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US Airstrikes Hit Houthi Targets… Carrier Roosevelt Arrives in Red Sea

A flight operating crew member signals a F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet on the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) aircraft carrier in Southern Red Sea, Middle East, February 13, 2024. Reuters
A flight operating crew member signals a F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet on the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) aircraft carrier in Southern Red Sea, Middle East, February 13, 2024. Reuters
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US Airstrikes Hit Houthi Targets… Carrier Roosevelt Arrives in Red Sea

A flight operating crew member signals a F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet on the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) aircraft carrier in Southern Red Sea, Middle East, February 13, 2024. Reuters
A flight operating crew member signals a F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet on the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) aircraft carrier in Southern Red Sea, Middle East, February 13, 2024. Reuters

Eight US and British strikes hit several Houthi positions in the south and north of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah on Thursday and Friday, the group admitted.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the supercarrier USS Theodore Roosevelt has arrived in the 5th Fleet area of operations taking over for the carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, as part of Washington’s mission to protect navigation and thwart the pro-Iranian group's attacks on commercial shipping.
Since November 19, the Iranian-backed Houthi group has carried out attacks in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, saying they are trying to block Israeli-linked vessels regardless of their nationality, as well as American and British vessels.
While the group claimed to expand its attacks on commercial shipping into the Mediterranean Sea and Israeli ports, reports indicated that the pace of such attacks decreased this month as no maritime incidents were detected.
On Friday, a Houthi-run television station admitted the US-British naval coalition launched three airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi-controlled Hodeidah airport.
It also confirmed that the US-British coalition launched five airstrikes in Yemen's port city of Hodeidah on Thursday.
The Houthis did not mention the effects of these strikes. But the US Central Command said on social media platform X that its forces destroyed five Houthi unmanned boats and three bomb-laden drones in the Red Sea.
The US forces also successfully destroyed two Houthi uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) over the Red Sea and one Houthi UAS in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen, the Central Command said.
It added that these systems presented an imminent threat to US, coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. “These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters more safe and secure,” the Command added.
166 Ships
Meanwhile, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday that “a total of 166 ships linked to Israel, US, and Britain” had been targeted by his group since November 2023.
The Houthi leader then admitted that since January 12, his group was targeted by 570 attacks, including airstrikes and naval bombardments, killing 57 and injuring 87.
Al-Houthi then revealed that the number of mobilization forces has reached 372,174 trained fighters ready for combat.
Early on Friday, British security firm Ambrey said that a merchant vessel reported two explosions about 21 nautical miles (39 km) west of Yemen's Mocha.
One “missile” impacted the water and another exploded in the air, the vessel reported to Ambrey, adding that both explosions occurred within 0.5 nautical miles of the vessel, according to Reuters.
Damage Toll
Since the conflict between the Houthis and the West escalated in the Red Sea, Houthi attacks have targeted 28 ships. Two of them sank, including the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned-and-operated Tutor and the Belize-flagged Rubymar, which carried a load of fertilizer.
Also, three merchant sailors were dead and four others were injured after a missile hit Greek-operated ship M/V True Confidence in an attack claimed by the Houthis last March.
The Yemeni Houthis are still seizing the commercial ship Galaxy Leader, captured by the group last November.
The US Army said that attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi group in the Red Sea have affected the interests of 55 countries, threatening a key maritime route essential for a significant share of global container traffic.

 

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Arab World

Al-Wadiah Border Security Foils Attempt to Smuggle Thousands of Captagon Pills from Yemen 

Members of the Al-Wadiah battalion boast extensive experience allowing them to thwart ongoing smuggling attempts. (Al-Wadiah battalion) 
Members of the Al-Wadiah battalion boast extensive experience allowing them to thwart ongoing smuggling attempts. (Al-Wadiah battalion) 
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Al-Wadiah Border Security Foils Attempt to Smuggle Thousands of Captagon Pills from Yemen 

Members of the Al-Wadiah battalion boast extensive experience allowing them to thwart ongoing smuggling attempts. (Al-Wadiah battalion) 
Members of the Al-Wadiah battalion boast extensive experience allowing them to thwart ongoing smuggling attempts. (Al-Wadiah battalion) 

The “Al-Wadiah Port Security and Protection Battalion” thwarted an attempt to smuggle 4,925 Captagon pills bound for Saudi Arabia from areas under Houthi control in Yemen.

Col. Osama Al-Assad, commander of the battalion, said the seizure was made during routine inspection procedures at the land crossing.

Security personnel grew suspicious of an incoming vehicle and, after a thorough search, discovered the pills professionally concealed in an apparent attempt to evade detection.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Assad said the confiscated drugs were documented in line with legal procedures and the suspects were referred to the competent authorities for further investigation.

He stressed that coordination with the Saudi side remains strong and ongoing at the highest levels, expressing appreciation to the Kingdom for its continued support to Yemen in general and to the battalion in particular, helping bolster border security between the two neighbors.

In a recent interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Assad revealed that most drug smuggling networks operating from Yemen into Saudi territory are directly linked to the Houthi militants.

He noted that the battalion had previously arrested a Houthi leader attempting to enter Saudi Arabia using a forged passport and Umrah visa, suggesting the motives were security-related rather than religious.

Regarding the latest operation, Al-Assad said preliminary investigations indicate that most drug shipments intercepted at the crossing originate from Houthi-controlled areas.

He accused the group of relying on drug trafficking as a source of funding for its activities, posing a threat to Yemen’s national security, neighboring countries, and regional stability.

The battalion’s mission includes securing and protecting the Al-Wadiah crossing, combating various forms of smuggling, including drugs, human trafficking, forged documents, and unidentified individuals, and arresting wanted suspects, including members of al-Qaeda and fugitives evading court rulings.

Arab World

Sudan Government Condemns Ugandan President’s Talks with Hemedti

Hemedti at the presidential palace in Entebbe on Feb. 20, 2026 (President Museveni’s page on X).
Hemedti at the presidential palace in Entebbe on Feb. 20, 2026 (President Museveni’s page on X).
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Sudan Government Condemns Ugandan President’s Talks with Hemedti

Hemedti at the presidential palace in Entebbe on Feb. 20, 2026 (President Museveni’s page on X).
Hemedti at the presidential palace in Entebbe on Feb. 20, 2026 (President Museveni’s page on X).

The Sudanese government has condemned “in the strongest terms” Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s meeting with Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo calling the move “unprecedented” and an affront to humanity and the Sudanese people.

In a statement issued Sunday, Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ceremonial welcome accorded to Dagalo, known as Hemedti, in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, mocked “the souls of innocent citizens killed in the war, whose dignity was violated and whose property was looted” by the RSF.

The Ministry added that Uganda’s action “contravenes the principles governing member states of regional and international organizations,” particularly the obligation not to offer support to armed groups rebelling against a legitimate government recognized internationally.

Museveni met Hemedti on Friday at the presidential palace in Entebbe, where the two discussed efforts to end the ongoing war in Sudan. The talks also addressed regional and international initiatives aimed at reaching a political settlement to the conflict.

The meeting marked Hemedti’s first prominent regional appearance in several months. According to Dagalo, the discussions included what he described as a “Ugandan vision” for ending the war.

In its statement, Sudan’s Foreign Ministry acknowledged Uganda’s sovereign right to host whomever it chooses in accordance with its national interests. However, it expressed “deep concern” that the meeting could signal a shift in Kampala’s policy toward Sudan.

The Ministry urged the Ugandan government, in the interest of bilateral relations, good neighborliness, and non-interference in internal affairs, to distance itself from the RSF commander and not allow him to use Ugandan territory for political purposes.

Speaking to members of the Sudanese community in Entebbe, Hemedti said his visit came at the invitation of Museveni, who, he claimed, had been asked by Sudan’s government to intervene in efforts to help end the war.

In a post on the social media platform X, Museveni confirmed that he had received the RSF commander at the presidential residence in Entebbe and had listened to a detailed briefing on developments in Sudan.

He stressed that dialogue and a peaceful political settlement remain the only viable path to stability in Sudan and to ensuring security across the region.

Hemedti’s visit to Uganda came just one week after Museveni hosted Malik Agar, Vice Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, allegedly as part of regional and international efforts to secure a ceasefire and lay the groundwork for a comprehensive political solution to Sudan’s ongoing conflict.

Arab World

ISIS Lashes Out at Syria's Sharaa, Announces ‘New Phase of Operations’

A Syrian government soldier outside Al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa, which holds ISIS detainees (AFP)
A Syrian government soldier outside Al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa, which holds ISIS detainees (AFP)
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ISIS Lashes Out at Syria's Sharaa, Announces ‘New Phase of Operations’

A Syrian government soldier outside Al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa, which holds ISIS detainees (AFP)
A Syrian government soldier outside Al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa, which holds ISIS detainees (AFP)

Syria’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that a Syrian army soldier and a ‌civilian were killed a day earlier by “unknown assailants” in the northern city of Raqqa.

ISIS claimed ‌responsibility for two attacks targeting Syrian army personnel in northern and eastern Syria.

The militant group said on its Dabiq news agency that it had targeted “an individual of the apostate Syrian regime” in the city of Mayadin in Deir Ezzor province using a pistol, and attacked two other personnel with machine guns in Raqqa.

The attacks came after ISIS blasted Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, calling him a “puppet without a soul” controlled by Western countries, adding that his fate eventually will be similar to that of ousted leader Bashar Assad.

In an audio message released late Saturday by the group’s spokesman, who identifies himself as Abu Huzaifa al-Ansari, he called on ISIS followers around the world to attack Jewish and Western targets as they have in past years.

The ‌group also said it had begun a “new phase of operations” in Syria.

Al-Ansari sent greetings to ISIS militants from the group’s leader Abu Hafs al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi who was named as the head of the group three years ago.

The audio is the first to be released by the group in months and comes after ISIS was blamed for attacks that left dozens dead or wounded in recent months in Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and other parts of the world.

The latest incidents come two days after ISIS claimed responsibility for another attack in Deir Ezzor that killed a member of the Interior Ministry’s internal security forces and wounded another.

In December, the group was blamed for an attack in central Syria that left three Americans dead and triggered intense US airstrikes on the extremists’ suspected hideouts in the country.