Drone Downed Near Egypt’s Resort City of Dahab

The shores of Dahab, Egypt.
The shores of Dahab, Egypt.
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Drone Downed Near Egypt’s Resort City of Dahab

The shores of Dahab, Egypt.
The shores of Dahab, Egypt.

A drone was downed near the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Dahab on Tuesday, in the second such incident in a month, two security sources told Reuters.

The security sources could not confirm the drone's origin.

Israel said in late October that Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi militias sent drones to strike its territory, after drones caused explosions that rocked two Egyptian towns on the Red Sea, Taba and Nuweiba.

Egypt's military spokesman Colonel Gharib Abdel-Hafez said then that the two drones were fired from the southern Red Sea aiming north. Yemen is at the south end of the sea and Israel at the north.

The Houthis in Yemen have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in protest against Israel's war in Gaza.

After hearing an explosion coming from the sea near Dahab, an object fell into the water, causing no damage or injuries, eyewitnesses told Reuters.

Earlier in December, Egyptian air defenses shot down another suspected drone near Dahab, security sources had said.



US Says Committed to 'Diplomatic Resolution' in Lebanon

FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)
FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)
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US Says Committed to 'Diplomatic Resolution' in Lebanon

FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)
FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed that the United States was dedicated to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon and urged Israel to improve "dire" conditions in Gaza, in a call Saturday with his Israeli counterpart.

Austin "reiterated US commitment to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon that allows Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border" in his call with Israel Katz, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

Austin also "urged the Government of Israel to continue to take steps to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza and emphasized the US commitment to securing the release of all hostages, including US citizens."

Lebanon said Saturday that an Israeli air strike in the heart of Beirut that brought down a residential building and jolted residents across the city killed at least 11 people.

Israel stepped up its campaign against the Hezbollah militant group in late September, targeting its strongholds in Lebanon.

Lebanon's health ministry says at least 3,645 people have been killed since October 2023, when Hezbollah began trading fire with Israel in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas.

The United Nations and others have repeatedly decried humanitarian conditions, particularly in northern Gaza, where Israel said Friday it had killed two commanders involved in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.

In the call with Katz, Austin also discussed ongoing Israeli operations and reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad commitment to Israel's security," the Pentagon said.