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World’s Top Shipping Companies Say Won’t Send Vessels Back to Red Sea

The Houthis threatened to resume their attacks in the Red Sea if the ceasefire in Gaza fails (EPA) 
The Houthis threatened to resume their attacks in the Red Sea if the ceasefire in Gaza fails (EPA) 
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World’s Top Shipping Companies Say Won’t Send Vessels Back to Red Sea

The Houthis threatened to resume their attacks in the Red Sea if the ceasefire in Gaza fails (EPA) 
The Houthis threatened to resume their attacks in the Red Sea if the ceasefire in Gaza fails (EPA) 

Despite a Houthi pledge not to attack ships in the Red Sea as long as a ceasefire in Gaza holds, big shipping companies said they won’t send vessels back to the area, given the unpredictable situation in Gaza and tensions in the Middle East.

The day after a ceasefire was declared in Gaza, the Houthi militant group said they will only attack Israeli-affiliated vessels in the Red Sea.

But, despite those pledges, “The world’s top three container shippers, MSC Mediterranean Shipping, A.P. Moller-Maersk and CMA CGM, in recent days said they would stick with other routes given what they called the unpredictable situation in Gaza and broader tensions in the Middle East,” The Wall Street Journal wrote.

Nils Haupt, spokesman for Germany's biggest shipper, Hapag-Lloyd, said, “You don't want to send a gas carrier that will go up in flames. We don't know when we will be returning.”

The Houthis declared their commitment to stop attacks in the Red Sea after a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. But they vowed to strike ships if Israel continues its military operations in the West Bank.

The Iranian-backed militants, who control swathes of Yemen, have used an array of sophisticated weapons - including ballistic missiles and drones - in their 14-month attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

Ships were forced to divert to routes around Africa’s southern Cape of Good Hope.

The Sanaa-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOOC) which liaises between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators and is associated with the Houthi military, said it was stopping “sanction” against vessels owned by US or British individuals or entities, as well as ships sailing under their flags.

In an email sent to shipping industry officials dated Jan. 19, HOOC said, “We affirm that, in the event of any aggression against Yemen by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, or the usurping Israeli entity, the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor.”

Last week, Dubai-owned ports and logistics firm DP World expected ships not linked to Israel to begin returning to the Red Sea in as little as two weeks.

Sea freight prices could drop “at least 20%, 25%” and that could happen over two to three months, DP World's deputy chief executive Yuvraj Narayan told Reuters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting taking place in Davos, Switzerland.

Last Wednesday, Houthis released 25 crew members from the Galaxy Leader car carrier seized in November 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Arab World

Sources: Islamic Jihad Military Chief Survives Assassination Attempt in Iran

Akram al-Ajouri, commander of the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (accounts supporting the group on X)
Akram al-Ajouri, commander of the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (accounts supporting the group on X)
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Sources: Islamic Jihad Military Chief Survives Assassination Attempt in Iran

Akram al-Ajouri, commander of the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (accounts supporting the group on X)
Akram al-Ajouri, commander of the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (accounts supporting the group on X)

Three sources in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said a member of its political bureau and head of its military wing, Akram al-Ajouri, survived an Israeli airstrike that targeted him in Iran about a month ago.

Two senior sources in the group, based in Lebanon where al-Ajouri had lived in recent years, said the site where he was expected to be in the Iranian city of Qom was struck in mid-March, but he escaped along with those who were with him.

The military wing led by al-Ajouri, who is in his sixties, is the highest authority within the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad. He has overseen it since the early days of the Second Intifada, which erupted at the end of 2000, and rose to prominence in late 2002 and early 2003.

One source said al-Ajouri was not at the targeted site at the time, having left “a day or perhaps hours before the strike for routine security reasons, as he frequently changed locations under the protection of intelligence from the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.”

The source added that the targeted location in Qom belonged to Mohammad Saeed Izadi, known among Palestinian factions and Lebanon’s Hezbollah as “Hajj Ramadan.”

Izadi was assassinated by Israel on June 21 last year in an apartment in the same city.

Islamic Jihad is considered the Palestinian faction most closely aligned with Iran, which is its main source of funding and support.

Izadi was responsible for coordinating with Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as Hezbollah, in his role as a representative of the Quds Force.

He maintained close ties with the group’s leadership, particularly its Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah and al-Ajouri.

The second source did not confirm or deny whether al-Ajouri had changed locations, saying only that “al-Ajouri is fine,” a statement echoed by a third source inside the Palestinian territories.

The two Lebanon-based sources said Palestinian leaders in Iran, including al-Ajouri and faction representatives, have adopted strict security precautions in anticipation of possible assassination attempts, particularly if the war resumes.

Islamic Jihad has not issued any official comment confirming the attempted assassination or al-Ajouri’s survival.

Israeli media had reported in March, citing an Israeli military source, that al-Ajouri and the group’s deputy secretary-general Mohammad al-Hindi had been targeted in Iran. Informed sources later told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Hindi was not in Iran at the time, and he subsequently appeared in a televised interview.

Who is Akram al-Ajouri?

Al-Ajouri is regarded as a key figure within Islamic Jihad, not only in operational matters related to arming the Al-Quds Brigades in Gaza, but also for maintaining strong ties with Hezbollah’s leadership and previously with the government of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Sources in the group say al-Ajouri is highly important to the IRGC due to his role in carrying out missions and drafting plans related to military operations and the transfer of weapons to the Gaza Strip and other areas. He is also responsible for forming several militant cells in the West Bank.

Al-Ajouri has managed the group’s armed wing for many years. In addition to overseeing armament in Gaza and the West Bank, he is credited with building the group’s military presence in Lebanon and Syria, and deploying fighters from both countries in attacks launched from Lebanon in support of Hezbollah since Oct. 8, 2023, during the latest war.

Al-Ajouri has survived several assassination attempts, including two in Syria, one in 2014 and another in 2019 that targeted his home and killed his son and others. At the time, estimates suggested he was in Lebanon, where he also survived at least one assassination attempt.

Sources said that shortly before the war involving Iran, al-Ajouri had been preparing to leave Lebanon, but several Arab and Islamic capitals refused to receive him despite efforts by al-Nakhalah, citing his inclusion in cases before local courts.

Arab World

Hezbollah Fires at Israel, Citing Truce Breaches

Israeli military vehicles drive in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, amid a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, as seen from Israel, April 19, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli military vehicles drive in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, amid a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, as seen from Israel, April 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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Hezbollah Fires at Israel, Citing Truce Breaches

Israeli military vehicles drive in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, amid a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, as seen from Israel, April 19, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli military vehicles drive in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, amid a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, as seen from Israel, April 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said it fired rockets and drones into northern Israel on Tuesday, accusing the Israeli military of violating a ceasefire ahead of US-mediated talks between the Israeli and Lebanese governments this week.

The Israeli military earlier said Iran-aligned Hezbollah had fired several rockets toward its troops operating in southern Lebanon, in what it described as a "blatant violation" of the ceasefire agreement.

It was not immediately clear if the incidents were the same.

A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah mediated by Washington came into effect last Thursday, but Israeli forces remain deployed in a belt of Lebanese land 5 to 10 km (3 to 6 miles) deep along the entire border.

Israel has said it aims to create a buffer zone to shield northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, in its statement on Tuesday, accused Israel of attacking civilians and destroying homes in breach of the truce. It said it fired at a position ‌in northern Israel that ‌had been striking southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military said it struck the launcher from which the rockets were ‌fired, ⁠and that sirens ⁠in northern Israel were likely sounded after the interception of a drone launched from Lebanon.

The Israeli military did not respond to a question on whether Hezbollah's announced attack was the same as the one the Israeli military had announced earlier.

BERRI SAYS PEOPLE WILL RESIST

On Thursday, the US will host a second round of ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon, which was dragged into war on March 2 when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran in the regional conflict.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, earlier told Lebanese newspaper al-Joumhouria that Israeli forces occupying parts of the south would face resistance.

If Israel "maintains its occupation, whether of areas, positions, or by drawing yellow lines, it will smell the scent of resistance every day," ⁠said Berri.

The Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both referred to ‌Israel's deployment line in Lebanon as the "Yellow Line" last week - the same term ‌used by Israel for its deployment line in Gaza.

Israeli officials have since refrained from describing it in those terms, instead calling it a "forward defense line" that was ‌marked in red in a military map published on Sunday that included a "naval forward defense area" extending from Lebanon's coast into the sea.

The ‌Israeli military has been carrying out demolitions in southern villages since the ceasefire, saying it is acting against Hezbollah infrastructure embedded in civilian areas. Lebanese state media on Tuesday reported new Israeli detonations in at least eight villages and Israeli artillery shelling in several areas.

Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000 after a 22-year occupation, during which Hezbollah, Berri’s Amal and other groups waged attacks against Israeli forces.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed nearly 2,300 since March 2, Lebanese authorities say.

The Lebanon conflict ‌has complicated Pakistan's efforts to mediate between the US and Iran. Tehran has demanded that Israel's campaign against Hezbollah be included in any deal on the wider war.

US President Donald Trump announced the Lebanon ⁠ceasefire on April 16, saying there ⁠was no link to its talks with Iran.

But Iran said it was part of an understanding reached with the US and mediated by Pakistan. The US hosted talks between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to Washington on April 14, the highest-level contacts between the states in decades, despite strong objections from Hezbollah.

NO NEED FOR DIRECT TALKS WITH ISRAEL, BERRI SAYS

Berri, in his comments to al-Joumhouria, reiterated his view that there was no need for direct talks with Israel, noting he had been a party to several rounds of indirect negotiations with Israel over the years.

Aoun has listed Israeli withdrawal among Lebanon's goals in face-to-face talks with Israel. His administration has sought Hezbollah's peaceful disarmament for a year.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Tuesday his government did not seek confrontation with Hezbollah but would not be intimidated by it.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday the ultimate goal of the campaign against Hezbollah was to see the group disarmed, by both military and diplomatic means.

"If the Lebanese government continues not to keep its commitment (to disarm Hezbollah), the Israeli army will do so by continuing its military activity," Katz said in Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu struck a softer tone last Friday, saying that disarming Hezbollah "will not be achieved tomorrow. It requires sustained effort, patience, and endurance, and it requires wise navigation of the diplomatic field."

Arab World

Lebanese State Not Seeking Confrontation with Hezbollah but Won’t Be Intimidated, PM Says

France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam shake hands after a joint declaration press event following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam shake hands after a joint declaration press event following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)
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Lebanese State Not Seeking Confrontation with Hezbollah but Won’t Be Intimidated, PM Says

France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam shake hands after a joint declaration press event following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam shake hands after a joint declaration press event following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Tuesday his government was not seeking confrontation with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but would not allow itself to be intimidated as it prepares direct talks with Israel to end the conflict.

Salam and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris to see how to strengthen Lebanon's hand in possible direct future negotiations with Israel, as Beirut turns to a trusted European ally.

The US will host ambassador-level talks with Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, although it remains unclear whether the objective is to extend a fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah or pave the way for deeper negotiations.

'NOT INTIMIDATED BY HEZBOLLAH'

"We are continuing along this path, convinced that diplomacy is not a sign of weakness, but a responsible act to leave no avenue unexplored in restoring my country's sovereignty and protecting ‌its people," Salam ‌said.

Israeli troops occupy territory deep in the south, aiming to create a buffer ‌zone ⁠to shield northern ⁠Israel from Hezbollah attack, while the group says it maintains the "right to resist" Israeli occupation.

Lebanon in 2025 said it would disarm Hezbollah, but its army treaded carefully, wary of igniting internal tensions. The United States and Israel criticized Lebanon for not moving fast enough.

"We are not seeking confrontation with Hezbollah. On the contrary, I wanted to avoid confrontation with Hezbollah, but believe me, we will not be intimidated by Hezbollah," Salam said when asked about the state's ability to disarm the group.

Salam said the country would need 500 million euros ($587 million) over the next six months to deal with the humanitarian crisis ⁠that has seen 1.2 million people displaced from Lebanon's south, east and the ‌southern suburbs of Beirut.

FRANCO-LEBANESE HISTORICAL TIES

France, which has deep historical ties ‌with Lebanon, has sought alongside Washington to mediate in the conflict, brokering the ceasefire in 2024 and helping establish a mechanism to ‌monitor it.

But relations with Israel have soured over France’s stance on Gaza and the West Bank, its ‌accusations that Israel’s actions in Lebanon are disproportionate, and its contacts with Hezbollah’s political wing.

Israel’s ambassador to Washington said last week that France should be excluded from any talks, describing Paris as having "no positive influence."

The US, while maintaining contact with France on the issue, has also sought to marginalize its role.

European and Lebanese diplomats say they fear that if direct negotiations begin, Lebanon’s government ‌could be too weak to resist unrealistic demands, potentially fueling domestic tensions given Hezbollah’s refusal to negotiate with Israel.

"We are trying our best to get them ⁠back in the discussions, but ⁠the US and Israel are adamant not to include them," said a Lebanese diplomat. France has pushed initiatives only to be rebuffed by the US and Israel.

Macron said the priority was to end the war and ensure stability for the future, promising to help Lebanese authorities prepare negotiations.

"France does not need to be at any negotiating table, wherever it may be, in order to stand by Lebanon," he said.

Echoing the need for French support, Salam said negotiations with Israel would be demanding, and as a result, Lebanon would need the "active" support of all its partners.

Paris argues that unlike Washington it has a significant presence on the ground in Lebanon with some 700 UN peacekeepers, and that any peace deal would still need a significant international presence to implement it. A French soldier was killed in southern Lebanon this week in an attack the French government said was carried out by Hezbollah.

In a sign of the ceasefire's fragility, Israeli troops have continued demolitions of homes in the southern Lebanese border strip they now occupy and the Israeli military said Hezbollah had fired rockets at Israeli troops in that zone on Tuesday. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.