Yemen Calls for Collective International Action to Deter Houthi Terrorism

 A Houthi drone was brought down a few days ago in the Khokha area, south of Hodeidah (Yemeni Military Media)
A Houthi drone was brought down a few days ago in the Khokha area, south of Hodeidah (Yemeni Military Media)
TT

Yemen Calls for Collective International Action to Deter Houthi Terrorism

 A Houthi drone was brought down a few days ago in the Khokha area, south of Hodeidah (Yemeni Military Media)
A Houthi drone was brought down a few days ago in the Khokha area, south of Hodeidah (Yemeni Military Media)

The Yemeni government urged the international community to take collective action to deter the Houthi militia terrorism, saying condemnation statements shouldn't be enough. This came following a Houthi attack using drone against an oil terminal in eastern Yemen.

The attack targeted Al Dabba oil terminal, near the port city of Mukalla in Hadhramaut governorate. On Monday, the Yemeni army announced that it had intercepted Houthi drones targeting Al Dabba while a ship was present to transport a shipment of oil.

Nevertheless, the army confirmed that one of the drones had hit the cargo platform in the oil terminal and caused material damage.

The terminal was the target of another assault by the Houthis last month as the Iran-backed militia continues to extort the internationally recognized government for sharing crude oil revenues from liberated areas in Hadhramaut and Shabwah.

“Continued targeting of civilian objects and national economic facilities by terrorist Houthi militias represents a dangerous escalation that would exacerbate the humanitarian situation and threaten energy supplies, freedom and safety of navigation and international trade,” the government warned in a statement.

The government described the Houthi attack as “criminal,” stressing that they represent a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms.

“Houthi attacks are carried out in blatant disregard for the catastrophic humanitarian, environmental and economic repercussions that ensue,” the government’s statement added.

The Yemeni government also renewed its call for the international community to move from condemning the terrorist acts of the Houthis to collective action to curb the group’s destabilizing activities.

The Yemeni government also demanded Houthis be designated as a terrorist organization, demanding more pressure on the Iranian regime to stop its destabilizing interference in the region.



Airlines Including Lufthansa Cautiously Plan to Resume Some Middle East Flights

An Airbus A320-214 passenger aircraft of Lufthansa airline, takes off from Malaga-Costa del Sol airport, in Malaga, Spain, May 3, 2024. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
An Airbus A320-214 passenger aircraft of Lufthansa airline, takes off from Malaga-Costa del Sol airport, in Malaga, Spain, May 3, 2024. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
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Airlines Including Lufthansa Cautiously Plan to Resume Some Middle East Flights

An Airbus A320-214 passenger aircraft of Lufthansa airline, takes off from Malaga-Costa del Sol airport, in Malaga, Spain, May 3, 2024. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
An Airbus A320-214 passenger aircraft of Lufthansa airline, takes off from Malaga-Costa del Sol airport, in Malaga, Spain, May 3, 2024. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo

Germany's Lufthansa Group is set to resume flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel from Feb. 1 and Wizz Air restarted its London to Tel Aviv route on Thursday, the companies said following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Many Western carriers cancelled flights to swaths of the Middle East in recent months, including Beirut and Tel Aviv, as conflict tore across the region. Airlines also avoided Iraqi and Iranian airspace out of fear of getting accidentally caught in drone or missile warfare.

Wizz Air also resumed flights to Amman, Jordan starting on Thursday from London Luton airport.

Lufthansa Group carriers Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines and Swiss were included in Lufthansa's decision to resume flights to Tel Aviv.

Ryanair said it was hoping to run a full summer schedule to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv in an interview with Reuters last week, before the ceasefire deal was announced.

In the wake of the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Turkish Airlines said it would start flights to Damascus, the Syrian capital, on Jan. 23, with three flights per week.

CAUTIOUS RETURN

But airlines remain cautious and watchful before re-entering the region in full, they said.

British carrier EasyJet told Reuters it welcomed the news of the Gaza ceasefire and would review its plans in the coming days.

Air France-KLM said its operations to and from Tel Aviv remain suspended until Jan. 24, while its flights between Paris and Beirut will be suspended until Jan. 31.

"The operations will resume on the basis of an assessment of the situation on the ground," it said in a statement.

The suspension of Lufthansa flights to and from Tehran up to and including Feb. 14 remains in place and the airline will not fly to Beirut in Lebanon up to and including Feb. 28, it said.