Page 27 - Middle East

Iran-backed Houthis fire anti-ship ballistic missile towards Gulf of Aden

Iranian-backed Houthis on Wednesday fired an anti-ship ballistic missile towards the Gulf of Aden. The missile was successfully shot down by US Navy missile destroyer USS Carney

US strikes around 10 unmanned drones in Yemen on verge of launch: Official

The Houthis, earlier on Wednesday, said their naval forces carried out an operation targeting an "American merchant ship" in the Gulf of Aden hours after firing missiles at US Navy destroyer Gravely

Houthis fire anti-ship missile towards Red Sea, shot down by US destroyer

Iranian-backed Houthis have fired one anti-ship cruise missile towards the Red Sea, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said

EAM speaks to Israeli counterpart Katz, discusses regional security issues

Israel on Monday expressed its gratitude towards India for its friendship and support and discussed regional security threats, including the security of shipping and regional projects which connect India with the Middle East. Had a good conversation today with Indian foreign minister @DrSJaishankar in which I expressed my gratitude for his friendship and support of Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. We discussed regional security threats including security of shipping and regional projects which connect India with the Middle East," Katz said in the post. Freedom of navigation in international waters has been a major concern in the region with Iran-backed Houthis disrupting shipping lines, causing major economic concerns raising prices of essential items and also threatening regional peace. The continued attacks will also adversely impact the plans for an India- Middle East- Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) projec

No links with drone strike in Jordan that killed US soldiers: Iran

The attack is a major escalation of the already tense situation in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza after an attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israel on Oct

Proxies can even consume empires that support them. Iran should remember

While it may be tempting to allow militants to operate as long as they are focused on your strategic rival next door, there is no such thing as 'our' terrorists

Iran launches 3 satellites into space as tensions grip wider Mideast

Iran said Sunday it successfully launched three satellites into space, the latest for a programme that the West says improves Tehran's ballistic missiles. The state-run IRNA news agency said the launch also saw the successful use of Iran's Simorgh rocket, which has had multiple failures in the past. The launch comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel's continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. While Iran has not intervened militarily in the conflict, it has faced increased pressure within its theocracy for action after a deadly Islamic State suicide bombing earlier this month and as proxy groups like Yemen's Houthi rebels conduct attacks linked to the war. Footage released by Iranian state television showed a nighttime launch for the Simorgh rocket. An Associated Press analysis of the footage's details showed that it took place at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran's rural Semnan province. State TV named the launched satellites Mahda, Kayhan-2 and Hatef

US aims to use Israel-Hamas deal to open more lasting regional peace talks

The senior State Department official, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken recently to McGurk and Burns about the talks

Yemen Houthi rebels attack US warship, escalate Mideast sea conflict

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a missile Friday at a US warship patrolling the Gulf of Aden, forcing it to shoot down the projectile, the US military said Friday. The attack on the destroyer USS Carney marked a further escalation in the biggest confrontation at sea the US Navy has seen in the Middle East in decades, as Houthi missile fire set another commercial vessel ablaze Friday night. The Carney attack represents the first time the Houthis directly targeted a U.S. warship since the rebels began their assaults on shipping in October, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity because no authorization had been given to discuss the incident. That contradicted a statement by the US military's Central Command, which said the Houthis fired "toward" the Carney. As it has in previous strikes, the Pentagon said it was difficult to determine what exactly the Houthis were trying to hit. Ever since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, the U.S. has tried to temper its descriptions of the ...

PM Modi, Prez Macron express 'grave concerns' over Red Sea conflict

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed "grave concerns" at the possibility of further expansion of the conflict in the Middle-East, including in the Red Sea. A joint statement issued late on Friday night said the two leaders called for upholding the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and underlined the need for respecting the international law of the sea. Modi and Macron held wide-ranging talks at a luxury palace on Thursday. The French President was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations in Delhi. The two leaders expressed "grave concern at the possibility of further expansion of the conflict in the region, including in the Red Sea", which already resulted a significant economic impact, the statement said. The Houthi militants have been attacking merchant vessels in the Red Sea since November, apparently in response to Israel's military offensive in Gaza. "They (Modi and Macron) recalled the utmost importance of upholding freedom o

Jindal Steel cuts export forecast on Red Sea crisis, weaker EU, US demand

The company is exploring "new options" and a "variable freight model", Jindal said, as part of efforts to deal with the challenges posed by attacks launched by the Iran-allied Houthi militia on ships

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders bags Rs 1,070 crore worth contract from MoD

The patrol vessels will be equipped with multipurpose drones, artificial intelligence capability, and wirelessly controlled remote water rescue craft to boost Indian Coast Guard's capability

EasyJet sees smaller loss, strong summer despite West Asia instability

EasyJet said it was able to mitigate the impact of the war in Gaza thanks to capacity growth in areas where demand was rising, and that bookings had recovered since late November

Mideast conflict impacting maritime safety in Indian Ocean: India to UNSC

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas is impacting the safety of maritime commercial traffic in the Indian Ocean, including some attacks in the vicinity of India, a top Indian diplomat told members of the UN Security Council on Tuesday. The ongoing conflict is also impacting the safety of maritime commercial traffic in the Indian Ocean, including some attacks in the vicinity of India, R Ravindra, the Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations said in his remarks during a UNSC Open Debate on the Middle East. This is a matter of great concern to the international community and has a direct bearing on India's own energy and economic interests. This fraught situation is not to the benefit of any party, and this must be clearly recognised, Ravindra said. Ravindra said the message that India has conveyed since the start of this conflict is clear and consistent it is important to prevent escalation, to ensure continued delivery of humanitaria

Hezbollah official killed, amid apparent Israeli shift to targeted killings

An Israeli airstrike hit two vehicles near a Lebanese army checkpoint in south Lebanon on Sunday, killing a Hezbollah member and wounding several other people, including civilians, Lebanese state media and health officials reported. The strike appeared to be part of a shift in Israeli strategy toward targeted killings in Lebanon after more than three months of near-daily clashes with Hezbollah militants on the border against the backdrop of the war in Gaza. Hezbollah announced that one of its members, identified as Fadel Shaar, had been killed in the strike in the town of Kafra. Local civil defense and hospital officials said seven people were wounded, including two women, one of whom was in critical condition. Video from the scene showed a passenger sedan in flames next to a small truck stopped in the middle of the road. The Israeli military did not comment on the strike. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, Hezbollah forces have engaged in near-daily clashes wit

2 British warships collided in Bahrain, no injuries reported: Royal Navy

Two British warships collided in a harbour in Bahrain, causing damage to the vessels but no injuries, the Royal Navy said. The HMS Chiddingfold appeared to reverse into the HMS Bangor as it was at a dock, according to video posted on social media. Why this happened is still to be established," said Rear Admiral Edward Ahlgren. We train our people to the highest standards and rigorously enforce machinery safety standards, but unfortunately incidents of this nature can still happen. Ahlgren said an investigation is under way into what went wrong. The two minehunters have been based in the Middle East to help protect merchant vessels. The British military last week joined the US in bombing more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, whose relentless attacks on cargo vessels and warships in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping.

Oil mkt braces for a weeks-long disruption to shipping in southern Red Sea

Suezmax ships - so-called for their ability to sail full through the canal that links Asia and Europe - are up about 50% to almost $70,000 a day

Women, children main victims of Gaza conflict, with 16,000 killed: UN

Women and children are the main victims the Gaza war, with some 16,000 killed and an estimated two mothers losing their lives every hour since Hamas' surprise attack on Israel, the U.N. agency promoting gender equality said Friday. As a result of the more than 100-day conflict, UN Women added, at least 3,000 women may have become widows and heads of households and at least 10,000 children may have lost their fathers. In a report released Friday, the agency pointed to gender inequality and the burden on women fleeing the fighting with children and being displaced again and again. Of the territory's 2.3 million population, it said, 1.9 million are displaced and close to one million are women and girls seeking shelter and safety. UN Women's executive director, Sima Bahous, said this is a cruel inversion of fighting during the 15 years before the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. Previously, she said, 67% of all civilians killed in Gaza and the West Bank were men and less then 14% were women. Sh

What does disruption to shipping in Red Sea mean for Europe's economy?

For the European economy, already skirting a mild recession as it tries to shake off high inflation, prolonged disruption would be a new risk to its outlook

Iran-backed Houthis launch 2 anti-ship ballistic missiles at US Ship

Iranian-backed Houthis on Thursday (US local time) launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles at US Ship Chem Ranger, US Central Command said