Yemen, Britain Warn against 1 Mn Barrel Oil Leak in Red Sea from Safer Tankerhttps://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2335061/yemen-britain-warn-against-1-mn-barrel-oil-leak-red-sea-safer-tanker
Yemen, Britain Warn against 1 Mn Barrel Oil Leak in Red Sea from Safer Tanker
The Safer oil tanker off Yemen's Red Sea coast, pictured in March 2005. (Getty Images)
Yemen’s Minister of Fish Wealth Fahd Kafayen warned that a marine environment disaster was imminent in the Red Sea over the continued erosion of the Safer floating oil storage and offloading vessel that is moored north of Hodeidah city.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the disaster was looming after the corrosion of the floating tank, which holds nearly a million barrels of crude oil.
He said that leak would lead to a marine disaster that would stretch across vast areas of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and reach neighboring regions. It will lead to massive destruction in marine life and the spill would be difficult to contain.
Its impact will last for several years, he warned.
The Safer is laden with some 1.1 million barrels of crude oil and has been stranded with no maintenance since early 2015, soon after the Iran-backed Houthi militias staged their coup in Yemen, leaving it to deteriorate and potentially allowing explosive gases to build up.
Kafayen urged the international community to immediately intervene and force the Houthis to allow experts to urgently resolve the problem before it gets even worse.
British Ambassador to Yemen Michael Aron echoed the plea, urging the militants to allow United Nations experts to access the tanker and assess the situation.
The experts should be allowed to prepare a report on the best ways to handle the problem, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The United Nations has warned that if the Safer ruptures, it could block maritime trade through the Red Sea, which accounts for up to 10 percent of world trade.
It could also threaten the daily passage of some 5.5 million barrels of oil, contaminate drinking water and damage the marine environment across the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and parts of Gulf waters.
The tanker holds a capacity of 3.5 million barrels. The Safer company used to perform regular maintenance on the vessel until the Houthis seized control of Hodeidah and prevented them from accessing it.
Some 176 workers used to operate the floating platform, but now there are only four.
According to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, Safer was listed put up for auction by Japan in 1986. It was considered the world’s second largest vessel as the time. The Hunt Oil Company purchased it and turned it into a floating platform near Ras Issa in Hodeidah.
Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani had previously cited technical reports that warned that a leak would spill 138 million liters of oil in the Red Sea, which would be four times worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaskan waters.
Israel Prosecutors Charge Six Settlers with ‘Terror Offenses’ After West Bank Attackhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5288922-israel-prosecutors-charge-six-settlers-%E2%80%98terror-offenses%E2%80%99-after-west-bank-attack
Israeli bulldozers guarded by Israeli soldiers demolish the home belonging to the Palestinian al-Atrash family, citing the lack of a building permit, in the village of Qilqes, a few kilometers from the Israeli settlement of Beit Hagai, just south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on June 23, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT
Israel Prosecutors Charge Six Settlers with ‘Terror Offenses’ After West Bank Attack
Israeli bulldozers guarded by Israeli soldiers demolish the home belonging to the Palestinian al-Atrash family, citing the lack of a building permit, in the village of Qilqes, a few kilometers from the Israeli settlement of Beit Hagai, just south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on June 23, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli prosecutors filed charges against six people, including for "acts of terrorism", after a settler attack on a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank that included the torching of a mosque, police said Friday.
Palestinians frequently complain that violent acts by settlers in the West Bank often go unpunished.
Indictments have become more commonplace along with the rising frequency of settler attacks, but rights groups say this has not led to greater safety for Palestinians.
"Six indictments were filed for acts of terrorism, arson, sabotage, and violent rioting in the village of Deir Dibwan out of a nationalistic motive," police said in a statement, referring to a village in the central West Bank.
On June 14, Israeli settlers attacked two West Bank villages including Deir Dibwan, with the military saying at the time that security forces had been dispatched to several locations "following reports of arson and violent riots carried out by Israeli civilians".
Police said the investigation revealed that settlers had coordinated to enter the village together, masked and carrying flammable substances, tear gas and a knife.
"Upon entering the village, they carried out a series of terrorist acts, which included setting fire to vegetation, torching vehicles, damaging the local mosque, attacking residents' homes, and throwing stones at vehicles and inhabited houses," the statement read.
The police said the latest move by the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office marked the 51st indictment this year "against individuals involved in extreme violence."
More than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank -- excluding annexed east Jerusalem -- in settlements and outposts illegal under international law.
Three million Palestinians also live there.
Israel has occupied the Palestinian territory since 1967 and violence has escalated there since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
The number of settler attacks has risen sharply in 2026 to an average of six per day, according to the UN.
Houthi Leader Escalates War Rhetoric Despite Worsening Hardship for Yemenishttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5288881-houthi-leader-escalates-war-rhetoric-despite-worsening-hardship-yemenis
Supporters of the Iranian-backed Houthi movement gather at a mass rally, denouncing what they perceive to be derogatory comments by the US president Donald Trump, held in capital Sanaa on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)
Houthi Leader Escalates War Rhetoric Despite Worsening Hardship for Yemenis
Supporters of the Iranian-backed Houthi movement gather at a mass rally, denouncing what they perceive to be derogatory comments by the US president Donald Trump, held in capital Sanaa on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)
As economic and humanitarian crises deepen across areas under Houthi control, the group's leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, used his latest televised address on Thursday to escalate his political and military rhetoric at both the domestic and regional levels.
He threatened confrontation with Israel and the United States, warned of attacks in Somalia, and signaled readiness to intervene alongside Iran in any future regional conflict.
Al-Houthi's remarks coincided with an intensified campaign of internal mobilization and mass recruitment, reflecting the group's continued commitment to escalation despite the deteriorating living conditions of millions of Yemenis.
His speech carried multiple messages, beginning with renewed assertions of what the group describes as its unwavering position toward the United States and Israel, and a pledge to continue coordinating with the so-called "Axis of Resistance."
He also reaffirmed the group's readiness to participate in any future round of escalation, particularly if linked to the Gaza Strip or any other regional front.
Members of Yemen's security forces stand guard as crown of people listen to a speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Sanaa on June 25, 2026. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)
The Houthi leader also congratulated Iran on what he described as its "victory" in its recent confrontation with Israel, arguing that the outcome represented a triumph for the entire "Axis of Resistance," in another affirmation of the group's continued alignment with the Tehran-led alliance.
Al-Houthi's speech extended beyond the conflict in Gaza and the confrontation with Israel to the Horn of Africa. He warned of what he described as Israeli efforts to establish a presence in Somaliland, claiming the move was intended to secure control over the Gulf of Aden, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Red Sea.
He threatened that his group would target any potential Israeli presence in the area "by all available means," while calling on Red Sea littoral states to adopt a unified position to prevent such a development, further expanding the group's military rhetoric beyond Yemen's borders.
Vehicles pass under a billboard showing Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Internal Political and Military Mobilization
Alongside the political escalation, the Houthis have intensified mobilization efforts in recent days ahead of Ashura, organizing large-scale events in the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and other areas under their control.
Local sources said Houthi supervisors carried out field campaigns in neighborhoods, government institutions, and educational facilities, compelling residents, employees, and students to attend the events. Attendance lists were reportedly compiled and submitted to the organizing authorities.
Residents in Sanaa said many participants attended under direct pressure for fear of questioning or harassment, while the group relied on loudspeakers and extensive propaganda campaigns to maximize turnout.
One resident of Maeen district said neighborhood leaders had received explicit instructions to mobilize as many residents as possible. Government employees also reported being ordered to attend despite having gone unpaid for years.
Residents say the focus on sectarian events and mass mobilization comes at a time when families are struggling daily to secure food, medicine, and other basic necessities amid rising prices and declining purchasing power.
Al-Houthi also called for preserving what he described as the "home front" and urged the continuation of public mobilization programs and military training courses, while praising tribal initiatives and popular activities organized by the group across areas under its control.
Observers say these calls reflect the group's continued investment in military and ideological mobilization through religious occasions with a sectarian character, which have, over the years, become tools for expanding political and military influence and recruiting additional fighters.
They also argue that the latest speech is consistent with the group's approach since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, using regional developments to reinforce its domestic narrative and keep its support base in a constant state of mobilization.
Millions of Yemenis in Houthi-controlled areas face severe hunger (EPA)
Food Emergency
The Houthi escalation comes as international warnings continue over Yemen's worsening humanitarian situation. UN and international reports maintain that the country remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with millions of people in urgent need of food and humanitarian assistance.
In its latest report, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network forecast that severe food insecurity across Houthi-controlled areas will persist through the end of the third quarter of this year.
The governorates of Hodeidah, Hajjah, and parts of Taiz are expected to remain at emergency food insecurity levels, while the rest of the group's territory will continue to face crisis-level conditions.
The report attributed the continuing crisis to a deteriorating business environment, restrictions on economic activity, limited income-generating opportunities, and the ongoing impact of the war, all of which have contributed to expanding poverty and increasing humanitarian needs.
Israel Army Says Killed Seven Hezbollah Operatives in South Lebanonhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5288871-israel-army-says-killed-seven-hezbollah-operatives-south-lebanon
A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese region of Marjayoun shows smoke rising following an Israeli airstrike on the village of Choukine on June 19, 2026. (Photo by AFP) /
Israel Army Says Killed Seven Hezbollah Operatives in South Lebanon
A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese region of Marjayoun shows smoke rising following an Israeli airstrike on the village of Choukine on June 19, 2026. (Photo by AFP) /
The Israeli military said it killed seven Hezbollah militants who had operated near its so-called "security zone" in southern Lebanon on Friday.
The latest attack comes amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in an offshoot of the Middle East war that the United States and Iran are negotiating to bring to a definitive end.
While the fighting has diminished significantly in recent days, it has not stopped completely, AFP reported.
The military said in a statement it had "struck and eliminated seven Hezbollah terrorists who transferred weapons near the Security Zone in southern Lebanon," adding that it would "continue to operate to remove threats."
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the regional war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.
Israel responded with airstrikes and an invasion that Lebanon says have killed more than 4,200 people.
Under US pressure, Lebanese officials began direct talks in April with Israel in Washington, and a truce was announced on April 17 but failed to stop the fighting.
A new ceasefire was declared this month as Tehran insists that its deal with the US to end the Middle East war must include Lebanon.
The fifth round of talks between Israel and Lebanon were slated to end on Thursday, but the US State Department said they would go on for another day.
لم تشترك بعد
انشئ حساباً خاصاً بك لتحصل على أخبار مخصصة لك ولتتمتع بخاصية حفظ المقالات وتتلقى نشراتنا البريدية المتنوعة
