Yemen’s Houthi media says 35 killed in US strikes on migrant center

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Updated 28 April 2025
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Yemen’s Houthi media says 35 killed in US strikes on migrant center

Yemen’s Houthi media says 35 killed in US strikes on migrant center
  • The Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen, also reported strikes in other parts of the country, including their stronghold of Saada in the north

DUBAI: Houthi-controlled media in Yemen said Monday that US strikes targeted a migrant detention center and killed at least 35 people in the movement’s stronghold of Saada.
The US military has hammered the Iran-backed Houthis with near-daily strikes since March 15 in an operation dubbed “Rough Rider,” seeking to end the threat they pose to vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis launched strikes targeting Israel and Western vessels in the Red Sea, in what they describe as solidarity with the Palestinians, since Hamas conducted the worst-ever attack on Israel in October 2023.
On Sunday, the military said it has hit more than 800 targets in Yemen since mid-March, killing hundreds of Houthi rebels including members of the group’s leadership.
On Monday, Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV said US strikes had targeted a detention center for African migrants, and that 35 bodies had been “pulled from the rubble.”
“Civil defense teams and the Red Crescent are continuing their efforts at the scene of the American crime,” it said.
AFP could not independently confirm the veracity of Al-Masirah’s claim that the strikes had hit a migrant detention center, or the toll.
AFP has contacted the US military for comment.
According to a statement cited by Al-Masirah from the Houthi administration’s interior ministry, the center housed “115 migrants, all from Africa.”
The broadcaster showed footage of bodies stuck under the rubble and of rescuers working to help the casualties.

ATTACKS ON TRADE ROUTE
The Houthis are, like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, backed by Iran, which is Israel’s arch-foe.
They began targeting shipping in late 2023, preventing ships from passing through the Suez Canal — a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global trade — forcing many companies into a costly detour around the tip of southern Africa.
In a statement that provided its most detailed accounting of the operation so far, the US military command responsible for the Middle East said: “Since the start of Operation Rough Rider, USCENTCOM has struck over 800 targets.
“These strikes have killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders.”
“The strikes have destroyed multiple command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities, and advanced weapons storage locations,” CENTCOM said.
Despite the strikes, the Houthis — who control large swaths of Yemen and have been at war with an Arab coalition backing the internationally recognized government since 2015 — have continued to claim attacks against both US vessels and Israel.
CENTCOM said that “while the Houthis have continued to attack our vessels, our operations have degraded the pace and effectiveness of their attacks. Ballistic missile launches have dropped by 69 percent. Additionally, attacks from one-way attack drones have decreased by 55 percent.”
“Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis. The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime,” the military command said.
“We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region,” it added.

Al-Masirah TV on Sunday reported that US strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa had killed at least eight people and wounded others.
The channel also broadcast footage of the rubble of destroyed homes and cars, as well as blood stains on the ground, while rescuers collected what appeared to be human remains in white cloth.
Also on Sunday, Houthi media said earlier strikes on Sanaa had killed two people and wounded several more.
The United States first began conducting strikes against the Houthis under Joe Biden’s administration, and President Donald Trump has vowed that military action against the rebels will continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.


Israel PM warns ‘more to come’ after strikes on Yemen ports

Israel PM warns ‘more to come’ after strikes on Yemen ports
Updated 7 sec ago
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Israel PM warns ‘more to come’ after strikes on Yemen ports

Israel PM warns ‘more to come’ after strikes on Yemen ports
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Yemen’s Houthi rebels there was “more to come” after the air force struck two rebel-held ports on Friday following Houthi missile attacks on Israel.
“Our pilots now hit successfully two terror ports belonging to the Houthis again. This is a continuation and there is more to come,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. “We are not willing to sit on the sidelines and let the Houthis attack us. We will hit them far more, including their leadership and all the infrastructure that allows them to hit us.”

British lawmakers praise Jordan’s role in regional peace efforts

British lawmakers praise Jordan’s role in regional peace efforts
Updated 16 May 2025
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British lawmakers praise Jordan’s role in regional peace efforts

British lawmakers praise Jordan’s role in regional peace efforts
  • Politicians stress value of Jordanian-British relations, necessity of strategic partnership
  • “Jordan plays an important role in consolidating stability in the Middle East,” said MP Hamilton

DUBAI: British lawmakers have applauded Jordan’s role in maintaining regional stability and providing aid to the Gaza Strip.

The comments came in an interview with the Jordan News Agency’s correspondent in London.

The visit was at the invitation of the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and was headed by MP Zuhair Khashman of the Jordanian delegation.

British politicians stressed the value of Jordanian-British relations and the necessity of their strategic partnership.

“Jordan plays an important role in consolidating stability in the Middle East,” said MP Fabian Hamilton, chairman of the BGIPU.

Hamilton added that there were three key reasons for its role in helping to stabilize the Middle East: its vital geographical location, its political stability, and the leadership of King Abdullah II.

Baroness Gloria Hooper, a member of the House of Lords, said a two-state solution in the region was essential to securing lasting peace. She also made note of the UK’s public opinion on the war in Gaza.

She added: “Despite growing pressure in Parliament on the British government to take more measures to stop the Israeli war on Gaza, we need to increase and redouble these efforts.”

MP Alistair Carmichael, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Jordan Group, said: “The situation in Gaza is continuously deteriorating, making support for Jordanian humanitarian efforts a top priority.”

MP Bambos Charalambous said that “the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza cannot be dealt with by individual efforts or through a single country alone, but through broad international partnerships.”


Gaza, Sudan most at risk as global starvation approaches 300m: Report

Gaza, Sudan most at risk as global starvation approaches 300m: Report
Updated 16 May 2025
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Gaza, Sudan most at risk as global starvation approaches 300m: Report

Gaza, Sudan most at risk as global starvation approaches 300m: Report
  • Populations of both face ‘starvation, death, destitution and high rates of acute malnutrition’
  • War, aid cuts, climate among issues causing food shortages in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia

LONDON: Almost 300 million people face death from starvation, with the most at risk in war-torn Gaza and Sudan, the latest Global Report on Food Crises has warned.

The report said 295.3 million people have been identified as facing “high levels of acute food insecurity” after a sixth consecutive year of the global number growing, with people in South Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and Pakistan also noted as being at particular risk.

Cuts to humanitarian aid budgets and escalating conflicts were highlighted as having pushed as many as 13.7 million people into chronic food insecurity over the past 12 months.

The report noted that the number of people most at risk of food shortages as defined by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification had more than doubled in that period, and that 95 percent of those were in Gaza and Sudan.

It added that the populations of both face “starvation, death, destitution and high rates of acute malnutrition.”

More than half of Gaza’s approximately 2.1 million people face “catastrophe,” while Sudan has as many as 24 million people suffering food insecurity. Famine has been officially declared in the African country.

“Intensifying conflict, increasing geopolitical tensions, global economic uncertainty and profound funding cuts are deepening acute food insecurity,” the GRFC said.

“Following the closure of all crossings into the Gaza Strip in early March, and the collapse of the two-month ceasefire, food access has been severely restricted.”

The GRFC said 19 other countries are suffering from worsening food security “aggravated” by drought, highlighting Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Kenya.

War is also increasing several other countries’ food security, especially Nigeria and Myanmar.


UN peacekeepers attacked by civilians in Lebanon, no casualties reported

UN peacekeepers attacked by civilians in Lebanon, no casualties reported
Updated 16 May 2025
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UN peacekeepers attacked by civilians in Lebanon, no casualties reported

UN peacekeepers attacked by civilians in Lebanon, no casualties reported
  • The troops used non-lethal force to protect themselves and those present, according to UNIFIL
  • The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were notified and arrived shortly after the incident

DUBAI: A large group of civilians wielding metal rods and axes attacked a patrol of UN troops in southern Lebanon on Friday, causing damage to UN vehicles but no injuries, a United Nations peacekeeping force said.

The UN troops used non-lethal force to protect themselves and those present, according to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), adding the patrol had been on a routine operation between the villages of Jmayjmeh and Khirbat Silim.

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were notified and arrived shortly after the incident, escorting the patrol back to base.

UNIFIL said the patrol had been pre-planned and coordinated with the LAF.

The UN peacekeeping mission stressed that its mandate, under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, guarantees freedom of movement in its area of operations with or without LAF accompaniment.

On Wednesday, UNIFIL said that direct fire from the Israeli army had hit the perimeter of one of its peacekeeping positions in south Lebanon. UNIFIL said the incident on Tuesday was the first of its kind since Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last November.


British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital

British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital
Updated 16 May 2025
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British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital

British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital
  • Dr. Tom Potokar, consultant plastic surgeon, took video after 6 bombs killed 28 people at European Gaza Hospital
  • ‘It’s a direct hit on the hospital … Shrapnel everywhere … Absolute mayhem’

LONDON: A British doctor in Gaza has released footage showing the devastation caused by an Israeli airstrike on the European Gaza Hospital near the southern city of Khan Younis on Thursday.

Dr. Tom Potokar, a consultant plastic surgeon, shared the video with the BBC, documenting the aftermath of an attack by Israel on the facility. Six bombs were dropped on the hospital, killing 28 people.

Potokar, who has traveled to Gaza 16 times to provide vital treatment to Palestinians trapped in the enclave, described the footage as a “snapshot” of his experience working at the hospital.

In the video, he described an “absolutely massive strike … right in front of the emergency room,” as people ran and lay on the ground outside the hospital.

“Shrapnel everywhere. Devastation right in the forecourt of the hospital. Absolutely terrible,” he said in the footage.

In further scenes described as “absolute mayhem,” Potokar walked through the corridors of the hospital as medics, patients and other civilians tried to respond to the attack. 

“It’s a direct hit on the hospital,” he said, as screams echoed in the background and smoke billowed through the building.

Standing outside an operating theater, Potokar then turned the camera on himself to survey the damage, and said the facility was “too dangerous” to take people to be operated on, and staff were leaving to find shelter. He later reported that the hospital had been entirely evacuated.

Potokar told the BBC: “We’ve been treating patients with huge open wounds, some even with maggots in, infected, multiple amputations, children down to the age of two with significant nerve injuries, traumatic brain injuries.”

At least 114 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza on Thursday, according to local authorities.