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Israel Bombs Power Station and Two Ports Controlled by Houthis in Yemen

Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Bombs Power Station and Two Ports Controlled by Houthis in Yemen

Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)

Israeli warplanes bombed a power station and two ports in Houthi-controlled Yemen on Friday in retaliation for Houthi drone and missile strikes against Israel, and pro-Houthi media said at least one person had been killed and nine wounded.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iran-backed Houthi militias were "paying and will continue to pay a heavy price for their aggression against us".

A series of airstrikes targeted the Red Sea port of Ras Issa and six others the major port of Hodeidah, said Al Masirah TV, the main news outlet run by the Houthis, while Harf Sufyan District in Amran province also came under air attack.

An employee at the Ras Issa port was killed and six others were injured, the outlet said.

Earlier, British security firm Ambrey said airstrikes on the Ras Issa port targeted oil storage facilities in the vicinity of shipping berths, though no merchant vessels were reported to have been damaged.

The supply of petroleum derivatives is stable, the Houthi government spokesperson Hashem Sharaf Eddine said after the attack.

Thirteen airstrikes also targeted the Hezyaz central power station in Yemen's capital Sanaa, Al Masirah TV reported. It said three citizens had been injured, including a worker at Hezyaz, and a number of homes had been damaged.

An Israeli military statement confirmed the targets, saying the power station served as a "central source of energy for the Houthi terrorist regime in its military activities". It added that the targets struck were examples of the "Houthis' exploitation of civilian infrastructure".

Within the past 48 hours, the Houthis have fired three drones at Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv and more drones and missiles at the US aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said.

The Houthis have targeted Israel, hundreds of kilometers to the north as well as international shipping in waters near Yemen since November 2023 in support of Palestinians at war with Israel in Gaza.

Israel has responded with airstrikes in Houthi-held areas of Yemen, as have British and US forces in the region.

Netanyahu said last month Israel was only at the beginning of its campaign against the Houthis.

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Arab World

Jordan's Army Says Shot Down 10 Iranian Missiles

This screen grab made on July 18, 2026 from handout video footage released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on July 17, 2026 shows what the US military says is the latest wave of precision strikes on strategic Iranian military sites. (Photo by US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP)
This screen grab made on July 18, 2026 from handout video footage released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on July 17, 2026 shows what the US military says is the latest wave of precision strikes on strategic Iranian military sites. (Photo by US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP)
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Jordan's Army Says Shot Down 10 Iranian Missiles

This screen grab made on July 18, 2026 from handout video footage released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on July 17, 2026 shows what the US military says is the latest wave of precision strikes on strategic Iranian military sites. (Photo by US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP)
This screen grab made on July 18, 2026 from handout video footage released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on July 17, 2026 shows what the US military says is the latest wave of precision strikes on strategic Iranian military sites. (Photo by US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP)

Jordan's army said on Saturday it had shot down 10 Iranian missiles with no casualties or damage, as Tehran retaliated against American strikes by pressing attacks on other countries.

"Air defense systems... intercepted 10 Iranian missiles that had entered Jordanian airspace and were targeting the Kingdom's territory (which) were intercepted and shot down," the army said in a statement, adding that there were no casualties or material damage.

The United States and Iran exchanged strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets on Saturday as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified.

The region has endured days of back-and-forth attacks in a conflict increasingly focused on control of the strait. The collapse of an interim ceasefire leaves no clear end in sight for the war that the US and Israel began more than four months ago.

Arab World

Lebanon: Aoun Departs for Washington to Meet Trump

FILED - 16 February 2026, Lebanon, Beirut: FILE PHOTO - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference. Photo: Markus Lenhardt/dpa
FILED - 16 February 2026, Lebanon, Beirut: FILE PHOTO - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference. Photo: Markus Lenhardt/dpa
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Lebanon: Aoun Departs for Washington to Meet Trump

FILED - 16 February 2026, Lebanon, Beirut: FILE PHOTO - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference. Photo: Markus Lenhardt/dpa
FILED - 16 February 2026, Lebanon, Beirut: FILE PHOTO - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference. Photo: Markus Lenhardt/dpa

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday left Beirut for Washington, where he is expected to meet Donald Trump, the Lebanese presidency said, after talks between Lebanon and Israel wrapped up in Italy.

Aoun will hold discussions "with several American officials on the situation in Lebanon and ways to strengthen the ceasefire,” particularly in Lebanon's south, as well as on "the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese regions it occupies,” the presidency said.

Meanwhile, the United States has postponed a virtual meeting between Lebanese, Israeli and US military delegations that had been expected on Friday to discuss the first phase of the “pilot zones” plan.

The delay puts the practical rollout of the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel on hold, particularly the pilot zone arrangements, and renews questions over an implementation process that still has no clear timetable.

The technical meeting was agreed during the latest round of negotiations in Rome. It was intended to finalize the first phase mechanism: Israeli forces would withdraw from several pilot zones, allowing the Lebanese army to deploy there under the supervision of the monitoring committee. The plan would then expand in later stages.

Sources familiar with the negotiations told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington requested the postponement, saying more time was needed to complete technical files, operational plans and implementation procedures.

Arab World

Transport Costs: A Daily Burden Weighing on Khartoum Residents

A general view of a public transport terminal in Khartoum (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A general view of a public transport terminal in Khartoum (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Transport Costs: A Daily Burden Weighing on Khartoum Residents

A general view of a public transport terminal in Khartoum (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A general view of a public transport terminal in Khartoum (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Getting to work, hospital or university in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, has become a test of survival in a city battered by war.

As transport fares rise, incomes fall and unemployment spreads, thousands of families are being forced to choose between commuting and paying for food, medicine and education.

The crisis has deepened as displaced people return to Khartoum and its three cities while services remain limited and the number of operating vehicles falls far short of demand. Higher fuel, spare parts and operating costs have pushed fares up further.

Passengers face long waits, frequent fare changes and shortages of vehicles on several routes. Damaged infrastructure and road closures have altered routes, lengthened journeys and forced many commuters to use more than one vehicle, sharply increasing daily costs.

Official figures reflect the wider economic strain. Gold export revenues reached about $370 million in the first quarter of this year, while fuel imports exceeded $697 million over the same period, highlighting the gap between export earnings and the cost of essential imports as large parts of the economy remain shut by the war.

For bus driver Abdullah Ali, 50, the transport crisis mirrors his personal losses. His bus was stolen when fighting began, and he was wounded by shrapnel in his right hand before fleeing to Gezira state, then Atbara and Shendi.

After returning to Khartoum about six months ago, he began working as a hired driver on a bus he does not own.

Ali told Asharq Al-Awsat that his income barely covered his daily needs and was not enough to renew his driver’s license. Many drivers were also unable to pay licensing and maintenance fees as fuel, oil, tire and spare-parts prices continued to rise, he said.

Moussa al-Safi, a laborer supporting four children, said transport consumed much of his daily income.

“The war has not only raised prices, but also reduced job opportunities,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. “A worker pays to travel there and back without any guarantee of finding work or earning money by the end of the day.”

Private-sector employee Sami Abdel Qayoum said he often used more than one vehicle to reach work, taking up a large part of his monthly salary. To save money, he gets off before his destination and walks long distances.

University student Shehab Othman said some students arrived late or missed lectures because they could not afford transport, while others walked long distances to cut daily expenses.

Ezzedine Jaber, a member of the bus union, said short-route fares were about 2,000 Sudanese pounds, while some longer routes cost up to 6,000 pounds. Lower fuel prices were the main way to reduce operating costs and ease the burden on passengers, he said.

The impact extends beyond passenger transport.

“The price of a gallon of diesel has exceeded 40,000 pounds, raising the cost of transporting goods from Port Sudan and production areas to markets and export ports,” economist Mohamed al-Nayer told Asharq Al-Awsat. “That is ultimately reflected in the prices of goods and services.”

In Khartoum, where displaced people and refugees continue to return, transport fares have become part of the cost of survival.

Each increase can mean one less meal for a family, delayed medicine for a patient, a missed lecture for a student or kilometers of walking for a worker trying to protect what remains of their income.