
Israel threatens Huthi leaders after striking Yemen ports
File photo (AP)
HODEIDA: Israel threatened to target the leadership of Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels after the air force struck two rebel-held ports on Friday, following repeated Huthi missile attacks in recent days.
The Huthis agreed earlier this month to stop firing on international shipping in the Red Sea after the United States stepped up air strikes on rebel-held areas with British support.
But the rebels vowed to keep up their strikes on Israel despite the deal and fired three missiles in as many days this week that triggered air raid warnings in major cities.
The Huthis' Al-Masirah television reported strikes on the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, a key entry point for aid, as well as the port of Salif further north.
An AFP correspondent in Hodeida reported hearing several loud explosions.
The Huthi-run health ministry said at least one person was killed and nine wounded in the strikes.
The Israeli military said 15 fighter jets dropped over 30 munitions on Huthi targets in the air force's eighth round of strikes in Yemen.
It said the ports were "used to transfer weapons" and that prior warnings had been issued to Yemeni civilians to evacuate.
The Huthi administration said the strikes "will be met with a painful response", according to the Huthi-run Saba news agency.
The Huthis, who have controlled large swathes of Yemen for more than a decade, began firing at Israel-linked shipping in November 2023, weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
They later broadened their campaign to target Israel, saying it was in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the Huthi leadership there was "more to come" after Friday's strikes.
"We are not willing to sit on the sidelines and let the Huthis attack us. We will hit them far more, including their leadership and all the infrastructure that allows them to hit us," Netanyahu said in a video statement.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz warned Huthi leaders that if the missile attacks continued, they would face the same fate as Hamas leaders slain by Israel in Gaza.
UN scales back aid
"If the Huthis continue to fire, we will also hit the heads of the terror groups, just as we did to (slain Hamas military chief Mohammed) Deif and (the) Sinwars (Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammed Sinwar) in Gaza," Katz said in a post.
"We will also hunt down and eliminate the Huthi leader, Abd al-Malek al-Huthi."
In early May, a Huthi missile struck an area at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport, gouging a hole near its main terminal building and wounding several people in a rare penetration of Israeli air defences.
Israel retaliated by striking the airport in Yemen's rebel-controlled capital, Sanaa and three nearby power stations.
The UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said that the exchange marked a "dangerous escalation" and was a reminder that the war-torn country is "ensnared in the wider regional tensions."
The United Nations meanwhile announced that it was scaling back its humanitarian aid goals in Yemen in the latest fallout from a drastic drop in funding from member states.
It said the cuts are putting millions of lives at risk around the world.
In January, the UN launched an appeal for $2.4 billion to help 10.5 million people in war-torn Yemen this year, far below the 19.5 million people it deems as being in need of assistance.
But with funding down, the global body and its humanitarian aid partners established new priorities so as to be able to help at least the neediest.
Now the focus in Yemen will be on 8.8 million people with a forecast budget of $1.4 billion, said Stephanie Tremblay, a spokeswoman for UN chief Antonio Guterres.
UN agencies are scaling back operations and staffing around the world as they grapple with big cuts in contributions from member states, in particular the United States under President Donald Trump.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India Gazette
39 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Kerala: Death of 15-year-old in Nilambur sparks controversy ahead of bye-polls
New Delhi [India], June 9 (ANI): With the Nilambur bye-polls just around the corner, the death of a 15-year-old from an illegal animal trap in the district has sparked controversy with Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday accusing the Kerala government of being negligent. 'Yesterday, a 15-year-old boy Ananthu was killed because he came into contact with a highly illegal electrified fence. As our minister, George Kurian said, he met the family, and he said that Ananthu is a martyr for the people of that region. It is clear that he is the victim of state government negligence, state government is covering up the incident that it's central government responsibility which is a lie,' the BJP's Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, told ANI. He accused the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government of being negligent against a particular community, as he added, 'Maybe they feel that in Nilambur this particular community has never voted for them, and that is why I would charge them with deliberate negligence against a particular community.' He also said that the Union Environment Minister has made it clear that the state government has enough powers to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, without any interference from the Centre. 'Bhupender Yadav (Union Environment Minister) has made it absolutely clear that the state government had all the powers, and not only had it but used the power in the past in other municipalities and gram panchayats to kill wildlife and wild pigs who are causing harm to agriculture,' Chandrasekhar said. On the Kerala government claiming that there have been restrictions put on the state government, he added, 'it is a lie, a total falsehood, perpetuated by a government that has been bought, I have pictures of other incidents where they have used to powers to kill wild boars.' Earlier on Sunday, Union Minister George Kurian told ANI, 'A 15-year-old boy was killed by this illegal trap fixed by some people. The state government has failed to control this and is not taking any action. They keep blaming and say some laws should be amended. Kerala has totally failed to protect people living near forests. We are demanding a strong action.' Nilambur bye-polls are set to happen on June 19, with counting on June 29. The elections were necessitated after the resignation of PV Anvar, an LDF-backed MLA, who stepped down in January after making several allegations against the Left government in the state. However, Anvar is going to contest the elections under the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) banner. Anvar will be going up against National Democratic Alliance candidate Michael George. The byelection has political significance as it is a precursor to next year's state assembly election and will test the popularity of the current government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan (ANI)


India Gazette
39 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Union Minister Jitendra Singh attends UN Ocean Conference, French President Macron calls for multilateral mobilisation to save oceans
Nice [France], June 9 (ANI): Union Earth Sciences Minister Dr Jitendra Singh attended the opening session of the third United Nations Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of France and Costa Rica, which started today in Nice. During the opening session of the 'UN Ocean Conference', French President Emmanuel Macron called for multilateral mobilisation to save the oceans. In a post on X, Singh stated, 'Opening session of 'UN Ocean Conference' began with an address by the President of the host country #France, Mr Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron). Before an august gathering representing over 150 countries of the world, President Macron makes an urgent call for multilateral mobilisation to save the oceans.' Macron said, 'We need to revitalize multilateralism behind the UN Secretary General,' adding that, 'the only way to meet that challenge, is to mobilize all actors, heads of state and government speaking here, but also scientists.' In his opening remarks to the conference, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, 'I urge all countries to come forward with bold pledges,' according to the UN statement. He stated, 'We live in an age of turmoil, but the resolve I see here gives me hope,' he said. 'Hope that we can turn the tide.' Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves Robles stated that 'this summit must be remembered as the time when the world understood that looking after the ocean is not simply an option. Rather, it is a moral, economic, and indeed, we need minimum protection.' The conference includes plenaries and 10 Ocean Action Panels that will bring together governments, the UN system, civil society, scientists, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and the private sector, according to the UN statement. Earlier in the day, Dr Jitendra Singh held a meeting with the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO). 'Bilateral' with the #UNESCO emissary, Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO). Over the recent years, India has under PM @narendramodi assumed a special significance. Focus is on strengthening global ocean observation capabilities, both through in-situ methods and satellite technology, by India,' Dr Jitendra Singh posted on X. Earlier on Sunday, Norway's Minister of International Development, Asmund Grover Aukrust, met Union Minister for Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh in Monaco and expressed solidarity with India over the recent attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. The two leaders exchanged notes on deepening India-Norway cooperation in Marine Planning, Arctic research and a resilient Blue Economy. Asmund Grover Aukrust said they eagerly looked forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Norway. The Norwegian side has clearly expressed support for India in the wake of recent developments. The Norway Minister conveyed that there is a strong public sentiment in Norway in favour of India, with many citizens expressing a desire to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit their country. In a press release, Ministry of Earth Sciences stated, 'In a significant diplomatic engagement ahead of the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) side event, Norway Minister of International Development, Asmund Grover Aukrust, called on India's Minister for Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh and conveyed his country's solidarity with India, in the light of the deplorable happenings in Jammu & Kashmir in recent weeks. Dr Jitendra Singh acknowledged Norway's support, in response to which Aukrust said that they eagerly looked forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Norway.' 'From the Norwegian side, there has been a clear expression of support for India in the wake of recent developments. The Norway Minister conveyed that there is a strong public sentiment in Norway in favour of India, with many citizens expressing a desire to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit their country,' it added. (ANI)

The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Israel ‘ultra-Orthodox' party threatens Netanyahu's Government over draft law
Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party on Monday (June 9, 2025) threatened to bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government by backing a motion for early elections amid a row over military service. Mr. Netanyahu's coalition, one of the most right-wing in Israel's history, is at risk of collapsing over a bill that could reverse the long-standing exemption from the draft for ultra-Orthodox Jews. The exemption is facing growing pushback as Israel wages war on Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza. Mr. Netanyahu is under pressure from within his Likud party to draft more ultra-Orthodox men and impose penalties on draft dodgers — a red line for Shas. The party is demanding legislation to permanently exempt its followers from military service and gave Mr. Netanyahu two days to find a solution. 'We don't want to bring down a right-wing government, but we've reached our limit,' Shas spokesperson Asher Medina told public radio. 'If there's no last-minute solution (on conscription), we'll vote to dissolve the Knesset,' he said, referring to the Israeli Parliament. Last week, a Shas source told AFP the party was threatening to quit the coalition unless a solution was reached by Monday (June 9, 2025). The Opposition is seeking to place a bill to dissolve parliament on Wednesday's (June 11, 2025) plenary agenda, hoping to capitalise on the ultra-Orthodox revolt to topple the Government. Mr. Netanyahu's coalition, formed in December 2022, includes Likud, far-right factions and ultra-Orthodox parties. A walkout by the latter would end its majority. A poll published in March by right-wing daily Israel Hayom found 85% of Israeli Jews support changing the conscription law for Haredim. Forty-one percent backed compulsory military service — currently 32 months for men — for all eligible members of the community.