Two U.S. Navy Seals have been declared dead by military officials, 10 days after they went missing in the Gulf of Aden during a mission targeting Iranian weapons deliveries to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Seals had been reported missing in the days following the mission, which took place on 11 January off the coast of Somalia. "We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we will forever honor their sacrifice and example," said the U.S. Central Command commander, General Michael Erik Kurilla, in a statement. According to officials, the 11 January raid targeted an unflagged ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to the Houthis in Yemen. Officials have said that as the team was boarding the ship, one of the Seals went under in the heavy seas, and a teammate went in to try and save him.
The Houthi group announced on Sunday that 64 ships have crossed the Red Sea "safely" after raising a banner stating "No Connection with Israel." Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Supreme Political Council of the group, stated on the "X" that "the simplest solution that allows ships to pass safely through the Red Sea is to put the phrase 'No connection with Israel' on its license plate."He added, "This solution has proven effective, as 64 ships have safely crossed the sea." On Wednesday, the United States announced the reclassification of the Houthi group as a "terrorist organization". However, the Houthis vow to continue their operations against the Israeli-linked ships regardless of the consequences.
Alarms have been raised by experts and companies across numerous industries over the supply chain disruption caused by Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping. The Red Sea crisis is disrupting industries from oil to automotive. "For us, this will mean longer transit times and probably disruptions of the supply chain for a few months at least, hopefully, shorter, but it could also be longer because it's so unpredictable how this situation is actually developing," Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc told attendees at the World Economic Forum's annual summit in Davos. Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and COSCO are among the large shipping firms to have suspended Red Sea routes until further notice. Instead of crossing the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ships have been forced to circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope and the African continent.
Israeli forces, advancing deep into western Khan Younis in Gaza's bloodiest fighting of the new year so far, stormed one hospital and placed another under siege on Monday, cutting the wounded off from trauma care, Palestinian officials said. Troops advanced for the first time into the Al-Mawasi district near the Mediterranean Coast, west of Khan Younis, the main city in southern Gaza. There, they stormed the Al-Khair hospital and were arresting medical staff, Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qidra told the media. Qidra said at least 50 people were killed overnight in Khan Younis, while the sieges of medical facilities meant dozens of dead and wounded were beyond the reach of rescuers.
