US, UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen’s Taiz

Ships attacked in Red Sea and the Houthis claimed 49 warships, including many US destroyers (X/@US5thFleet)
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Updated 08 August 2024
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US, UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen’s Taiz

  • Houthi-run Al-Masirah said that the US and UK “aggression” carried out two strikes on the province of Taiz

AL-MUKALLA: The US and UK militaries launched strikes on Houthi-held areas of Yemen’s Taiz province on Wednesday morning, hours after the US Central Command confirmed the destruction of a fresh wave of Houthi drones and missiles. 

The Houthi-run Al-Masirah said that the US and UK “aggression” carried out two strikes on the province of Taiz, but provided no other information on the targeted areas.

This is the most recent wave of strikes by the US and UK against Houthi-held Yemeni territory in response to the militia’s assaults on ships in international commerce channels off Yemen.

The strikes in Taiz came shortly after the US military announced on Tuesday night that its forces had destroyed a drone and two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis in Yemen over the Red Sea, which were aimed at US-led marine coalition ships as well as other naval and commercial ships in the critical shipping route.

Since November, the Houthis have struck ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, and recently claimed to have attacked ships in the Mediterranean, in what the Yemeni militia sees as actions intended to force Israel to end its military operations in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, which have killed tens of thousands.

Critics of the Houthis say that they are using popular fury in Yemen over Israel’s destructive war in Gaza to recruit new militants, build up public support in Yemen, punish dissidents and assault government forces.

At the same time, Al-Masirah said that since November the militia had attacked 170 ships, including 41 Israeli ships, 72 American and 12 British, as well as 45 foreign ships, for allegedly violating their prohibition on traveling to Israel.

The majority of the ships were attacked in the Red Sea, and the Houthis claimed 49 warships, including many US destroyers, were hit in the operation.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday that the recent Houthi arrests of relief workers in regions under their control in Yemen would aggravate the already dire humanitarian situation and the spread of illnesses such as cholera.

“More than 200 people have already died from this preventable disease, and the Houthis’ detention of aid workers poses a serious threat to further limit the presence of lifesaving aid,” Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch said in a statement, accusing the Houthis of impeding relief work and enforcing “cumbersome” conditions for getting critical information on the spread of cholera and other illnesses.

The Houthis’ obstruction of information collection, lack of openness, aggressive anti-vaccine efforts and crackdown on humanitarian workers in Yemen had all contributed to the spread of Cholera in Yemen, the international rights groups said. 

“The obstructions to aid work by Yemen’s authorities, in particular the Houthis, are contributing to the spread of cholera,” she said.

Since late May, the Houthis have abducted dozens of Yemeni workers from international relief, development and human rights groups, including several UN agencies, in a campaign that has sparked anger and strong condemnation from the UN and other organizations. 

“The arrests have left many agencies questioning whether or how to continue safely providing humanitarian aid in Houthi-controlled territories, which has the potential to further exacerbate the current cholera outbreak,” Human Rights Watch said. 


EU review of Israel ties ‘devastatingly late’: Amnesty

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EU review of Israel ties ‘devastatingly late’: Amnesty

  • Association agreement to be examined over Gaza concerns
  • ‘Emboldened by EU inaction — and even backed by some EU states — Israeli leaders have flaunted their genocidal aims’

LONDON: The EU’s decision to review trade and cooperation with Israel in light of concerns over the Gaza war is “devastatingly late,” Amnesty International has said.

On Tuesday, the European Commission agreed to conduct a review into Israel’s potential violation of Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The article mandates respect for human rights and democratic principles from both parties.

Seventeen EU member states raised objections to Israel’s conduct in Gaza and demanded the review.

Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty’s European Institutions Office, said: “While this is a welcome first step, it also comes devastatingly late. The extent of human suffering in Gaza for the past 19 months has been unimaginable. Israel is committing genocide in Gaza with chilling impunity.”

The NGO has long called for a review of the EU’s association agreement with Israel. It has cited Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territory as a key violation of the agreement.

Israel’s conduct in Gaza has only strengthened calls for a review into European trade with the country.

“Emboldened by EU inaction — and even backed by some EU states — Israeli leaders have flaunted their genocidal aims,” Geddie said.

“The EU’s unofficial policy of appeasement towards Israel is contrary to its member states’ obligations and will forever be judged in the annals of history.”

Geddie warned that any delay in European action would “cost human lives in Gaza.” She called for the EU to immediately suspend all trade linked to Israel’s settlement industry, which has expanded significantly amid the war in Gaza.

“The stakes are too high. If the EU fails to live up to these obligations as a bloc, and seeks to shield itself from its clear legal obligations, its member states must unilaterally suspend all forms of cooperation that may contribute to violations of international law,” Geddie said.

After the EU agreed to probe ties with Israel, Amnesty said it would now focus on pushing for a “meaningful review which takes evidence and international standards into account.”


US to appoint Thomas Barrack as special envoy for Syria, sources say

Updated 56 min 33 sec ago
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US to appoint Thomas Barrack as special envoy for Syria, sources say

DAMASCUS/ISTANBUL: The United States will appoint President Donald Trump’s longtime friend and current US ambassador to Turkiye, Thomas Barrack, as a special envoy for Syria, a person with direct knowledge of the matter and a diplomat in Turkiye said.
The decision follows Trump’s landmark announcement last week that US sanctions on Syria would be lifted. It also suggests US acknowledgement that Turkiye has emerged with key regional influence on Damascus since Syrian strongman Bashar Assad’s ouster by rebels in December, ending 14 years of civil war.
Asked for comment, a US State Department spokesperson said: “There is no announcement at this time.”
Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Rubio said he was allowing Turkish embassy staff, including Barrack, to work with local officials in Syria to understand what kind of aid they need.
“We want to help that government succeed, because the alternative is full-scale civil war and chaos, which would, of course, destabilize the entire region,” Rubio said.
A US-Turkish meeting focused on Syria took place in Washington on Tuesday with Barrack in attendance, according to Turkiye’s foreign ministry, which said sanctions relief and efforts to counter terrorism had been discussed.
The US had sought a step-for-step approach to Syria sanctions relief until Trump’s announcement that he was ordering “the cessation of sanctions,” which he said aimed to give Syria a chance to recover from devastating war. He said he made the decision after discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Trump also met with Syria’s interim president Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on May 14 and urged him to normalize ties with longtime foe Israel following his surprise sanctions announcement.
Removing US sanctions that cut Syria off from the global financial system would clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organizations working in Syria, and ease foreign investment and trade as the country looks to rebuild.


South Sudan’s President Kiir promotes sanctioned ally as ruling party deputy

Updated 21 May 2025
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South Sudan’s President Kiir promotes sanctioned ally as ruling party deputy

  • The reshuffle follows months of political uncertainty in which authorities placed Kiir’s longtime rival First Vice President Riek Machar under house arrest

NAIROBI: South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has reshuffled the senior leadership in the ruling party, according to an official decree, as the country faces fresh fighting between rival armed factions and widespread speculation about Kiir’s succession plans.
Kiir, 73, promoted sanctioned ally Second Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel as his SPLM party’s deputy chairperson, according to a decree read on the state broadcaster on Tuesday night, weeks after the United Nations said the country was on the brink of civil war.
Seen widely by political analysts as Kiir’s chosen successor, Bol Mel was sanctioned by the United States in 2017 over suspicions his construction company received preferential treatment in the awarding of government contracts.
If Kiir stepped down, Bol Mel’s new role as the SPLM party’s deputy chairperson would make him acting president of the country.
The reshuffle follows months of political uncertainty in which authorities placed Kiir’s longtime rival First Vice President Riek Machar under house arrest, accusing him of trying to stir a rebellion.
Machar’s opposition party denied the charges, and said the move effectively voided a 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war between Kiir’s Dinka forces and Nuer fighters loyal to Machar.
Western countries, including the United States, Britain and Germany closed embassies or cut back operations in South Sudan.
Tuesday night’s ruling party shake-up saw Kiir demote three veterans of South Sudan’s liberation struggle, including former Second Vice President James Wani Igga, according to the decree read on state television on Tuesday night.


Muslim World League backs UK, France, Canada statement on Gaza, West Bank

Updated 21 May 2025
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Muslim World League backs UK, France, Canada statement on Gaza, West Bank

  • MWL urges international community to act, force Israel to comply with international law, hold perpetrators accountable

DUBAI: The Muslim World League on Wednesday welcomed the joint statement issued by the UK, France and Canada regarding Israel’s war on Gaza and the West Bank.

The statement warned of concrete measures, including targeted sanctions, should the Israeli occupation government fail to halt its military operations, stop settlement expansion, and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid.

The MWL’s Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, who is also chairman of the Muslim Scholars Association, praised the joint stance.

In a statement, Al-Issa described it as “an important and just step in the right direction for the Palestinian people, whose suffering has been prolonged under the killing and destruction machine of the Israeli occupation government.”

He urged the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities by increasing pressure to end the ongoing violations, and for the perpetrators to be held accountable.

Al-Issa said the Israeli government should be compelled to immediately comply with UN resolutions and international humanitarian law.


UAE reaches deal with Israel to allow aid delivery to Gaza

Updated 15 min 14 sec ago
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UAE reaches deal with Israel to allow aid delivery to Gaza

  •  Israel has come under international pressure to allow aid into Gaza, where humanitarian agencies say a total blockade has sparked critical food and medicine shortages
  • Israel's minimal aid move aims to avoid famine claims while keeping Gaza on the brink, says MSF
  • Pope Leo XIV also called for sufficient humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza
  • Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas welcomes international rejection of Israel ‘blockade and starvation’ of Gaza

DUBAI: UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed held a phone call with his Israeli counterpart during which an agreement was reached to allow the delivery of “urgent humanitarian aid” to the besieged Gaza Strip.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Wednesday that the amount of aid Israel was allowing through was inadequate and merely a “smokescreen to pretend the siege was over.”

UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed held his phone call with Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar which led to an agreement to allow the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid from the United Arab Emirates, the country’s  state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday.  

“The aid will address the food needs of approximately 15,000 civilians in the Gaza Strip in the initial phase,” it added.

The initiative will also provide “essential supplies to support the operation of bakeries, as well as critical items for infant care, while ensuring a continuous supply to meet the ongoing needs of civilians.”

Israel has come under international pressure to allow aid into Gaza, where humanitarian agencies say a total blockade imposed on March 2 has sparked critical food and medicine shortages.

Israel said 93 aid trucks had entered Gaza from Israel on Tuesday, but the United Nations said the aid had been held up.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week it was necessary for Israel to prevent famine in Gaza for “practical and diplomatic reasons”, after his government announced it would allow limited aid in.

But MSF said on Wednesday that the amount of aid Israel had started allowing into the Gaza Strip was not nearly enough and was “a smokescreen to pretend the siege is over.”

“The Israeli authorities’ decision to allow a ridiculously inadequate amount of aid into Gaza after months of an air-tight siege signals their intention to avoid the accusation of starving people in Gaza, while in fact keeping them barely surviving,” said Pascale Coissard, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza’s Khan Younis.

Pope Leo XIV also called on Wednesday for sufficient humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza.
“The situation in the Gaza Strip is worrying and painful. I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid and to put an end to the hostilities, the heartbreaking price of which is paid by children, the elderly, the sick,” the pope said during his first weekly general audience.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday hailed international rejection of Israel’s “blockade” and “starvation” of Gaza, after the European Union ordered a review of its cooperation deal with Israel.
“We reiterate our welcome for the joint statement issued by the leaders of Britain, France, and Canada, as well as for the positions of the European Union countries, the joint statement of the donor countries and the statement of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee on this matter,” Abbas said in a statement. “They all rejected the policies of blockade, starvation, displacement and land seizure.”

(With input from AFP)