
Israel strikes Huthi energy site in Yemen amid ongoing conflict
A military statement said the operation hit 'an energy infrastructure site that served the Huthi terrorist regime' near the rebel-held capital without specifying the exact location.
Huthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported the attack targeted the Haziz power station south of Sanaa, citing a civil defence source.
No casualties were immediately reported, though an AFP photographer observed significant damage at the site.
A power station employee told AFP that 'two aggressive strikes by the Israeli enemy' occurred in the early morning but caused no injuries.
The Huthis have launched repeated missile and drone attacks against Israel since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.
Most Huthi projectiles have been intercepted, prompting Israeli retaliatory strikes on rebel positions in Yemen.
Israel's military stated the latest strike responded to 'repeated attacks' by the group.
Later on Sunday, the Israeli military intercepted another missile fired from Yemen after sirens sounded in multiple regions.
Huthi spokesman Yahya Saree claimed responsibility, stating the group targeted Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport with a ballistic missile.
Defence Minister Israel Katz warned on social media that the Huthis would 'pay with compound interest for every attempt to fire at Israel' and announced an air and sea blockade on the group.
Katz had previously threatened a blockade in June without significant enforcement.
Beyond targeting Israel, the Huthis have attacked ships they allege are linked to Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The group expanded its campaign to include US and British vessels after both nations launched strikes to secure the waterways in January 2024.
A May ceasefire with the US ended weeks of intense strikes, though the Huthis vowed to continue targeting Israeli-affiliated ships. – AFP

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New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Thousands of Palestinians leave Gaza City fearing Israeli offensive
CAIRO: Fearing an imminent Israeli ground offensive, thousands of Palestinians have left their homes in eastern areas of Gaza City, now under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and south in the shattered territory. Israel's plan to seize control of Gaza City has stirred alarm abroad and at home, where tens of thousands of Israelis on Sunday held some of the largest protests since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining 50 hostages held by Palestinian fighters in Gaza since Oct 7, 2023. The planned offensive spurred Egyptian and Qatari ceasefire mediators to step up efforts to forge a deal between Israel and Hamas fighters in Gaza, and a Hamas official said on Monday the group had approved the latest ceasefire proposal. The official did not provide further details, and it was not immediately clear what they accepted. Hamas has responded positively in the past while proposing amendments unacceptable to Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Gaza City as Hamas's last big urban bastion. But, with Israel already holding 75 per cent of Gaza, the military has warned that expanding the offensive could endanger hostages still alive and draw troops into protracted and deadly guerrilla warfare. Dani Miran, whose son Omri was taken hostage on Oct 7, said he feared the consequences of an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza City. "I'm scared that my son would be hurt," he told Reuters in Tel Aviv on Monday. In Gaza City, many Palestinians have also been calling for protests soon to demand an end to a war that has demolished much of the territory and wrought a humanitarian disaster, and for Hamas to intensify talks to avert the Israeli ground offensive. An Israeli armoured incursion into Gaza City could displace hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have been uprooted multiple times during the war. Ahmed Mheisen, Palestinian shelter manager in Beit Lahiya, a war-devastated suburb abutting eastern Gaza City, said 995 families had departed the area in recent days for the south. With the Israeli offensive looming, Mheisen put the number of tents needed for emergency shelter at 1.5 million, saying Israel had allowed only 120,000 tents into the territory during a January–March ceasefire. The UN humanitarian office said last week 1.35 million people were already in need of emergency shelter items in Gaza. "I am heading south because I need to ease my mental state," Mousa Obaid, a Gaza City resident, told Reuters. "I do not want to keep moving left and right endlessly. There is no life left, and as you can see, living conditions are hard, prices are high, and we have been without work for over a year and a half. It is very, very difficult." A protest by unions is scheduled for Thursday in Gaza City, and people took to social media platforms vowing to participate, which will raise pressure on Hamas. Diplomatic Deadlock The last round of indirect ceasefire talks ended in deadlock in late July, with the sides trading blame for its collapse. Israel says it will agree to cease hostilities if all the hostages are released and Hamas lays down its arms – the latter demand publicly rejected by the Islamist group until a Palestinian state is established. A Hamas official told Reuters on Monday the group rejects Israeli demands to disarm or expel its leaders from Gaza. Sharp differences also appear to remain over the extent of an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and how humanitarian aid will be delivered around the enclave, where malnutrition is rife and aid groups warn of unfolding famine. Underscoring the gaps in talks on a ceasefire, US President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform on Monday: "We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be." On Saturday, the Israeli military said it was preparing to help equip Gazans with tents and other shelter equipment ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south of the enclave. It did not provide further details on quantities or how long it would take to get the equipment into the enclave. "Existing tents where people are living (in the south) have worn out and won't protect people against rainwater. There are no new tents in Gaza because of the Israeli restrictions on aid at the border crossings," Palestinian economist Mohammad Abu Jayyab told Reuters. He said some Gaza City families had begun renting property and shelters in the south and moved in their belongings. "Some people learned from previous experience, and they don't want to be taken by surprise. Also, some think it is better to move earlier to find a space," Abu Jayyab added. The war began when Hamas-led fighters stormed across the border into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. More than 61,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Israel's ensuing air and ground war in Gaza, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants. Five more Palestinians have died of malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday, raising the number of people who have died of those causes to 263, including 112 children, since the war started. Israel disputed the figures provided by the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.


The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Monday (Aug 18, 2025)
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The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Hong Kong court hears closing arguments in tycoon Jimmy Lai's trial
A prison van believed to be carrying Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai arrives at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts building for the closing submissions in his national security trial. -- PHOTO: REUTERS HONG KONG (AFP): Hong Kong prosecutors on Monday began closing arguments in the trial of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, arguing he had shown "unwavering intent" to ask for foreign sanctions against Hong Kong and China. The 77-year-old founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper has pleaded not guilty to two counts of foreign collusion, with authorities accusing him of using various platforms to lobby Western nations. The charges are brought under the city's national security law, which Beijing imposed in 2020 after the finance hub saw huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before. Prosecutors on Monday cited Lai's web of foreign connections to argue he had "unwavering intent to solicit sanctions, blockades or other hostile activities" against China and Hong Kong, adding that the intent was "long-term and persistent". In his closing arguments, prosecutor Anthony Chau highlighted Lai's trips to the United States around the time of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, including one in July where he met with then-US vice president Mike Pence. "The court will remember that, in any event, (Lai) himself did advocate and request for sanctions, which he said was against officials and not the state," said Chau, referring to Lai's earlier testimony. Lai has denied calling for sanctions against China and Hong Kong as a whole, and has said he never advocated separatism. The trial was scheduled to begin its final stages last Thursday but was postponed twice: first due to bad weather and then to address Lai's medical needs. The defence had said on Friday that Lai was experiencing heart "palpitations" and had an episode where he felt like he was "collapsing". Chau said on Monday that Lai had been prescribed medication and was wearing a heart rate monitoring device, which was given to him on Friday. "(Lai) has made no complaint on his heart condition or general health condition and is fit to attend court," Chau said. Judge Esther Toh also read out a memo by a senior medical officer saying that Lai was "physically and mentally fit for court". Teresa Lai, wife of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, arrives at the West Kowloon court where Lai's national security trial is being held in Hong Kong on Monday, August 18, 2025. -- Photo by ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP - Health concerns - Concerns have been raised previously over Lai's health by his family and rights groups. The media tycoon has been kept behind bars since December 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement, and has lost weight during that time. The Hong Kong government said in a statement on Friday that the "medical care received by Lai Chee-ying in custody is adequate and comprehensive". Dressed in a white shirt and pale windbreaker, Lai appeared in court on Monday without any medical equipment visible on his body. He smiled and waved to supporters and family members in the public gallery when he entered. He listened to the court proceedings via a set of headphones and closed his eyes for a few minutes during the morning session. The long-running trial, which began in December 2023, is entering its final stages as Western nations and rights groups continue to call for Lai's release. Aside from the collusion offence -- which could land him in prison for life -- Lai is also charged with "seditious publication" related to 161 articles, including op-eds carrying his byline. Responding to human rights arguments raised by the defence, Chau said Lai had not raised any constitutionality challenges. Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said last week that Hong Kong should "drop the baseless charges" against Lai. US President Donald Trump told a Fox News radio programme last week that he brought up the tycoon's case with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "I'm going to do everything I can to save him," the outlet quoted Trump as saying. The Hong Kong government last week said it "strongly disapproved and rejected the slanderous remarks made by external forces" regarding Lai's case. - AFP