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Washington Post
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Senators challenge Hegseth on civilian deaths in Yemen strikes
Three Senate Democrats called on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday to account for the scores of civilians reportedly killed in recent U.S. military strikes meant to target Houthi militants in Yemen. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) warned Hegseth that President Donald Trump's repeated claim that he would be a 'peacemaker' in his second term 'rings hollow.' Such a 'serious disregard' for life calls into question the Trump administration's ability to conduct military operations 'in accordance with U.S. best practices for civilian harm mitigation and international law,' the senators told Hegseth in a letter obtained by The Washington Post. A Pentagon spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since early 2024, the United States has been engaged in what the military has described as a predominantly defensive campaign against Yemen's Houthis, an Iran-back group that control much of western Yemen. In response to Israel's war in Gaza, Yemen militants launched a sustained assault months earlier on U.S. and foreign ships traversing the narrow Red Sea shipping lane off their coast, imperiling global commerce. Monitoring groups say the Trump administration has shifted the approach, moving from mainly striking Houthi military infrastructure to targeting its leaders. According to Airwars, a U.K.-based watchdog organization, U.S. strikes were estimated to have killed 27 to 55 Yemeni civilians in March. The estimated casualty toll in April to date is believed to be much higher. So far the Trump administration appears to be 'choosing targets that pose a more direct risk to civilians and may indicate a higher tolerance to the risk of civilian harm,' Airwars said this month. The United Nations assessed that casualties, a term that encompasses both those killed or injured in a military operation, tripled from February to March to a total of 162, the senators wrote in their letter. 'In addition, the strikes have moved beyond targeting Houthi missile launch sites to hitting urban areas,' including civilian infrastructure, they added. A U.S. strike last week on a fuel depot in the Yemeni port of Ras Isa — which U.S. Central Command described as 'not intended to harm the people of Yemen' — killed more than 70 people, according to Houthi leaders and local news reports. The Post could not independently verify those figures. The senators have implored Hegseth to account for the number of Yemeni civilians killed so far and asked him to describe the efforts that the Defense Department has undertaken to avoid such casualties. They also asked whether the Pentagon is even tracking reported civilian deaths after the Trump administration's recent steps to curtail civilian protection activities set up at the Pentagon under President Joe Biden. Hegseth, a combat veteran and a former Fox News personality, has voiced disdain for restrictions imposed on U.S. forces' ability to operate and said he supports 'rules of war for winners.' 'Our enemies should get bullets, not attorneys,' he wrote in his 2024 book, 'The War on Warriors,' lamenting that suspected fighters captured by U.S. forces benefited from access to attorneys. During his confirmation hearing in January, Hegseth was asked whether the U.S. military under his leadership would abide by the Geneva Conventions and prohibitions on torture. 'What we are not going to do,' Hegseth responded, is put international conventions above Americans. 'I am extremely concerned that this administration is eliminating the safeguards we use to prevent civilian casualties, and that we use to ensure accountability with international humanitarian law,' Van Hollen, the lead author of the letter, said in an interview Thursday. Such conduct runs counter to American values, he added, but it also threatens American security interests. 'As military leaders have made clear: if you don't minimize the loss of civilian life, not only are you potentially violating international humanitarian law, but you're undermining the goals of your mission.' In Yemen, 'you only fuel more anger at America among the population when you kill scores of civilians … [and] you risk the Houthis gaining more recruits to their cause.' The administration's efforts to dismantle civilian harm mechanisms will 'undermine years of work to learn from past mistakes and improve how the U.S. prevents and responds to civilian harm — work that actually began under the first Trump administration,' said Annie Shiel, U.S. advocacy director at Center for Civilians in Conflict, noting that many of those efforts arose from bipartisan legislation passed by Congress. Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, has long commanded outsize global attention as a hotbed for al-Qaeda militants and other extremist activity. And successive U.S. administrations — particularly that of former president Barack Obama — have drawn international outrage for civilian casualties that have resulted from U.S. drone strikes or other assaults on suspected militants. Lawmakers from both parties grew increasingly outraged during the nearly decade-long bombardment of the Houthis by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who carried out the campaign using U.S.-supplied weapons. The carnage fueled a humanitarian crisis which, together with the bombardment, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis, according to the United Nations and humanitarian groups. The Trump administration's intensified offensive in Yemen appears to have rankled some influential voices within the GOP, who have warned of endless wars and depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles at a moment when many national security experts say the United States should be prepared for a potential conflict with China. 'Why did we have to do this? Is it part of our constitution that we must be bombing someone at all times?' far-right commentator and Trump ally Ann Coulter wrote on social media last month. Trump's vice president, JD Vance, argued against the strikes in a private exchange with Hegseth and several other senior administration officials that was inadvertently shared with the Atlantic magazine's top editor last month. 'I think we are making a mistake,' Vance wrote.
Saudi Gazette
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Hamas fires rockets at Israel for first time since Gaza truce collapses as toll mounts
JERUSALEM — Hamas fired rockets at Israel from Gaza Thursday, the militant group's first response to Israel's renewed offensive in the Strip that shattered a fragile two-month ceasefire. Israel resumed its offensive on Gaza on Tuesday, first bombarding the Strip with airstrikes before launching a ground offensive a day later. More than 500 people, including 200 children, have been killed since the new offensive began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. Hamas fired three projectiles at central Israel, the Israeli military said. One was intercepted and two 'fell into an open area,' with no casualties reported. Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed it had launched an attack, saying it had 'bombed the city of Tel Aviv deep inside the occupied territories with a barrage of M90 rockets' in retaliation for Israel's attacks. Israel also came under fire overnight from Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Iran-back militia said it fired a ballistic missile at Israel in response to Israel's renewed war in Gaza – the second it has fired since the ceasefire collapsed. Israel's military said it intercepted the missile. Israel blames the new fighting on Hamas for refusing to accept revised ceasefire terms. Hamas, in turn, has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of unilaterally upending the truce and putting hostages 'at risk of an unknown fate.'Netanyahu faced fury from protesters in Jerusalem on Wednesday as thousands gathered outside Israel's parliament, the Knesset, to oppose the renewed have accused Netanyahu of restarting the war in order to solidify his governing coalition, which has long threatened to collapse due to divisions over the war in after Tuesday's intense airstrikes, far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would be returning to Netanyahu's coalition. He had quit the government in January as Israel agreed to a ceasefire in a National Security Ministry meeting on Thursday, Ben-Gvir said he was 'happy to return after two months of respite.'Ben-Gvir's return to government will come as a boon to Netanyahu, who has to pass Israel's next budget before a March 31 deadline or face fresh continued to pound Gaza – killing at least 85 people since the early hours of Thursday, according to Palestinian officials – after it announced 'targeted ground activities' on health ministry said the toll was likely to rise with many people buried under Israeli military said it had retaken the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land that splits Gaza in half, dividing the central Gaza City and northern areas from the southern parts of the Strip that borders Thursday, The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had launched another two ground offensives in Gaza, in the southern city of Rafah and in the north of the said the operation in Rafah, at al-Shaboura refugee camp, had dismantled several 'terrorist' infrastructure sites, while its action in the north took place along the coastal route in the area of Beit ground operation in the north was preceded by Israeli strikes on the city of Beit Lahia the same morning, according to the IDF, which said it had targeted Hamas 'infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch sites' Gaza Civil Defense said more than 50 people were killed in the strikes in Beit Lahia. One of the strikes targeted the home of the Abu Nasr family in the Al-Salatin neighborhood, killing 15 people, it added.A resident of Beit Lahia, Mufida Abu Nasr, told CNN that that the strikes began in the early hours of Thursday morning as she was preparing suhoor, the pre-dawn meal Muslims consume before fasting during Ramadan.'My children began to scream, and I was also terrified because I lost my son just 40 days ago; he was martyred,' she said. 'When we went outside, we found that our relatives and neighbors had all been martyred.' — CNN
CNN
20-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Hamas fires rockets at Israel for first time since truce collapses as toll mounts in Gaza
Hamas fired rockets at Israel from Gaza Thursday, the militant group's first response to Israel's renewed offensive in the Strip that shattered the two-month-old ceasefire. Three projectiles were fired at central Israel, the Israeli military said. One was intercepted and two 'fell into an open area,' with no casualties reported. Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed it had launched an attack, saying it had 'bombed the city of Tel Aviv deep inside the occupied territories with a barrage of M90 rockets' in retaliation for Israel's attacks this week on Gaza that killed hundreds. The rockets are the first to be fired from Gaza since Israel this week broke the ceasefire with Hamas that had held since January, first bombarding the Strip with airstrikes on Tuesday before launching a ground offensive a day later. Israel also came under fire overnight from Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Iran-back militia said it fired a ballistic missile at Israel in response to Israel's renewed war in Gaza – the second it has fired since the ceasefire collapsed. Israel's military said it intercepted the missile. Israel blames the new fighting on Hamas for refusing to accept revised ceasefire terms. Hamas, in turn, has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of unilaterally upending the truce and putting hostages 'at risk of an unknown fate.' Netanyahu faced fury from protesters in Jerusalem on Wednesday as thousands gathered outside Israel's parliament, the Knesset, to oppose the renewed fighting. Protesters have accused Netanyahu of restarting the war in order to solidify his governing coalition, which has long threatened to collapse due to divisions over the war in Gaza. Swiftly after Tuesday's airstrikes, which Gaza's health ministry said killed more than 400 people, far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would be returning to Netanyahu's coalition. He had quit the government in January as Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Hamas. At a National Security Ministry meeting on Thursday, Ben-Gvir said he was 'happy to return after two months of respite.' Ben-Gvir's return to government will come as a boon to Netanyahu, who has to pass Israel's next budget before a March 31 deadline or face fresh elections. Israel continued to pound Gaza overnight – killing at least 85 people, according to Palestinian officials – after it announced 'targeted ground activities' earlier Wednesday. Gaza's health ministry said the toll was likely to rise with many people buried under rubble. The Israeli military said it had retaken the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land that splits Gaza in half, dividing the central Gaza City and northern areas from the southern parts of the Strip that borders Egypt. This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN
20-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Hamas fires rockets at Israel for first time since truce collapses as toll mounts in Gaza
Hamas fired rockets at Israel from Gaza Thursday, the militant group's first response to Israel's renewed offensive in the Strip that shattered the two-month-old ceasefire. Three projectiles were fired at central Israel, the Israeli military said. One was intercepted and two 'fell into an open area,' with no casualties reported. Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed it had launched an attack, saying it had 'bombed the city of Tel Aviv deep inside the occupied territories with a barrage of M90 rockets' in retaliation for Israel's attacks this week on Gaza that killed hundreds. The rockets are the first to be fired from Gaza since Israel this week broke the ceasefire with Hamas that had held since January, first bombarding the Strip with airstrikes on Tuesday before launching a ground offensive a day later. Israel also came under fire overnight from Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Iran-back militia said it fired a ballistic missile at Israel in response to Israel's renewed war in Gaza – the second it has fired since the ceasefire collapsed. Israel's military said it intercepted the missile. Israel blames the new fighting on Hamas for refusing to accept revised ceasefire terms. Hamas, in turn, has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of unilaterally upending the truce and putting hostages 'at risk of an unknown fate.' Netanyahu faced fury from protesters in Jerusalem on Wednesday as thousands gathered outside Israel's parliament, the Knesset, to oppose the renewed fighting. Protesters have accused Netanyahu of restarting the war in order to solidify his governing coalition, which has long threatened to collapse due to divisions over the war in Gaza. Swiftly after Tuesday's airstrikes, which Gaza's health ministry said killed more than 400 people, far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would be returning to Netanyahu's coalition. He had quit the government in January as Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Hamas. At a National Security Ministry meeting on Thursday, Ben-Gvir said he was 'happy to return after two months of respite.' Ben-Gvir's return to government will come as a boon to Netanyahu, who has to pass Israel's next budget before a March 31 deadline or face fresh elections. Israel continued to pound Gaza overnight – killing at least 85 people, according to Palestinian officials – after it announced 'targeted ground activities' earlier Wednesday. Gaza's health ministry said the toll was likely to rise with many people buried under rubble. The Israeli military said it had retaken the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land that splits Gaza in half, dividing the central Gaza City and northern areas from the southern parts of the Strip that borders Egypt. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Gulf Insider
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Trump Threatens Houthis With ‘Complete Annihilation' as US in ‘Continuous' Bombing
President Trump is freshly warning that the Houthis (Ansarallah movement) of Yemen will be completely annihilated if they don't immediately halt their drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea. The Wednesday warning came just as US Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed it is engaged in 'continuous operations against Iran-back Houthi terrorists.' Trump's words posted to Truth Social accused Iran of supplying arms to the Houthis, as the group continues launching missiles not only on Red Sea shipping but Israeli territory. 'Reports are coming in that while Iran has lessened its intensity on Military Equipment and General Support to the Houthis, they are still sending large levels of Supplies,' Trump's statement began, in a bit of a surprise admission of lessened Iranian support to the Houthis. But Trump pivoted to demanding that any and all supplies must end, or else the Houthis will be 'completely annihilated'… Iran must stop the sending of these Supplies IMMEDIATELY. Let the Houthis fight it out themselves. Either way they lose, but this way they lose quickly. Tremendous damage has been inflicted upon the Houthi barbarians, and watch how it will get progressively worse — It's not even a fair fight, and never will be. They will be completely annihilated! CENTCOM continuous operations against Iran-back Houthi terrorists…#HouthisAreTerrorists — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 18, 2025 Yet the Houthis have vowed they will not back down. According to an earlier Houthi statement in response to American military action: Click here to read more
