Yemen's Houthis have claimed attacks on two ships in the Gulf of Aden and one in the Indian Ocean. The MSC Diego and the MSC Gina were attacked with ballistic missiles and drones in the Gulf of Aden, the Iran-aligned group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Thursday. The attacks on the ships in the Gulf of Aden – identified by the Houthis as the "Israeli" MSC Diego and the MSC Gina – were "accurate", Saree said without providing details.The Houthis claimed to hit a third container ship, the MSC Vittoria, in the Indian Ocean.Houthis have been attacking shipping lanes off Yemen in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has killed over 34000 people.
A delegation from the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority visited Al-Ghaydah International Airport in Al-Mahra province (eastern Yemen), in preparation for the launching of international flights to and from the airport, including trips for Yemeni pilgrims for this year's Hajj season. The project includes rehabilitating the airport buildings and units, equipping them with navigation (R-NAV) and communications systems that comply with International Civil Aviation Organization specifications, renovating the waiting, departure, and inspection halls, and completing works for the fire, rescue, and water unit at the airport, in addition to providing integrated lighting for the airport fence.
The Yemeni Houthi group announced Thursday it targeted 112 Israeli, US, and UK ships since the beginning of solidarity operations for the Gaza Strip in November. In a televised speech by the leader of the group, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, that was broadcasted by the Al-Masirah channel, the group threatened Israel with "effective strategic options" and new escalation after Tel Aviv's incursion into Rafah in southern Gaza. Al-Houthi emphasized that the group has "no red lines" that would hinder its operations.
Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded areas of Rafah on Thursday, Palestinian residents said after President Joe Biden said the United States would withhold weapons from Israel if its forces mount a major invasion of the southern Gaza city. A senior Israeli official said that the latest round of indirect negotiations in Cairo to halt hostilities had ended and Israel would proceed with its operation in Rafah and other parts of the Gaza Strip as planned. Israel's assault on Gaza has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 80,000, most of them civilians, the Health Ministry in Gaza said.
