Merchant Vessel and Crew Reported Safe after Incident Off Yemen
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Sunday it had received a report of an incident 13 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's Mocha, but that the vessel and its crew were safe. An UKMTO advisory note said a merchant vessel had reported being approached by 12 small craft which remained in the vicinity of the vessel for about an hour before leaving the area. The vessel is proceeding to its next port of call, the advisory note added. Yemen's Houthis have been launching drone and missile strikes in shipping lanes since November, saying that it acts in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel's war in Gaza. The Houthis have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least three seafarers.
Spokesman of the Houthi armed forces Yahya Saree has announced that they will soon unveil a new military boat furnished with advanced technology and destructive power. He provided no details about the military boat and the timing of its unveiling but said that the army will release images of the vessel soon. According to Saree, the boat is similar to the same vessel the Yemeni army used nearly a week ago to attack the Transworld Navigator ship in the Red Sea. Since mid-November, Yemen has been attacking Israeli ships or any vessels linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports.
A fresh round of negotiations between the Yemeni government and Houthi representatives began Sunday in Muscat, focusing on the exchange of prisoners and detainees. The talks, held under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), aim to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis surrounding prisoners in the conflict-ridden nation. Yemen has seen relative calm since April 2022 in a conflict that began nearly a decade ago between forces loyal to the legitimate government and the Houthi group, which has controlled various provinces and cities, including the capital Sanaa, since 2014.
Heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters continues in northern and southern Gaza with at least six civilians, including children, killed in a strike on a home in Rafah. No progress has been made in ceasefire talks but Hamas remains ready to “deal positively” with any proposal that includes a “permanent ceasefire”, a senior official says. At least 37,877 people have been killed and 86,969 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the Hamas-led attacks is estimated at 1,139 with dozens of people still held captive in Gaza.
