Middle East

US strikes Yemen missiles that posed threat to ships

By W.G. DUNLOP WASHINGTON, Jan 16, 2024 (AFP) – American forces destroyed four anti-ship missiles in Yemen on Tuesday that threatened civilian and military vessels, the US military said, as attacks by Iran-backed Huthi rebels continue despite multiple strikes against them. It is at least the third time in less than a week that the United States has carried out strikes against the Huthis, who have repeatedly taken aim at merchant vessels in the vital […]

Two children killed in Iran air strike on Pakistan

By Emma CLARK ISLAMABAD, Jan 17, 2024 (AFP) – Pakistan said Wednesday that Iran carried out an air strike on its territory that killed two children, after Tehran launched attacks in Iraq and Syria against what it called “anti-Iranian terrorist groups”. Pakistan denounced the strike, near the nations’ shared border late on Tuesday, as “completely unacceptable”, saying it was unprovoked. Iranian news agency Mehrnews said the “missile and drone response” targeted the Jaish al-Adl group’s […]

Huthi missile hits US-owned ship off Yemen: US military

By Talek HARRIS DUBAI, Jan 15, 2024 (AFP) – Yemen’s Huthi rebels hit a US-owned cargo vessel with a missile on Monday, the US military said, heightening fears for the volatile region after repeated attacks on shipping triggered American and British strikes. After the Western strikes against scores of rebel targets last Friday, the Huthis said they would not be deterred and declared that US and British interests were “legitimate targets”. The Marshall Islands-flagged Gibraltar […]

Israel-Hamas war enters 100th day as Netanyahu vows ‘no one will stop us’

By Adel Zaanoun with Joseph Boyle in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Jan 14, 2024 (AFP) – The war between Israel and Hamas entered its 100th day on Sunday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “no one will stop us” from destroying the militant group. The conflict has triggered a humanitarian crisis, with more than 23,000 people reported killed in Gaza and much of the besieged Palestinian territory reduced to rubble, as fears grow […]

Fresh strikes target Yemen rebels over Red Sea threat

By Amal Mohammed with Talek Harris in Dubai HODEIDA, Yemen, Jan 13, 2024 (AFP) – Fresh strikes targeted Yemen’s Huthis on Saturday, security sources and the US military said, after the Iran-backed rebels warned of further attacks on Red Sea shipping. The strikes came a day after US and British forces hit scores of targets across the country, heightening fears that Israel’s war with Palestinian Hamas militants could engulf the region. Violence involving Iran-aligned groups […]

EU to debate sending naval mission to Red Sea

BRUSSELS, Jan 12, 2024 (AFP) – EU countries will next week discuss a plan to set up a naval mission to help protect Red Sea shipping following attacks from Yemen’s Huthi rebels, diplomats said Friday. The proposal — in the pipeline in Brussels for several weeks — was mooted before US and British forces struck rebel-held Yemen. Any EU effort would seek to complement a US-led coalition, which includes numerous countries from the bloc, already […]

US, UK air strikes pound Yemen as Mideast conflict spreads

By AFP correspondents in Yemen with Danny Kemp in Washington SANAA, Jan 12, 2024 (AFP) – Heavy US and British air strikes pounded targets in rebel-held Yemen early on Friday after weeks of disruptive attacks on Red Sea shipping by Iran-backed Huthi forces acting in solidarity with Hamas. The Huthis have carried out a growing number of attacks on what they deem to be Israel-linked shipping in the key international trade route since the eruption […]

Iran seizes oil tanker off Oman in dispute with US

DUBAI, Jan 11, 2024 (AFP) – Iran’s navy seized a ship off Oman to retaliate for the “theft” of its oil from the same tanker last year by the United States, state media said Thursday. The United States condemned what it called an “unlawful seizure” and demanded Iran “immediately release the ship and its crew”. The announcement came hours after a British navy maritime security agency said armed men boarded the Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged St […]

Israel faces ‘genocide’ charge at UN top court

By Charlotte VAN OUWERKERK THE HAGUE, Jan 11, 2024 (AFP) – Israel will face accusations at the UN’s top court on Thursday that it has committed “genocidal” acts in Gaza, charges the country’s president dismissed as “atrocious” and “preposterous”. South Africa has lodged an urgent appeal to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to force Israel to “immediately suspend” its military operations in Gaza. Robed officials from both countries will go head-to-head in the Great […]

Hezbollah targets Israel base to avenge killings in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Jan 9, 2024 (AFP) – Lebanon’s Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli command base Tuesday in retaliation for the killings of one of its commanders and the Hamas deputy leader. Hezbollah and its arch-foe Israel have been exchanging near-daily fire across the border since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7. The Shiite Muslim movement, a Hamas ally, said it had targeted the “enemy’s northern command centre” in the city […]

Blinken back in Israel as deadliest Gaza war grinds on

By Leon Bruneau with Mai Yaghi in the Gaza Strip TEL AVIV, Jan 9, 2024 (AFP) – The Israeli army bombed Gaza and battled Hamas fighters on Tuesday as US top diplomat Antony Blinken was back in Israel on a regional tour aimed at stopping the war from escalating across the Middle East. An AFP correspondent reported intense strikes overnight in Khan Yunis and Rafah, the biggest cities in the south of the besieged Palestinian […]

India navy rescues Arabian Sea crew after hijack attempt

By Bhuvan BAGGA NEW DELHI, Jan 5, 2024 (AFP) – India’s navy said Friday it had rescued 21 crew members from a vessel in the Arabian Sea after a hijacking distress call, the latest attack on commercial shipping in the region. Last month the force deployed several warships into the sea to “maintain a deterrent presence” after a string of recent shipping attacks, including a drone strike near India’s coast which the United States has […]