Latest news with #Greek-flagged
RTHK
06-05-2025
- Politics
- RTHK
Trump says Houthis have 'capitulated'
Trump says Houthis have 'capitulated' Houthi attacks on vessels such as the Greek-flagged oil tanker 'Sounion' have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal. Photo: AFP US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have agreed to halt attacks on shipping, in a surprise announcement at the White House. The Houthis began targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in late 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by Israel's military after a shock Hamas attack that year. "The Houthis have announced... that they don't want to fight anymore. They just don't want to fight. And we will honour that, and we will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated," Trump said. "They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore, and that's... the purpose of what we were doing," the US president said, adding that the information came from a "very, very good source." Attacks by the Houthis have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal – a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of the world's shipping traffic. The United States began carrying out strikes against the Houthis in early 2024 under President Joe Biden, and Trump's administration launched renewed attacks on the rebels starting on March 15. The Pentagon said last week that US strikes had hit more than 1,000 targets in Yemen since mid-March, in an operation that has been dubbed "Rough Rider." (AFP)
USA Today
06-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Passengers panic after Houthi missile lands near Israel's main airport
Passengers panic after Houthi missile lands near Israel's main airport Show Caption Hide Caption Greek-flagged tanker leaks oil after Houthi attack The tanker was still burning nearly a week after it was hit with several projectiles off Yemen. A missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels towards Israel on Sunday landed near Ben Gurion Airport, the country's main international airport, sending a plume of smoke into the air and causing panic among passengers in the terminal building. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who claimed responsibility for the missile strike, have recently intensified missile launches at Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. A senior Israeli police commander, Yair Hetzroni, showed reporters a crater caused by the impact of the missile, which airport authorities said had landed beside a road near a Terminal 3 parking lot. "You can see the scene right behind us here, a hole that opened up with a diameter of tens of metres and also tens of metres deep," Hetzroni said, adding that there was no significant damage. In a statement after the strike, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: "Whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold." Israel's Channel 12 News said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would meet security ministers and defence officials on Sunday to discuss a response. Most missile launches from Yemen have been intercepted by Israel's missile defence systems, apart from a strike that hit Tel Aviv last year. The military said it was investigating what happened with Sunday's launch, which caused sirens to be activated across central Israel, including nearby in the major city of Tel Aviv. A Reuters reporter at the airport, which is located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, heard sirens and saw passengers reacting by running towards safe rooms. Several people at the airport posted videos filmed on smartphones that showed a plume of black smoke clearly visible nearby, behind parked aircraft and airport buildings. Reuters has not verified the videos. The Israeli ambulance service said eight people were being taken to hospital, including a man in a mild to moderate condition with injuries to his limbs and two women in a mild condition with head injuries. US strikes on Houthis Claiming responsibility for the strike, the Houthis' military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Israel's main airport was "no longer safe for air travel". A spokesperson for the Israel Airports Authority said takeoffs and landings had resumed and operations at Ben Gurion had returned to normal, after reports of air traffic being halted and access routes to the airport being blocked. However, flight operations were disrupted due to the missile, according to Ben Gurion's live air traffic site. Some flights, including by Air India, TUS Airways and Lufthansa Group, were cancelled. Others, including to U.S. airports Newark and JFK, were delayed by about 90 minutes. A Reuters reporter boarded a flight to Dubai that was on time. Sunday's strike came as Israeli ministers were reported to be close to signing off on plans to expand the military operation in Gaza, which resumed in March following a two-month truce, drawing a pledge from the Houthis to hit Israel with more missiles. Efforts to revive the ceasefire have so far faltered, and U.S. President Donald Trump in March ordered large-scale strikes against the Houthis to reduce their capabilities and deter them from targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, began targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping in late 2023, during the early days of the war between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip. The war was triggered by Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel's offensive on Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the enclave. The U.S. strikes on the rebel group, which have killed hundreds of people in Yemen, have been the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office in January. (Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din, Jaidaa Taha, Alexander Cornwell and Steven Scheer;Writing by Estelle Shirbon;Editing by Toby Chopra and Helen Popper)
Newsweek
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Pressure Grows as Houthis Withstand US Campaign
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Yemeni Houthis have shown growing defiance toward the U.S., despite more than nine weeks of airstrikes aimed at deterring attacks in the Red Sea and on Israel, escalating tensions with Iran over its support for the group. Newsweek has reached out to the Pentagon, Houthi officials, as well as the Israel Defense Force and Iran's foreign ministry for comment. Why It Matters The Houthi's escalating and damaging attacks mark a significant shift in the Middle East conflict. President Donald Trump has vowed to annihilate the militant group and the prolonged campaign has prompted additional U.S. military deployments. This photo released by the European Union's Operation Aspides naval force shows the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion burning in the Red Sea following a series of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Monday, Sept. 2,... This photo released by the European Union's Operation Aspides naval force shows the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion burning in the Red Sea following a series of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. More European Union's Operation Aspides/AP What To Know Since October 7, 2023, Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping and strikes on Israel have been a key part of the Iran-supported armed groups' response to the Gaza war. In 2025, the U.S. ramped up pressure through intensified airstrikes and renewed sanctions to cut off their financial and arms supply networks. Crews embarked on USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) resupply at sea and operate 24/7, targeting Iran-backed Houthi terrorists within Houthi controlled areas of Yemen.#HouthisAreTerrorists — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 2, 2025 Over a month into the campaign, the U.S. military claimed it had destroyed hundreds of Houthi targets and eliminated key commanders, while the Houthis said they had downed multiple MQ-9 Reaper drones and caused the loss of a fighter jet, which the U.S. says fell overboard from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. On Sunday, a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis struck near Ben Gurion International Airport, evading interception by the Arrow 3 and U.S. THAAD systems—an unusual breach that raised questions about evolving Houthi missile technology. The Israeli military said it launched an investigation. "They're experts on missiles. I mean they actually make missiles, nobody thought that, but they make missiles," Trump said during an Oval Office press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in April. Experts have cautioned since the early days of the strikes ordered on March 15 are unlikely to counter entrenched power in guerrilla warfare and territorial control. "Washington must avoid acting in Yemen without at least coordinating with its regional allies in the Gulf, specifically the UAE and Saudi Arabia," Research Fellow Farea al-Muslimi and Associate Fellow Thomas Juneau at Chatham House Middle East and North Africa Program noted in an analysis published in April. But direct involvement may be elusive, as both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are reluctant to reengage militarily in Yemen after years of costly involvement that failed to defeat the Houthis. "However, both the Saudis and Emiratis have a vested interest in how the war ends and may provide more covert support to forces on the ground", Emily Milliken, Associate Director at the Atlantic Council's Middle East Programs told Newsweek. On Tuesday, the United Kingdom joined the United States in a coordinated military operation targeting Houthi positions, part of ongoing efforts to secure Red Sea shipping lanes. But Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pushed back against Trump's request to support the U.S. operations, according to The Wall Street Journal, despite losses in the Suez Canal's revenues as a result of the maritime disruption. Meanwhile, the Houthis, who have been losing hundreds of fighters, have continued to mobilize against the U.S. and Israel, while Iran has dismissed accusations of supporting the group and warned both countries against threats towards its territory. A Yemeni soldier inspects the damage reportedly caused by U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, April 27, 2025. A Yemeni soldier inspects the damage reportedly caused by U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, April 27, 2025. Osamah Abdulrahman/AP Photo What People Are Saying Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on X: "President Trump is absolutely right! Attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran. Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters." Emily Milliken, Associate Director of Media and Communications for the N7 Initiative at the Atlantic Council's Middle East Programs told Newsweek: "The Houthis' desire to strike Israel in such an important site for tourism underscores the group remains undeterred by the US air strike campaign. As long as the group's senior leadership remains intact, we can expect them to continue strikes targeting Israeli territory and maritime traffic in retaliation to US strikes and to showcase they are undeterred." What Happens Next The escalation is raising regional stakes, with rival Yemeni forces preparing ground offensives and increasing concerns of a potential Iran-Israel confrontation, as the U.S. intensifies its military involvement in the region.
USA Today
16-03-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump orders 'decisive' airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen while issuing a new warning
Trump orders 'decisive' airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen while issuing a new warning Show Caption Hide Caption Greek-flagged tanker leaks oil after Houthi attack The tanker was still burning nearly a week after it was hit with several projectiles off Yemen. WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered "decisive and powerful" U.S. airstrikes on Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and issued a new warning in response to the group's attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The strikes mark the largest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since Trump's return to the White House for a second term. Trump warned the Houthis in a social media post that "HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE" if they don't cease their attacks on ships in the Red Sea. "To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. He told the Iranians if they continue to back Houthi attacks on shipping then "America will hold you fully accountable and, we won't be nice about it!" The strikes resulted in the initial deaths of at least nine civilians and nine injured in Sanaa, the largest city in Yemen, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. Residents in Sanaa said the strikes hit a building in a Houthi stronghold. "The explosions were violent and shook the neighborhood like an earthquake. They terrified our women and children," one of the residents, who gave his name as Abdullah Yahia, told Reuters. Trump executive order: Trump slashes Voice of America with executive order, employees put on leave Houthis have launched more than 100 attacks in Red Sea The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on merchant vessels and war ships in the Red Sea beginning in November 2023, claiming the attacks were in support of Palestinians amid Israel's war in Gaza. The Biden administration responded with multiple U.S.-led counterstrikes in Yemen and relisted the Houthis as a 'specially designated global terrorist' group. "Joe Biden's response was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going," Trump said in his statement. "It has been over a year since a U.S. flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden." The airstrikes comes just days after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected a letter from Trump to begin negotiations on a nuclear deal. In 2018, Trump withdrew the U.S. from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed sanctions that crippled Iran's economy. Tehran reacted a year later by violating the deal's nuclear curbs. Contributing: Reuters Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
Yemen Online
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yemen Online
Suez Canal tows Greek oil tanker damaged in Red Sea attack
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has successfully towed a Greek-flagged tanker carrying over 150,000 tons of crude oil after a Houthi attack in the Red Sea damaged it, SCA said in a statement on Monday. "The oil tanker Sounion was successfully towed by four tugboats" through the Egyptian waterway and was now "heading to Greece," SCA chief Osama Rabie said in a statement. The 274-metre (899-foot) vessel was attacked in August, resulting in a fire that damaged its command centre, engine room, and living quarters and caused failures in its control and navigation systems. The crew, consisting of 25 Filipinos and Russians as well as four private security personnel, was rescued by a French vessel and taken to Djibouti, AFP reported. Rabie explained that the towing operation required months of preparation, including complex measures to unload the tanker's cargo due to its precarious condition. "The dangerous state of the tanker posed risks of pollution, oil spills, or even an explosion, which necessitated these precautions before allowing it to transit the canal," he said. Rescue firms AMBERY and MEGATUGS, under the supervision of the SCA, transferred the cargo to another tanker in the Suez Canal area. The Sounion was towed from the Suez anchorage on Saturday evening to the Great Bitter Lakes, where it waited for the passage of other convoys, he added. Moreover, Rabie emphasized the SCA's readiness to handle complex crossings, citing its qualified personnel, technical capabilities, and simulation training at the Maritime Training and Simulation Academy. He also highlighted the authority's commitment to safety and adherence to international standards. Since November 2023, a month into the Israeli war on Gaza, the Houthis have launched attacks on Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians. Following the Gaza ceasefire in January, the Yemeni group said they would limit their attacks to Israeli-affiliated ships, suspending operations against other vessels. These attacks have disrupted global commercial trade. Egypt's revenues from the Suez Canal, which moves 12 percent of all world trade, dropped by 60 percent, nearly $7 billion, in 2024. The canal is a leading source of foreign currency for Egypt, alongside tourism and expat remittances. It links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, creating the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia. Additionally, it is connected to the Gulf of Aden by the Bab El-Mandeb Strait between Yemen and Djibouti. According to Rabie, dozens of ships have resumed using the Suez Canal since early February instead of taking the longer Cape of Good Hope route, a longer alternative to which ships resorted to avoid the Housthi attacks.
