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US Navy Seizes Ammunition En Route from Iran to Yemen's Houthis

A handout photo released on December 3, 2022, by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a fishing trawler intercepted by the US Navy operating from expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) in the Gulf of Oman. (Photo by DVIDS / AFP)
A handout photo released on December 3, 2022, by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a fishing trawler intercepted by the US Navy operating from expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) in the Gulf of Oman. (Photo by DVIDS / AFP)
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US Navy Seizes Ammunition En Route from Iran to Yemen's Houthis

A handout photo released on December 3, 2022, by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a fishing trawler intercepted by the US Navy operating from expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) in the Gulf of Oman. (Photo by DVIDS / AFP)
A handout photo released on December 3, 2022, by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a fishing trawler intercepted by the US Navy operating from expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) in the Gulf of Oman. (Photo by DVIDS / AFP)

The US Navy's Fifth Fleet said on Saturday it had intercepted a fishing trawler smuggling "more than 50 tons of ammunition rounds, fuses and propellants for rockets" in the Gulf of Oman along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen on Dec. 1.

"Navy personnel operating from expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) discovered the illicit cargo during a flag verification boarding, marking US 5th Fleet’s second major illegal weapons seizure within a month," it added in a statement.

"This significant interdiction clearly shows that Iran's unlawful transfer of lethal aid and destabilizing behavior continues," Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said.

"US naval forces remain focused on deterring and disrupting dangerous and irresponsible maritime activity in the region."

The fishing trawler intercepted on Thursday was carrying nearly 7,000 rocket fuses and "over 2,100 kilograms of propellant used to launch rocket propelled grenades", the statement said.

"The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the Houthis in Yemen violates UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law," it added.

Last month the US navy said it had scuttled a boat transporting "explosive materials" from Iran to supply the Houthis, with enough power to fuel a dozen ballistic rockets.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.