Yemen Denies Coalition Participation…Houthi Escalation Sees Targeting of Fuel Tanker

A military boat affiliated with the Yemeni government forces patrols off the coast of Mokha city (Saba News Agency)
A military boat affiliated with the Yemeni government forces patrols off the coast of Mokha city (Saba News Agency)
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Yemen Denies Coalition Participation…Houthi Escalation Sees Targeting of Fuel Tanker

A military boat affiliated with the Yemeni government forces patrols off the coast of Mokha city (Saba News Agency)
A military boat affiliated with the Yemeni government forces patrols off the coast of Mokha city (Saba News Agency)

Amid rising tensions with the Houthi group targeting international vessels in the Red Sea and threatening further attacks, a Yemeni military source has unequivocally denied involvement on Thursday in a new international coalition against the group.
The source, who remained anonymous, emphasized that decisions in this regard are a sovereign prerogative of the highest authorities, referencing the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC).
According to a report by the state-run Saba news agency, the source emphasized the importance of supporting the capabilities of the Yemeni government and its relevant agencies in protecting regional waters to deter threats from Houthi militias and contain their catastrophic implications on international navigation, the humanitarian situation in Yemen, and global peace and security.
The Yemeni source reiterated a warning to the Houthis, cautioning against their reckless ventures that jeopardize national interests and the risks of militarizing Yemen's regional waters, potentially turning them into a broader international conflict theater.
Yemen’s Houthis claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a missile strike on a Norwegian-flagged tanker a day earlier off Yemen’s coast in the Red Sea.
Moreover, US reports revealed on Wednesday that another commercial ship, carrying a fuel shipment, narrowly evaded two missiles close to the Bab el Mandeb Strait.
Houthis claim that their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and vow to target all ships heading to Israeli ports, irrespective of their nationality.
The Yemeni government contends that the group follows Iran’s directives, disassociating its attacks from the Palestinian cause.
Amid concerns that the militarization of the Red Sea may impede the UN-led peace process in Yemen mediated by Saudi Arabia and Oman, the French Navy confirmed downing a Houthi drone on Tuesday, marking Paris’s second intervention against Houthi attacks.
As the US threatens military intervention in Yemen, the Yemeni government approaches the escalating situation cautiously, while the international community holds responsibility for developments in the Red Sea.
Major powers have hindered the liberation of Hodeidah and its ports, pressing for the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement.
The Houthi group has exploited this agreement to enhance its military capabilities, escalating its threat to navigation in the Red Sea.

 

 



MSF Suspends Operations at Key Hospital in Sudan's Capital

FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
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MSF Suspends Operations at Key Hospital in Sudan's Capital

FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

Medical aid agency MSF said on Friday it has been forced to suspend its activities at one of the few remaining hospitals in southern Khartoum due to repeated attacks, cutting off yet another lifeline for those who remain in the Sudanese capital.
War has been raging in Sudan since April 2023, sparked by a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule, triggering the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.
The hospital, which lies in territory controlled by the RSF, helped treat the victims of frequent airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as hundreds of malnourished women and children in an area where two neighborhoods have been judged at risk of famine, reported Reuters.
"In the 20 months MSF teams have worked alongside hospital staff and volunteers, Bashair Hospital has experienced repeated incidents of armed fighters entering the hospital with weapons and threatening medical staff, often demanding fighters be treated before other patients," MSF said in a statement.
"Despite extensive engagements with all stakeholders, these attacks have continued in recent months. MSF has now taken the very difficult decision to suspend all medical activities in the hospital."
The fighting in Sudan has cut off up to 80% of hospitals in conflict areas, where millions who cannot afford to escape the violence remain. Civilians face frequent air and artillery fire and hunger as supplies are blocked by both warring parties and prices skyrocket.
Medical facilities, including MSF-supported ones that have suspended operations, have frequently come under attack by RSF soldiers demanding treatment or looting supplies. Bashair Hospital has served more than 25,000 people, MSF said, including 9,000 hurt by blasts, gunshot wounds, and other violence.
"Sometimes dozens of people arrived at the hospital at the same time after shelling or airstrikes on residential areas and markets," MSF said in the statement, citing an incident on Sunday where an airstrike one kilometer away drove 50 people to the emergency room, 12 of them already dead.