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Britain 'Deeply Concerned' by Israel's Operation in West Bank

A man stairs at a smouldering car in the small town of Zababdeh, southeast of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on August 30, 2024, following an Israeli army raid. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)
A man stairs at a smouldering car in the small town of Zababdeh, southeast of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on August 30, 2024, following an Israeli army raid. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)
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Britain 'Deeply Concerned' by Israel's Operation in West Bank

A man stairs at a smouldering car in the small town of Zababdeh, southeast of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on August 30, 2024, following an Israeli army raid. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)
A man stairs at a smouldering car in the small town of Zababdeh, southeast of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on August 30, 2024, following an Israeli army raid. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)

The British government said on Friday it was "deeply concerned" by Israel's ongoing operation in the occupied West Bank, warning that risk of instability was serious and that there was an urgent need for de-escalation.
"We continue to call on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions," a spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement.
Clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank have escalated since Israel's war with Hamas militants began in Gaza nearly 11 months ago.
More than 660 people - combatants and civilians - have been killed, according to Palestinian tallies, some by Jewish settlers who have carried out frequent vigilante-style attacks on West Bank Palestinian communities.
"We recognize Israel's need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods Israel has employed and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure," the Foreign Office spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added the UK "strongly condemns settler violence", and that it was in no one's interest further conflict and instability to spread in the West Bank.

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Salvage of Stricken Oil Tanker in Red Sea Expected in Coming Days, Say Sources

A handout photo made available by EUNAVFOR Aspides shows smoke rising from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion following Yemen's Houthis attacks, in the Red Sea, 28 August 2024. EPA/EUNAVFOR ASPIDES
A handout photo made available by EUNAVFOR Aspides shows smoke rising from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion following Yemen's Houthis attacks, in the Red Sea, 28 August 2024. EPA/EUNAVFOR ASPIDES
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Salvage of Stricken Oil Tanker in Red Sea Expected in Coming Days, Say Sources

A handout photo made available by EUNAVFOR Aspides shows smoke rising from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion following Yemen's Houthis attacks, in the Red Sea, 28 August 2024. EPA/EUNAVFOR ASPIDES
A handout photo made available by EUNAVFOR Aspides shows smoke rising from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion following Yemen's Houthis attacks, in the Red Sea, 28 August 2024. EPA/EUNAVFOR ASPIDES

A salvage operation to recover a Greek registered oil tanker stranded in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi militants is expected to start in the coming days, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Friday.

"What was decided yesterday is an initial game plan, of the operation starting in 48 hours," one of the sources said.

A second source said the operation was likely to be complex, since Houthis had rigged the Sounion with explosives.

At stake is the safe removal of a tanker laden with about 1 million barrels of crude that if spilled could cause an environmental catastrophe in an area that is particularly dangerous to access. Efforts are being made to speed up the process, sources said.

A potential oil spill of 2.2 nautical miles (4.1 km) in length has been detected in the area matching the location of the Sounion in the Red Sea, Greece said in a letter circulated through the United Nations' shipping agency on Friday.

"Greece urges all nations and all actors involved to assist in preventing the environmental hazard and resolving the situation the soonest possible," Greece said in the letter dated Aug. 29 and published on Friday.

Yemen's Houthi militants carried out multiple assaults, including planting bombs on the already disabled 900-foot (274.2-meter) Sounion, which is operated by Athens-based Delta Tankers. On Wednesday, the Iran-aligned militants said they would allow salvage crews to tow the ship - which has been on fire since Aug. 23 - to safety.

The sources said the priority of the operation - whether to tow the vessel to a port or arrange a transfer of its cargo - depended on an inspection of the vessel.

"It is not an easy task, transferring the oil cargo to another ship, when there are explosives on it," said one of the sources. "In any case, (EU monitoring mission) ASPIDES ships will protect and escort the vessel to a safe port."

"Delta Tankers is doing everything it can to move the vessel (and cargo). For security reasons, we are not in a position to comment further," a spokesperson for the tanker operator said.

There had been conflicting accounts earlier in the week over whether the Sounion had started leaking its cargo.

The ASPIDES mission said it had not, while the US later clarified initial comments to say some of the spillage was not from the cargo, but from the vessel itself and where it had been hit.

If a spill occurs, it has the potential to be among the largest from a ship in recorded history.

"Houthis have agreed to allow its towing because at the end of the day any environmental disaster would affect their region," said a shipping industry source.