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Middle East latest: Houthis did ‘something new’ in latest attack on British vessel in Red Sea
A British-owned cargo vessel was attacked in the Red Sea this morning, the UK Maritime Trade Operations reports. Meanwhile, US forces have conducted a strike in self-defence against two Houthi drones in Yemen.
Tuesday 6 February 2024 16:09, UK
Israel-Hamas War
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New Houthi recruits parade to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen.
Pic: Reuters
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Houthi recruits parade in support of Palestinians in Gaza in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa last week. Pic: Reuters
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Key points
US strikes two Houthi drones due to ‘imminent threat’ View post
Houthis ‘will further escalate’ if attack on Gaza continues View post
British vessel attacked in Red Sea View post
Analysis:Houthis did ‘something new’ in latest attack on UK vessel View post
Explained:Why is the US retaliating? View post|Who are the Iran-backed militia groups carrying out attacks? View post
Live reporting by Bhvishya Patel
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25m ago
11:00
PM meets British families whose loved ones have been taken hostage
Rishi Sunak has met with British families whose loved ones have been taken hostage by Hamas.
In a statement on X, the prime minister said they were going through “an unthinkable horror”.
He also said the country would continue to do all it could to bring hostages home.
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50m ago
10:35
Argentinian president arrives in Israel
Argentina’s president Javier Milei arrived in Israel earlier today and has been touring the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
Mr Milei was greeted by Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz upon his arrival and offered his support to Israel and “the legitimate defence”.
Javier Milei visits the Western Wall
Javier Milei visits the Western Wall
He also said he planned to move Argentina’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Tomorrow, Mr Milei will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue his tour of Jerusalem.
Pics: Reuters
Pics: Reuters
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1h ago
10:01
Houthis ‘will further escalate’ if attack on Gaza continues, leader says
The leader of Yemen’s Houthis has said the group “will further escalate” if the Israeli attack on Gaza does not stop.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi made the comments today after the Iran-aligned group said they fired missiles at two vessels – one British and one American – in the Red Sea.
What happened?
The Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels with drones and missiles in the Red Sea since mid-November, in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians.
Today, the group’s military spokesman said it fired naval missiles at the Morning Tide and Star Nasia, identifying the Barbados- and Marshall Islands-flagged ships, respectively, as British and American.
British maritime security firm Ambrey said the Barbados-flagged ship owned by a British company suffered damage from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) while sailing southeast through the Red Sea.
LSEG ship-tracking data showed the Morning Tide was sailing down through the Red Sea having come through the Suez Canal on Friday.
Its most recent signal showed it sailing out of the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Morning Tide
Morning Tide
Marine Express AG
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2h ago
09:24
New Royal Navy warship takes over protection of shipping in Red Sea
HMS Richmond has taken over responsibility for protecting shipping in the Red Sea as attacks on vessels continue.
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Diamond, which has come under fire from Iran-backed Houthi forces on three occasions during its time on duty in the region.
HMS Diamond downed nine drones after coming under fire in three separate attacks by the Houthis since December.
The vessel will now be rearmed before heading back into action.
HMS Diamond’s commander Peter Evans said: “The situation in the region is fraught, and ships in the force are firing on a daily basis – we hand over the baton with our best wishes to the fantastic team in Richmond who we know will do a great job.”
He also said that the focus was now on a “short maintenance and ammunition resupply period before we get back to our mission in the Red Sea”.
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2h ago
08:47
Intense shelling around Khan Younis hospital, PRCS says
Intense shelling and continuous gunfire near the al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis has resulted in shrapnel hitting the hospital, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reports.
In recent weeks, Palestinian residents and medics have said Israeli tanks and aircraft are pounding besieged areas around Khan Younis’s two main hospitals – Nasser and al Amal.
Israel’s military says Hamas militants use hospitals as premises for cover, which Hamas denies.
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3h ago
08:17
Israeli ambassador arrives at Russian foreign ministry after summons
Israel’s ambassador to Russia, Simona Halperin, has arrived at the Russian foreign ministry, state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reports.
The arrival comes a day after authorities said she would be summoned over “unacceptable comments” in an interview.
In the interview with the Kommersant Daily, Ms Halperin accused Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov of being too friendly with Hamas.
She also accused him of playing down the importance of the Holocaust.
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3h ago
07:36
Analysis: Houthis did something new in latest attack on British vessel
The latest attack on a British vessel in the Red Sea shows the Houthis are “trying to do something different”, military analyst Michael Clarke says.
Clarke says the attack in the Red Sea is “very minor in some respects” but “more interesting in others”.
“It’s minor in the sense that this was a general cargo ship registered in Barbados and British owned,” he says.
He notes that Hodeidah – where the ship was sailing close to – is the main port for the Houthis and “it is where they have got most of their stuff”.
“What is interesting about this is the Houthis did something they haven’t done before since 7 October and that is they set out in a small boat that was within sight of the ship.
“It must have been only a few miles away and it launched a missile which hit the ship on the port side.
“The fact that they are coming out in boats tells you something.
“They are trying to create novelty and trying to do something different and they are not able to launch a missile from the land.”
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4h ago
07:05
Houthis say they fired missiles at two ships in Red Sea
We reported earlier that a British-owned cargo vessel was attacked in the Red Sea this morning (see post at 8.29am).
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have now said they fired missiles at two vessels – one British and one American – in the Red Sea and caused minor damage to a cargo ship that was sailing off the coast of Yemen’s Hodeidah.
British maritime security firm Ambrey has said a Barbados flagged, general cargo ship owned by a British company suffered damage from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) while sailing southeast through the Red Sea.
No injuries were reported.
The ship performed evasive manoeuvres and continued its journey, Ambrey said.
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4h ago
06:38
Report of shipping incident south of Yemen
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency has received a report of an incident 50 nautical miles south of the Yemeni city of Aden.
The authorities are investigating the incident but no further details have been provided.
Vessels in the region are being advised to “transit with caution”.
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5h ago
06:24
In pictures: Life in Gaza for Palestinians in tent camps
Displaced Palestinians who have had to flee their homes as Israel bombards Gaza now live in tents in the south of the enclave – one of those areas is Rafah.
Officials have warned the sanitation system is collapsing at the makeshift camps, raising the spectre of disease.
Israel’s defence minister has said the country’s offensive will eventually reach Rafah, on the Egyptian border, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge.
Pics: Reuters
Pics: Reuters
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5h ago
06:00
Blinken has ‘a lot of work ahead’ and ‘carrying a very large briefcase’
Antony Blinken has “a lot of work ahead of him”, our international correspondent John Sparks says.
Speaking from Erbil in Iraq, Sparks says that Mr Blinken is gearing up for “what is a fairly crucial diplomatic tour of the region” and “carrying a very large briefcase”.
“He wants to try and put a lid on the tit-for-tat violence that we’ve been seeing around the region and he needs to make some progress on the situation in Gaza,” Sparks says.
“There are proposals out there for a ceasefire but can that be turned into a deal?”
Sparks says the humanitarian situation in Gaza has also got to be discussed and there “need to be discussions on what happens when the Israelis withdraw from Gaza”.
“These are tough things to discuss so he has got a lot of work ahead of him,” he adds.
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5h ago
05:33
UNRWA report into claims staff were involved in Hamas attack due next month
The UN Palestinian agency expects its preliminary report into Israeli claims that a dozen of its employees took part in the 7 October Hamas attack to be ready by early next month, its representative in Lebanon has said.
Dorothee Klaus told reporters that UNRWA expects international donors, including the UK and US, that suspended their funding after the claims emerged to review their decisions based on the results.
For context: At the end of last month, the UK joined other countries in pausing its funding to the UN’s relief agency in Gaza over the claims.
The UNRWA said it sacked “several” employees over accusations by Israel that 12 employees were involved in the attack.
The UK’s decision came after the US, Italy, Australia and Canada all also suspended additional funding for the UN aid agency.
UNRWA, established in 1949 after the first Arab-Israeli war, has repeatedly said throughout Israel’s war on Hamas that its ability to provide humanitarian aid to people in Gaza is on the verge of collapse.
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6h ago
05:03
Blinken meets Egyptian leader in Cairo
In the past few moments, we have heard that US secretary of state Antony Blinken has met Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al Sisi, in Cairo.
The top US diplomat is hoping to press ahead with a potential ceasefire deal and post-war planning while bringing down regional tensions.
Egypt fears an expansion of combat to the Rafah area at the southern tip of Gaza could push Palestinian civilians across the border, a scenario officials have said it is determined to prevent.
Reuters
Reuters
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6h ago
04:35
What’s the latest on the ground?
The IDF has issued its latest battlefield reports on its war against Hamas.
Central Gaza
In the central city of Deir al Balah, it says an IDF fighter jet eliminated an Islamic Jihad terrorist who took part in the 7 October attack in kibbutz Nir Oz.
Northeast Gaza
The military has provided a few details about what is happening in Beit Hanoun – a Palestinian city on the northeast edge of Gaza.
Troops have “identified and eliminated four operatives trying to set up observation infrastructure in an attempt to restore intelligence-gathering capabilities for terrorist organisations”, the IDF says.
Southern Gaza
Meanwhile, in the southern region of Khan Younis, IDF troops have located numerous weapons including grenades, AK-47 rifles, RPGs, explosive devices and ammunition, it says.
Additionally, troops “identified and neutralised an enemy spotter, who had concealed himself inside a compound”.
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7h ago
04:02
Hamas: Number of Palestinians killed rises to 27,585
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has released updated statistics on the number of Palestinians killed and injured by Israeli strikes in the enclave since the 7 October attacks.
It has said the number of people killed had reached 27,585, with another 66,978 wounded.
The ministry also said some 127 Palestinians were killed and 143 wounded in the past 24 hours.
The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and fighters in its figures.
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7h ago
03:53
Blinken lands in Egypt for talks
US secretary of state Antony Blinken has landed in Cairo for his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi as the US works to advance a Gaza truce and hostage deal mediated by the Egyptians and Qataris.
The top US diplomat was earlier in Riyadh and will next fly to Qatar.
He will then head to Israel to discuss hostage negotiations.
This is Mr Blinken’s fifth trip to the region since October and it comes amid growing concerns in Egypt about Israel’s stated intentions to expand the combat in Gaza to areas on the Egyptian border.
Egypt has warned that an Israeli deployment along the border would threaten the peace treaty the two countries signed over four decades ago.
Pics: Reuters
Pics: Reuters
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7h ago
03:29
British vessel attacked in Red Sea
A British-owned cargo vessel was attacked in the Red Sea this morning, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reports.
The attack on the ship happened west of Hodeida in Yemen just after midnight, according to the UKMTO.
It added that the ship’s master was “aware of a small craft on his Port side” before a projectile was fired at the ship.
No crew were injured in the attack. The vessel sustained small damages to its bridge windows, but was deemed safe to continue its journey.
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8h ago
02:54
US strikes two Houthi drones due to ‘imminent threat’
US forces have conducted a strike in self-defence against two uncrewed Houthi drones in Yemen
The military said the explosives were in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and it was “determined they presented an imminent threat to US navy ships and merchant vessels in the region”.
“These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US navy vessels and merchant vessels,” the US Central Command said on X.
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8h ago
02:44
Israeli forces ‘kill dozens of gunmen’ in Gaza
Israeli forces have killed dozens of Palestinian gunmen and captured scores in operations throughout the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the military has said.
The IDF said around 80 suspects were taken into custody in southern Khan Younis, including some accused of taking part in the 7 October attacks in southern Israel.
The military also described Khan Younis as a focus of the fighting.
Early on in the war, Israel’s military began ordering Palestinians in the northern half of the territory to leave their homes to get out of the way of eventual ground combat.
At the same time, Israeli aircraft continued to attack in the southern half, where residents had been told to take refuge.
Israel says it does not target civilians, provides warnings before attacks and is operaing with the goal of eliminating Hamas.
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8h ago
02:30
Good morning – here’s the latest
Welcome back to our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and wider Middle East tensions.
Yesterday, reports emerged that a drone attack – apparently carried out by the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance group – killed six Kurdish commandos stationed at an American base in eastern Syria.
Islamic Resistance has been deemed responsible for the death of three US service members in a drone attack in Jordan last week – the US struck Iran-linked targets in Syria and Iraq in retaliation over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the war “will take time” – but that it would be “months not years”.
Here are the other key developments over the last 24 hours:
The Pentagon said there were likely casualties from the recent US strikes against Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria, but that an assessment was still ongoing;
Israeli banks said they were heeding US sanctions against four West Bank settlers accused of violence against Palestinians, despite calls by the finance minister and another far-right cabinet member not to comply;
US secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia – his first stop in a wider tour of the Middle East;
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave a speech to Iran’s air force and called on Arab world leaders to sever all economic ties with Israel over its war in Gaza during the address.
