عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Israel Says No Israelis Among Owners or Crew of Ship Seized by Houthis

A ship in the Red Sea. Reuters file photo
A ship in the Red Sea. Reuters file photo
TT
TT

Israel Says No Israelis Among Owners or Crew of Ship Seized by Houthis

A ship in the Red Sea. Reuters file photo
A ship in the Red Sea. Reuters file photo

The Israeli military said on Sunday that Yemen's Houthis had seized a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea as it was sailing from Türkiye to India, calling this "a very grave incident on a global level.”

In a social media post, the military added that the vessel was not Israeli-owned and had no Israelis among its crew.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said 25 crew members of various nationalities, including Bulgarians, Filipinos, Mexicans and Ukrainians but no Israelis, had been on board the hijacked Bahamas-flagged ship.

Netanyahu's office condemned the seizure of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier, as an “Iranian act of terror."

Israeli officials insisted the ship was British-owned and Japanese-operated. However, ownership details in public shipping databases associated the ship’s owners with Ray Car Carriers, which was founded by Abraham “Rami” Ungar, who is known as one of the richest men in Israel.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Huge Fire after Drone Attack Hits Engine Oil Warehouse in Iraqi Kurdistan

Smoke billows from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
TT
TT

Huge Fire after Drone Attack Hits Engine Oil Warehouse in Iraqi Kurdistan

Smoke billows from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

A drone strike caused a massive fire at the storage facilities of an engine oil firm in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan on Wednesday, the regional government and the company said.

Iraq has been increasingly and unwillingly drawn into the war started by Israel and the US on February 28, with strikes targeting both US interests and pro-Iran groups in the country.

The country's northern autonomous Kurdistan has not been spared.

The regional capital Erbil hosts a major US consulate complex, while its airport houses military advisors attached to a US-led international anti-jihadist coalition. Both have been regularly targeted since the outbreak of war.

Erbil's governor Omed Khoshnaw said the attack had started at around 0700 am local (0400 GMT) and that four drones had targeted the facility, AFP reported.

He said a double-tap attack had occurred "while the teams were still working, the same site was attacked by another drone".

A fourth drone was "destroyed mid-air before reaching its target," he said, adding that the blaze was ongoing.

Iraqi firm Sardar Group confirmed in a statement that the facility, a warehouse located around five kilometres (three miles) from Erbil, was attacked.

It said there were no casualties.

The company said it was not involved in any way in the Middle East war and that its operations were limited to services and investment, including "the storage of lubricants for automobiles, agricultural equipment, and construction".

The strike followed a heavy night of attacks near the regional capital, with Khoshnaw saying some 20 drones had been shot down over the city.

Arab World

OIC-IPHRC Denounces Israeli Violations of Religious Freedom in Occupied Jerusalem

OIC-IPHRC Denounces Israeli Violations of Religious Freedom in Occupied Jerusalem
TT
TT

OIC-IPHRC Denounces Israeli Violations of Religious Freedom in Occupied Jerusalem

OIC-IPHRC Denounces Israeli Violations of Religious Freedom in Occupied Jerusalem

The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has unequivocally condemned the continued restrictions imposed by Israel, the occupying power, on the exercise of freedom of religion in occupied Jerusalem.

These measures include the prolonged obstruction imposed on Muslims to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and also denying Christian worshippers access to their holy sites to perform obligatory religious rites.

The commission underscored that freedom of religion, including the right to manifest one’s religion in worship, observance, practice, and teaching, is a non-derogable fundamental human right under international human rights law, SPA reported.

The imposition of arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions on access to places of worship constitutes a serious violation of this right, as well as of the principles of equality and non-discrimination.

Such unjustified restrictions by Israel, the occupying power, violate international human rights law and international humanitarian law and undermine the dignity of individuals and communities by denying them the ability to freely practice their religion.

Any attempt to alter the legal and historical status quo of holy sites or to restrict access constitutes a violation of international legal obligations.

The commission calls upon the international community, including relevant United Nations mechanisms and international human rights bodies, to take appropriate measures to ensure accountability, safeguard the right to freedom of religion, and guarantee unhindered and non-discriminatory access to holy sites for all worshippers.

Arab World

Indonesia Calls for Investigation into Peacekeeper Deaths in Lebanon

Wreaths as people visit to offer condolences for Praka Farizal Rhomadhon, a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper killed following an Israeli strike on Sunday in southern Lebanon, in Kulon Progo regency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, April 1, 2026. (Reuters)
Wreaths as people visit to offer condolences for Praka Farizal Rhomadhon, a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper killed following an Israeli strike on Sunday in southern Lebanon, in Kulon Progo regency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, April 1, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Indonesia Calls for Investigation into Peacekeeper Deaths in Lebanon

Wreaths as people visit to offer condolences for Praka Farizal Rhomadhon, a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper killed following an Israeli strike on Sunday in southern Lebanon, in Kulon Progo regency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, April 1, 2026. (Reuters)
Wreaths as people visit to offer condolences for Praka Farizal Rhomadhon, a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper killed following an Israeli strike on Sunday in southern Lebanon, in Kulon Progo regency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, April 1, 2026. (Reuters)

Indonesia has called on the United Nations to investigate the deaths of three of its UNIFIL peacekeepers following Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, a foreign ministry official said on Wednesday as relatives at home mourned their deaths.

The ministry's UN representative, Umar Hadi, called for the inquiry in a statement during an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday.

"We demand a direct investigation from the UN, not just Israel's excuses," he said.

Indonesia said earlier this week that ongoing Israeli military operations have ‌placed UN peacekeepers ‌in Lebanon at grave risk.

The Indonesian peacekeepers were ‌killed ⁠in two separate incidents ⁠in southern Lebanon after a bloody weekend in which Lebanese journalists and medics were also killed in Israeli strikes.

PEACEKEEPER'S RELATIVES MOURN

One of the peacekeeping troops, Farizal Rhomadhon, 28, was killed in an attack on Sunday. He is survived by a wife and one child, local media reported.

In his village in the city of ⁠Yogyakarta, his uncle Sumijan, 82, attended a family ‌gathering on Wednesday to pay his respects, ‌though he said his nephew's body had not yet been returned ‌to Indonesia.

"The kid was obedient, hard-working," he told Reuters. "Before he ‌was a soldier, he was in the business of selling songbirds. He was very disciplined."

Indonesian foreign ministry's initial reaction to Farizal's death on Monday drew criticism on social media, with many users complaining that it ‌did not identify the cause of the attack, describing it as "indirect artillery fire".

UN INVESTIGATION BLAMES ROADSIDE ⁠EXPLOSION

A roadside ⁠explosion appeared to strike the convoy of two Indonesian peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon on Monday, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said on Tuesday, citing the initial findings of an investigation.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that its review of an incident involving UNIFIL troops on Monday concluded that Israeli troops had not placed any explosive device in the area and had deployed no troops there.

Indonesia contributes over 2,700 uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping, among the largest contributors globally, the UN said in 2024.

Indonesia has pledged to contribute troops for potential deployment in Gaza as part of the UN-mandated multinational International Stabilization Force.