Houthis Threaten to Expand Attacks to Indian Ocean

Houthi rally in Sanaa, Yemen (AFP)
Houthi rally in Sanaa, Yemen (AFP)
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Houthis Threaten to Expand Attacks to Indian Ocean

Houthi rally in Sanaa, Yemen (AFP)
Houthi rally in Sanaa, Yemen (AFP)

As tensions continue in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Houthi militias in Yemen have warned they may expand launching naval assaults to the Indian Ocean with the aim to disrupt the passage of Israeli, American, and British ships.

In a televised speech Thursday night, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi pledged to keep developing his group’s military strength. He said they’ll stop shipping in the Indian Ocean near southern Africa until the Gaza blockade is lifted and the Israeli war ends.

During a rally in Sanaa, the group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, also stated that Houthis are seeking to ban Israeli ships from the Indian Ocean.

Despite conflicting reports about a cargo ship allegedly targeted by the Houthis near Hodeidah, two British organizations have confirmed the vessel’s safety and crew survival after a missile attack.

British maritime security firm Ambrey and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Friday that a commercial ship, initially thought to have been hit by a missile off the port of Hodeidah in Yemen’s Red Sea, showed no signs of damage upon inspection.

The ship was 76 nautical miles west of Hodeidah port when the incident was first reported. Another vessel, 50 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, reported two missiles flying over it but exploding far away.

The ship’s captain confirmed hearing two distant explosions but reported no damage, with the crew safe as the ship heads to the next port.

Earlier, both agencies reported the ship being targeted and damaged on its right side.

The vessel was previously listed as Israeli-owned but changed ownership in February 2024.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command stated on Friday that its forces destroyed nine Houthi missiles and two drones in preemptive strikes on Thursday.

In statement, the US Central Command revealed that between 6:50 a.m. on March 14 and 12:40 a.m. on March 15 (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden and two additional ASBMs towards the Red Sea.

There were no injuries or damage reported to US or coalition ships.

Additionally, the Central Command successfully engaged and destroyed nine anti-ship missiles and two unmanned aerial vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels.



Over 100 Patients to Be Evacuated from Gaza, WHO Says

 A youth salvages items from the rubble of a building destroyed in Israeli strikes in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on November 5, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
A youth salvages items from the rubble of a building destroyed in Israeli strikes in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on November 5, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
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Over 100 Patients to Be Evacuated from Gaza, WHO Says

 A youth salvages items from the rubble of a building destroyed in Israeli strikes in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on November 5, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
A youth salvages items from the rubble of a building destroyed in Israeli strikes in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on November 5, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)

More than 100 patients including children will be transferred out of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday in a rare medical evacuation from the Palestinian enclave during the Israel-Hamas war, a World Health Organization official said on Tuesday.

The WHO says fewer than 300 patients have been evacuated from Gaza since early May, when Israel expanded its military offensive southwards and took over the southern Rafah Crossing with Egypt, which had been used for medical transfers.

Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the patients, including children with trauma injuries and chronic diseases, would depart in a large convoy via the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel.

Under arrangements made by the WHO, the patients will then fly to the United Arab Emirates from Ramon Airport in southern Israel, and some will travel on to Romania, he said.

"These are ad hoc measures. What we have requested repeatedly is a sustained medevac (medical evacuation) outside of Gaza," Peeperkorn told a press conference.

Asked whether Israel had approved the transfer, he said he was hopeful it would be facilitated by Israeli authorities.

He said more than 12,000 people were awaiting transfer, adding: "We cannot continue the way we do now."

COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for Palestinian affairs, says it actively facilitates the departure of seriously ill or injured patients, adding that the scope of such evacuations was determined by the capacity of organizations and countries to receive them.

As of last week, it said 10 groups of patients had been evacuated through Israel and it was willing to coordinate more.

Peeperkorn was part of a WHO convoy that on Nov. 3 provided some relief for the busy al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals in northern Gaza which he said were barely operational because of medical and staff shortages.

"For al-Awda we are very concerned because the hospital needs urgent fuel and medical supplies, otherwise it might become non-functional over the coming week," he said of the hospital in Jabalia, just north of Gaza City.

Israel accuses Hamas fighters of hiding among civilians, including in hospitals, in the war that began after the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023.

In a night-time raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital last month, an Israeli military official said around 100 Hamas fighters were captured, some posing as medical staff, along with weapons. Hamas rejected the accusations.