A French warship operating in the Red Sea has shot down two drones that were fired at it from the Yemen coast, the defense ministry said on Sunday. It said the multipurpose frigate Languedoc had intercepted and destroyed a first drone at around 9:30 p.m. local French time on Saturday and a second one around 11:30 p.m. at 110 km (68.35 miles) from the coast of Al Hudaydah. Yemen's Houthi movement said on Saturday they would target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of their nationality, warning all international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports. The Houthi group has attacked and seized several Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea over the last few weeks.
Israel is prepared to act against efforts by Houthis in Yemen to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea if the international community fails to do so, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had spoken with US President Joe Biden as well as European leaders about Houthis targeting merchant ships with alleged Israeli links, Hanegbi told Israel's Channel 12. "Israel is giving the world some time to organize in order to prevent this, but if there isn't to be a global arrangement, because it is a global issue, we will act in order to remove this naval siege," Hanegbi said.
An international study has concluded that political conflicts and ongoing wars in Yemen have hindered the country's efforts over the past decade to respond to the effects of climate change. Local officials said climate-related conflicts have increased in local communities due to challenges associated with these changes. According to the study conducted by the German "Börg Hoff" foundation, most of these conflicts revolve around the distribution of groundwater resources. However, they also include issues related to waste management in major cities and the leakage of oil into agricultural lands and maritime sites. In some areas of Yemen, agricultural lands have also turned into residential or industrial areas due to drought. The structural change in the course of floods and the diversion of seasonal rains have led to soil erosion and damage to properties, including the impact on homes and farms due to heavy floods.
Yemen's Houthi group has stepped up threats to attack Israel-bound ships in the Red Sea, warning that it will view any military escort vessel as a "legitimate target" regardless of nationality. The latest Houthi threat came only hours before a French navy frigate intercepted and destroyed two drones launched from militia-controlled territory in Yemen. Houthi leader Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi said on Saturday that they would consider military vessels protecting ships sailing to Israel as legitimate targets.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday he will not give up appealing for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. Gueterres was speaking at the Doha Forum conference as Washington vetoed on Friday a proposed UN Security Council demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. "I urged the Security Council to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe and I reiterated my appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared," Guterres said.
