Houthis Threaten to Launch Terrorist Attacks in Response to Security Council Condemnation

Houthi militants in Sanaa display drones believed to be of Iranian origin (EPA)
Houthi militants in Sanaa display drones believed to be of Iranian origin (EPA)
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Houthis Threaten to Launch Terrorist Attacks in Response to Security Council Condemnation

Houthi militants in Sanaa display drones believed to be of Iranian origin (EPA)
Houthi militants in Sanaa display drones believed to be of Iranian origin (EPA)

The Iran-backed Houthi militia responded to a UN Security Council statement condemning its attack on the al-Dabba port in Hadramout by threatening to expand its attacks and warning that it could resort to any option to target local energy facilities and maritime trade.

The militias have targeted two oil ports on the Arabian Sea in the Hadramout and Shabwa governorates.

The attacks drew Arab and international condemnation amid the militias' efforts to force the legitimate government to pay the militants' salaries in its control areas and share crude oil sales proceeds.

The Security Council statement described the Houthi attack on the oil port in Hadramout as "terrorist," saying it is a severe threat to peace and stability in Yemen.

In response, the Houthi foreign ministry issued a statement accusing the Security Council of attempting to manipulate the facts and adopting double standards.

The militias tried to evade the consequences of their actions and legitimize them by claiming they aimed to protect Yemeni wealth.

They said the attacks "were not an aggressive or offensive message" in international waters or shipping lanes, but instead a warning inside Yemeni territorial waters.

The statement threatened to repeat the attacks on a larger scale, saying that all options are open for a broader range of strict measures.

The Houthi statement renewed the group's demands, which the Security Council described as "extremist," regarding the payment of the salaries of its militants and the lifting of UN restrictions on the sea and air ports under its control to smuggle Iranian weapons.

It called on the Council to issue a new binding resolution to prepare the negotiations for a peaceful political settlement to reach a comprehensive peace.

Meanwhile, Yemenis await the results of the efforts of UN envoy Hans Grundberg in the coming days after the militias rejected his proposal to extend and expand the armistice.

The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and the legitimate government approved the proposal for humanitarian purposes.

There are fears that the Houthi intransigence would reignite the clashes on various fronts after a relative calm throughout the six months of the truce that began on April 2, and the militias refused to extend it for the third time on October 2.

The Yemeni government welcomed the recent Security Council condemnation, pointing to "the urgent need to deter the Iranian-back terrorist Houthi militias and their actions that threaten regional and international peace and security."

The Yemeni statement underlined "the necessity to punish the perpetrators of the attacks and support the Yemeni government's decision to include the Houthi militias on the list of terrorist organizations."



Israeli Forces Have Completed Encirclement of Gaza’s Rafah, Military Says

 Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
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Israeli Forces Have Completed Encirclement of Gaza’s Rafah, Military Says

 Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)

Israeli forces have completed the encirclement of Gaza's Rafah, the military said on Saturday, part of an announced plan to seize more areas of the enclave, accompanied by large-scale evacuations of the population.

The military has issued repeated evacuation warnings to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians across Rafah since it resumed operations in Gaza on March 18, forcing them into a diminishing space limited by the sea.

Israel said on April 2 that troops had begun seizing an area it called the Morag Axis, a reference to a former Israeli settlement once located between the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have since fled Rafah, a 60 square km area that borders Egypt to the south.

"Over the past 24 hours, the 36th Division's troops completed the establishment of the Morag route, separating Rafah and Khan Younis," the military said on Saturday.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza was launched after Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the offensive, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave. Most of the population has been displaced and much of Gaza is in ruins.

Israel restarted the offensive in March after effectively abandoning a ceasefire in place since January. The campaign will continue, it says, until the remaining 59 hostages are freed and Hamas is stamped out of Gaza.

Hamas says it will free hostages only as part of a deal that will end the war and has rejected demands to lay down its arms. A Hamas delegation was expected in Cairo over the weekend to discuss new truce proposals, according to a source in the group.