Latest news with #HouthiAttacks
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Cairo Intensifying Efforts to Restore Normal Traffic in Suez Canal
Egypt is intensifying its efforts to return traffic in its Suez Canal back to normal in wake of the hit revenues have taken because of the attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed Suez Canal traffic in a telephone call with his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp. Veldkamp hoped the recent ceasefire agreement between Yemen and the US would positively impact navigation in the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Abdelatty said Veldkamp stressed the Netherlands' readiness to encourage Dutch companies to resume navigation in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, helping restore normal traffic levels. Revenue from the Suez Canal, a key source of foreign currency for Egypt, plummeted to $880.9 million in the fourth quarter from $2.40 billion a year earlier, the victim of Houthi attacks, central bank figures showed in May. Egypt's Suez Canal Authority chief, Osama Rabie, said in May the authority is considering offering discounts ranging from 12% to 15% on transit fees to help restore traffic in the strategic waterway. Rabie met with representatives from shipping agencies who called for temporary incentives that would help offset increased insurance costs for vessels operating in the Red Sea, which they deemed a high-risk zone. The meeting followed an Oman-mediated ceasefire between the US and the Houthis, under which the US agreed to stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen in return for the group agreeing to stop attacking US ships. The accord does not include Israel. Abdelatty and Veldkamp also exchanged views on the latest developments in the Middle East region, particularly the catastrophic situation in Gaza.
Asharq Al-Awsat
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemen PM, EU Discuss Future Partnership
The European Union has informed the Yemeni government that it will issue a statement about the situation in Yemen that will tackle the Houthi attacks on Red Sea navigation and the harm they have incurred in the country, region and world, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. The EU last made such a statement in appreciation of the government three years ago. This time, it will be more explicit in condemning the Houthis, the sources added on condition of anonymity. Yemeni Prime Minister Salem Saleh bin Braik held talks on Wednesday with Managing Director for Middle East and North Africa in the EU's European External Action Service Helene Le Gal and EU Ambassador to Yemen Gabriel Vinals. The sources continued: 'The EU believes that the damage caused by the Houthis was no longer just a Yemeni problem, especially after their attacks on Red Sea shipping.' This will determine EU policy and how to handle Yemen, they said. Wednesday's meeting covered the current and future partnership between Yemen and the EU and the diplomatic, humanitarian and economic support it is providing to the war-torn country. It tackled support to the Yemeni coastguard in their efforts to combat smuggling and protect international navigation, as well as joint coordination in confronting regional and international challenges, reported the Yemen's Saba news agency. The meeting reviewed the government's service and economic priorities and its comprehensive reform efforts. The gatherers discussed Yemen's humanitarian needs and efforts to ease the suffering of the people that has been compounded by Houthi attacks on oil facilities and Red Sea shipping. They covered current and future cooperation and the EU's support for Yemen and its preparations to hold a humanitarian conference in Brussels later this month.
Zawya
13-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Egypt's Suez Canal mulls discounts on transit fees to bring back traffic
CAIRO: Egypt's Suez Canal Authority chief, Osama Rabie, said the authority is considering offering discounts ranging from 12% to 15% on transit fees to help restore traffic in the strategic waterway reeling from attacks by Yemen's Houthis on Red Sea shipping. Rabie told privately owned Sada al-Balad television channel in a phone interview that the discounts could be applied within days after a ratification by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. He spoke after revenue from the canal continued to plunge on the back of attacks on shipping by Yemen's Houthis, who say they are trying to shut off cargo bound for Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza, but who are also chasing ships away from the canal. Revenue from the Suez Canal, a key source of foreign currency for Egypt, plummeted to $880.9 million in the fourth quarter from $2.40 billion a year earlier, the victim of Houthi attacks, central bank figures showed earlier this month. Last week, Rabie met with representatives from shipping agencies who called for temporary incentives that would help offset increased insurance costs for vessels operating in the Red Sea, which they deemed a high-risk zone. The meeting followed an Oman-mediated ceasefire between the United States and the Houthis, under which the U.S. agreed to stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen in return for the group agreeing to stop attacking U.S. ships. The accord with the Iran-backed group does not include Israel. (Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Ahmed Tolba and Mohamed Ezz in Cairo; Editing by Chris Reese and Matthew Lewis)
Reuters
12-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Egypt's Suez Canal mulls discounts on transit fees to bring back traffic
CAIRO, May 12 (Reuters) - Egypt's Suez Canal Authority chief, Osama Rabie, said the authority is considering offering discounts ranging from 12% to 15% on transit fees to help restore traffic in the strategic waterway reeling from attacks by Yemen's Houthis on Red Sea shipping. Rabie told privately owned Sada al-Balad television channel in a phone interview that the discounts could be applied within days after a ratification by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. He spoke after revenue from the canal continued to plunge on the back of attacks on shipping by Yemen's Houthis, who say they are trying to shut off cargo bound for Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza, but who are also chasing ships away from the canal. Revenue from the Suez Canal, a key source of foreign currency for Egypt, plummeted to $880.9 million in the fourth quarter from $2.40 billion a year earlier, the victim of Houthi attacks, central bank figures showed earlier this month. Last week, Rabie met with representatives from shipping agencies who called for temporary incentives that would help offset increased insurance costs for vessels operating in the Red Sea, which they deemed a high-risk zone. The meeting followed an Oman-mediated ceasefire between the United States and the Houthis, under which the U.S. agreed to stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen in return for the group agreeing to stop attacking U.S. ships. The accord with the Iran-backed group does not include Israel.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US will only respond to Houthi attacks that hurt Americans
The US will only respond to Houthi attacks on Israel that affect American citizens, the country's new ambassador has suggested. In comments that have prompted concern about a cooling of relations between the two allies, Mike Huckabee told Israeli TV that US forces would take action against the Iran-backed terror group if any of the 700,000 Americans living in the Jewish state got hurt. It comes after Donald Trump stunned Benjamin Netanyahu's government this week by announcing a ceasefire with the Houthis, so long as they stopped attacking US ships. The Yemen-based group promptly said it would continue firing missiles and drones at Israel. The deal, about which Israel received no forewarning, emerged in a particularly sensitive week after a Houthi ballistic missile penetrated Israel's air defences last Sunday and hit Ben Gurion airport. The strike near the main terminal building, which injured eight, prompted foreign airlines to suspend flights, putting Israel's economy under further pressure. Donald Trump has so far been considered the most pro-Israeli US president of all time in the Jewish state. However, recent reports have suggested that he is growing impatient with the lack of progress in Gaza, amid the increased ascendancy of the isolationist faction within his administration, which is more closely aligned with his 'Maga' base. In an interview with Israel's Channel 12 news, Mr Huckabee said: 'Here's what I can tell you, because I had a conversation with both the president and the vice president last night. There are 700,000 Americans living in Israel. If the Houthis want to continue doing things to Israel and they hurt an American, then it becomes our business.' Asked to clarify if that meant the US would only intervene if Americans were hurt, he responded: 'It's a matter of what becomes our immediate business.' It follows Mr Trump's ambiguous answer earlier this week to the question of how the US would respond to further attacks on Israel: I'll discuss that if something happens.' In his interview, the full version of which will be screened this weekend, Mr Huckabee also sought to address criticism about America's bilateral deal with the Houthis. 'The United States isn't required to get permission from Israel to make some type of arrangement that would get the Houthis from firing on our ships,' he said. The deal with Iran has prompted concern in Israel's corridors of power that Mr Trump may seek a deal on the far more important Iranian nuclear issue that, similarly, fails to take Israel's interests into account. Mr Trump begins a tour of the Middle East next Tuesday, which, according to the current schedule, will include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, but not Israel. It comes amid reports that the White House is applying heavy pressure on Mr Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire-hostage deal in Gaza by next week. Commentators have suggested that Mr Trump would only visit Israel on the back of positive news. However, the prime minister is caught between ultra-nationalist coalition partners who are demanding an expansion of the war against Hamas – if needs be, at the expense of the hostages – and a refusal by the terror group to hand over any further hostages without an agreement to end the war for good. Under the new military plan, Israel will, for the first time, seek to seize and hold all territory in Gaza, while ordering the civilian population to a southern holding zone. The government is believed to be in the process of signing a contract with a US-backed firm of contractors to distribute aid in a new way so that it does not benefit Hamas. A leaked memo from the group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, reportedly suggests that it will only be able to provide aid to 60 per cent of the civilian population in the short term, assuming none leave the territory. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
