"International navigation in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea is safe, and Americans must stop misleading the world about dangers threatening international navigation in these seas," the Ansarullah official asserted.
"We urge all countries to be cautious of falling into America's trap aimed at militarizing the Red Sea in service of Israel and to encourage it to continue its brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip".
Anyone opposing Yemen operations in support of Gaza will face response: Ansarullah
Anyone opposing Yemen operations in support of Gaza will face response: Ansarullah
WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The United States and Britain have launched strikes against targets linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen, four U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday, the first strikes against the Iran-backed group since it started targeting international shipping in the Red Sea late last year.
A Houthi official confirmed "raids" across the country, including in the capital Sanaa along with the cities of Saada and Dhamar as well as in Hodeidah governate, calling them "American-Zionist-British aggression."
The ongoing strikes are one of the most dramatic demonstrations to date of the widening of Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East since its eruption in October.
One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strikes were being carried out by aircraft, ships and submarine. Two officials said Australia, Canada, Bahrain and the Netherlands provided support for the operation.
The official said more than a dozen locations were targeted and the strikes were intended to be more than just symbolic.
The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, defied a U.N. call to halt their missile and drone attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and warnings from the United States of consequences if they failed to do so.
The Houthis say their attacks are a demonstration of support for Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls Gaza. Israel has launched a military assault that has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza after Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
The Houthi have attacked 27 ships to date, disrupting international commerce on the key route between Europe and Asia that accounts for about 15% of the world's shipping traffic.
Witnesses told Reuters that the raids on Thursday targeted a military base adjacent to Sanaa airport, a military site near Taiz airport, a Houthi naval base in Hodeidah and military sites in Hajjah Governorate.
A formal statement from the United States was soon expected to detail the strikes.
The Pentagon declined comment.
Earlier on Thursday, the Houthis' leader said any U.S. attack on the group would not go without a response.
The Houthis, who seized much of Yemen in a civil war, have vowed to attack ships linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports. However, many of the targeted ships have had no links to Israel.
The U.S. military said on Thursday Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, the 27th attack by the group since Nov. 19.
U.S. and British naval forces shot down 21 drones and missiles fired by Yemen-based Houthis on Tuesday towards the southern Red Sea, the largest attack in the area by the militants.
In December, more than 20 countries agreed to participate in a U.S.-led coalition, known as Operation Prosperity Guardian, safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea.
Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Andrew Mills and Maher Hatem Editing by Chris Reese, Don Durfee and Cynthia Osterman Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
South Africa is to present its argument during a public hearing against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of committing actions in Gaza that are "genocidal in character" against the Palestinian population.
South Africa is presenting its arguments Thursday to the International Court of Justice at The Hague, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel denies the allegations, which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described as “meritless” while urging Israel to scale back the intensity of its military operations.
South Africa is asking the court, the United Nations’ main judicial body, to consider “provisional measures” including that Israel “cease killing” people in Gaza. Israel will respond Friday.
The first hearing of this case is now underway. South Africa will have three hours to address the court. Israel will address it tomorrow. The hearings this week are to consider “provisional measures” to stop conditions in Gaza from worsening while the case progresses. They will not establish whether genocide was committed.
South Africa cited the words of senior Israeli officials as evidence of “genocidal intent”
• South Africa cited the words of senior Israeli officials as evidence of “genocidal intent” against Palestinians in Gaza, opening a closely watched case that could shape the course of the war. Israel, which has strongly denied all charges, will deliver its remarks Friday.
In a hearing at the International Court of Justice, South African lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi argued Thursday that Israeli officials have deliberately and systematically used dehumanizing language to normalize genocidal rhetoric and send a message to Israeli soldiers on the ground.
Ngcukaitobi cited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reference to violent biblical passages, as well as remarks by Israel’s defense minister and president. He also highlighted a video that he said showed Israeli soldiers echoing their language and celebrating attacks.
Which countries are for and against the ICJ case accusing Israel of genocide?
• South Africa initiated legal proceedings against Israel last month at the International Court of Justice, accusing the nation of committing genocide. Since then, at least 13 nations have voiced support for South Africa’s case, along with the 22-member Arab League and 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation, while the United States and other nations have expressed support for Israel.
Pro-Palestinian protesters rally in The Hague before the hearing at the International Court of Justice on Thursday. (Remko De Waal/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
THE HAGUE — Demonstrators assembled outside the International Court of Justice on Thursday ahead of the first hearing in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has rejected the allegations as has the United States.
Outside the court, dozens of pro-Palestinian and a handful of pro-Israeli demonstrators waved flags and chanted amid tight security. Dagmar Bosma, 29, came to the court with a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups to “show solidarity with the South African effort.”
“It is a historical moment,” she said. “It takes an oppressed people to recognize what is happening, I think, so we are very thankful to South Africa.” Across the street, a group of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and carrying signs that read “stop the genocide” chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Israel is a terrorist state.”
Nearby, a smaller group of pro-Israeli protesters waved the Israeli flag and held pictures of hostages being held by Hamas. “I am here to support Israel,” said Judith De Jonge, 58. “I think it is a shame that South Africa started this case,” she said. The hearings will begin with a presentation from South Africa. On Friday, Israel will have a chance to address the court.⍐
