Browsing: Region
Egypt has strongly condemned the targeting of a pipeline in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Madinah regions, describing the incident as a blatant violation of international law and a serious threat to regional security and stability.In a statement issued on Saturday, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed Egypt’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for the Kingdom in confronting any threats to its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Related Story Source link
Palestinian patient Fatima Abu Taima, 40, suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, fans herself with plates as she sits on a bed, amid power outages and shortages of…
Yemen’s Houthis seized a strategic Red Sea island yesterday after capturing territory along the coast, sealing their takeover of a vital shipping corridor linking Europe and Asia. The development is likely to deepen the Middle East war’s impact on international commerce, months after the strategic Strait of Hormuz was blockaded by Iran, which hailed its Yemeni allies’ advance yesterday. After a week-long offensive that has left hundreds dead, the Houthis appeared to be in control of territory along the Yemeni side of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea and, in turn, the Suez Canal. A local official with Yemen’s government said yesterday that the Houthis had “completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandab area and Mayyun Island”, while a witness said gunmen were “deploying along the Bab al-Mandab shore and are driving around in military vehicles”. Source link
Iran’s foreign ministry said the country would meet with Gulf states in Oman on Monday to discuss the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which the Islamic republic has blockaded during the Middle East war. “This meeting is intended to promote better understanding among the countries of the region and help strengthen shared regional security,” the ministry said in a statement yesterday, adding: “Iraq and other littoral Persian Gulf states” will participate. Source link
Yemen’s Houthis seized control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha yesterday, with witnesses telling AFP of fighters marching on the area chanting “death to America, death to Israel”. Saudi Arabia meanwhile launched dozens of air strikes in the last 24 hours, according to the military spokesman for the Houthis, who control large parts of northwest Yemen and launched a large-scale offensive last week against Riyadh-backed Yemeni government forces. The Houthis launched attacks on Saudi territory that left dozens of people wounded, in a conflict that has reignited during the Middle East war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. A Yemeni military source told AFP yesterday that the Iran-backed Houthis were advancing towards the strategic Bab Al-Mandab strait “after having taken control of Mocha”.The waterway, which links Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and Suez Canal, has gained importance as a transit route since the start of the wider Middle East war, which saw Iran blockade the Strait of Hormuz. The regional war has disrupted maritime traffic in the Gulf, causing oil prices to soar.On Thursday, the US oil contract WTI surpassed $100, after Brent North Sea crude — the main international benchmark — already did so on Wednesday. After Mocha’s capture, the leader of Yemen’s internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, said the protection of the country’s coasts and restoring state control of them was an “Arab and international interest”. The military source said the Houthis also seized Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea, “after rocket attacks and a ground assault carried out using boats transporting fighters”.In a statement, Tarek Saleh, who heads the Yemeni National Resistance Forces that controlled Mocha, said he moved his command centre “to a safe location” to regroup. Government forces have paid “a heavy price in recent days in the face of a Houthi offensive that was planned and supported by Iran”, he added.With their drones and missiles, the Houthis have been able to disrupt traffic in the Red Sea. But “controlling the coast would strengthen Houthi maritime coercion”, said Andreas Krieg, a security expert at King’s College London.The advance of the Houthis in Mocha, as well as in the nearby areas of Khokha and Hays, has driven many people to flee to Aden, where the internationally recognised government is based. Since last week, the fighting in Yemen has left more than 500 dead, mostly combatants, according to an AFP tally compiled from several sources.It has also forced nearly 20,000 people to flee their homes, the International Organisation for Migration said on Tuesday. Yesterday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi Arabia had launched 64 strikes on Yemen over the previous 24 hours.Their Al-Masirah TV channel reported 10 strikes on Taiz province in western Yemen. The hostilities kicked off in July when the Houthis let an Iranian plane land in defiance of Saudi control of Yemeni airspace.The government retaliated by striking Sanaa airport, an attack the Houthis blamed on Saudi Arabia.The ongoing exchanges risk returning Yemen to a conflict that left hundreds of thousands of people dead and sparked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.The Houthis, after seizing Yemen’s capital and forcing out the government, fought the Saudi-led coalition from 2015 until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire in 2022. Source link
Algerian foreign ministry summons UAE ambassador Ministry says means of preserving relations ‘exhausted’ UAE foreign ministry offers no immediate comment Algeria abruptly severed diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, citing what it described as a series of “provocative or hostile” actions by Abu Dhabi but giving no specific reason for the move. Shortly after Algeria’s announcement, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said on X that diplomatic relations should be based on “rationality, communication and clarity of interests”, rather than “riddles and signals that require decoding”. Relations between the two countries have come under growing strain in recent years, with Algerian media outlets sharply criticising the UAE and accusing it of seeking to sow regional discord.The Algerian foreign ministry said the UAE’s actions had reached a point where they could no longer be considered acceptable or tolerable and that it had “exhausted all means of preserving bilateral relations.” Gargash, who did not explicitly mention Algeria or link his comments to its decision, said successful diplomacy depended on clear positions and the effective management of interests and disagreements.The UAE ambassador was summoned to the ministry, informed of the decision and given 48 hours to comply, the foreign ministry said. Algeria and the UAE have taken differing positions on several regional issues. Algeria opposes normalisation with Israel, while the UAE and Algeria’s regional rival Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel under the US -brokered Abraham Accords in 2020. The two countries’ interests have increasingly intersected in the Sahel, where the UAE has expanded ties with several governments in recent years, while Algeria’s relations with some of its southern neighbours have become strained following a series of military coups. Algerian President Abdelmadjid said last year his country’s relations with all Gulf states were warm except for one – a thinly veiled reference to the UAE.He described ties with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar as “brotherly”, while accusing the unnamed country of meddling in Algeria’s internal affairs and seeking to destabilise it. In February, Algeria began the process of cancelling an air services agreement with the UAE that was signed in Abu Dhabi in May 2013. Source link
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Omani counterpart Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, held a telephone call on Thursday to discuss the latest regional developments.During the call, the two sides discussed the importance of ensuring the security and freedom of maritime navigation, as well as support for diplomatic solutions aimed at de-escalation and enhancing regional security and stability. Related Story Source link
The Saudi Civil Defence announced on Thursday that the danger has passed in the Khamis Mushait area, located in southern Saudi Arabia, after an early warning was issued earlier today.In a statement posted on X platform, the Saudi Civil Defence urged citizens to follow instructions and to completely avoid gathering in groups and taking photographs in order to ensure their safety. Related Story Source link
A Panama-flagged tanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil was struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters on Wednesday, two port officials said. Iraqi rescue boats extinguished a fire aboard the tanker, New Andros, and there were no reports of casualties, port officials told Reuters. Related Story Source link
Kuwait strongly condemned and denounced the heinous Iranian attacks that targeted Jordan with several missiles, calling them a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and a blatant breach of the principles of international law, the United Nations Charter, and Security Council Resolution 2817.In a statement issued Wednesday, Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the need to halt the attacks, prioritize de-escalation and dialogue, and adhere to the rules of international law in a way that safeguards the security and stability of the region and spares its peoples further tension and escalation.Kuwait affirmed its full solidarity with Jordan and its support for all measures it takes to safeguard its sovereignty and preserve its security and stability. Related Story Source link