessel in Gulf of Aden

A Singapore-flagged vessel was damaged in an attack allegedly by Houthi militants southeast of Yemen on Friday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement. The MPA said it was informed that container vessel the LOBIVIA was hit by "unidentified projectiles" while transiting the Gulf of Aden, resulting in a fire onboard that was subsequently extinguished by the crew. There are no Singaporeans among the crew, Channel News Asia reported, citing the authority and adding that all crew are accounted for and safe. Despite being hit, the vessel was able to set sail and arrived at Somalia's Berbera Port. Damage assessment and repairs, if needed, will be carried out, it said. MPA said it is in contact with the vessel manager to provide any assistance that might be needed. The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has also alerted its security partners in the Gulf of Aden region to provide help, it added. In a televised speech, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea s

Yemen's Houthi rebels launch two missile attacks targeting ships in Red Sea

Two attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted ships in the Red Sea on Monday as a new US aircraft carrier approached the region to provide security for the key international trade route that has been under assault since the Israel-Hamas war erupted nine months ago. Three small Houthi vessels, two of which were crewed and another uncrewed, attacked the Panama-flagged and Israeli-owned MT Bently I off the coast of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, according to British and American authorities. The reported unmanned small craft collided with the vessel twice and the 2 manned small craft fired at the vessel," the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre reported. The vessel conducted self-protection measures, after 15 minutes the small craft aborted the attack." The captain later reported three separate waves of missile attacks that exploded in close proximity to the vessel. Later on Monday, in a separate incident off the same coast, the MT Chios Lion, a Liberian-flagged an

Yemen's Houthis target 3 vessels in Red, Mediterranean seas with missiles

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the latest Houthi military operations were a response to the Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis

Yemen's Houthi rebels launch a suspected attack on a ship in Red Sea

A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the Red Sea on Monday, as a new US aircraft carrier approached the region to provide security for the key international trade route that has been under assault since the Israel-Hamas war erupted nine months ago. The captain of the ship reported being attacked by three small vessels, two of which were crewed and another uncrewed, off the coast of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. The reported unmanned small craft collided with the vessel twice and the 2 manned small craft fired at the vessel", the UKMTO reported. The vessel conducted self-protection measures, after 15 minutes the small craft aborted the attack." The captain later reported two separate waves of missile attacks, approximately 45 minutes apart, that exploded in close proximity to the vessel. The ship, whose name and flag were not released, and all crew are reported safe, the UKMTO said in a warni

Suspected attack by Houthis targets ship transiting Bab el-Mandeb Strait

A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a Liberian-flagged tanker in the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Wednesday, as authorities acknowledged the rebels launched their longest-range attack yet on a US-flagged vessel near the Arabian Sea. The attacks come after an unexplained pause of a week and a half. The rebels may be regrouping ahead of the arrival of a new U.S. aircraft carrier to the region after the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower began heading home. The Joint Maritime Information Center, which is overseen by the U.S. Navy, identified the Liberian-flagged vessel as the Mount Fuji. The attack occurred south of Mocha, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The captain reported explosions off the vessel's side. The vessel and all crew are safe, the UKMTO said. The vessel is proceeding to its next port of call. The Houthis have been attacking ships in the busy Red Sea corridor since November after the Israel-Hamas war began in Gaza. Th

Aerial drone likely launched by Yemen's Houthi hits ship in Red Sea

An aerial drone likely launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck and damaged a vessel in the Red Sea on Sunday, officials said, the latest attack by the group targeting the vital maritime corridor. The attack comes as the US has sent the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower back home after an eight-month deployment that saw it lead the American response to the Houthi assaults. Those attacks have seen shipping drastically drop through the route crucial to Asian, Middle East and European markets in a campaign the Houthis say will continue as long as the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip rages on. The drone attack happened around dawn off the coast of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. It said the vessel sustained damage but its mariners on board were reported safe. It did not elaborate on the extent of the damage, but said an investigation was ongoing. The private security firm Ambrey identified the ship involved as a

Yemen Houthi rebel attack targets ship as US aircraft carrier heads home

An attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a commercial ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden but apparently caused no damage, authorities said Saturday, in the latest strike on the shipping lane by the group. The Houthi attack comes after the sinking this week of the ship Tutor, which marked what appears to be a new escalation by the Iranian-backed Houthis in their campaign of strikes on ships in the vital maritime corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, US officials reportedly ordered the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, the aircraft carrier leading America's response to the Houthi attacks, to return home after a twice-extended tour. The captain of the ship targeted late Friday saw explosions in the vicinity of the vessel, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. A later briefing by the US-overseen Joint Maritime Information Centre said the vessel initially reported two explosions off its port side and a third one later. Th