Following a series of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia on shipping in the Red Sea, the US government wants to put the Shiite group back on the list of global terrorists, according to media reports. This could mean that more far-reaching sanctions could be imposed on the organization, which is backed by Iran and has recently repeatedly fired missiles into southern Israel.
Meanwhile, Qatar has signed an agreement between Israel and the Islamist Hamas to provide urgently needed medicine to Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip. In addition, aid supplies for the civilian population in need would be brought to the closed coastal strip, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.
In view of the attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Israel, Washington wants to upgrade the Houthis to the terrorist list. This was reported on Tuesday evening (local time) by CNN and the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter. When it comes to terrorism classifications, the US distinguishes between global terrorists and foreign terrorist organizations. The distinction plays a role in the sanctions associated with each category.
Shortly before the end of then US President Donald Trump’s term, his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo classified the Houthis in both categories in 2021. Pompeo’s successor, Antony Blinken, reversed this shortly afterwards to make it easier to deliver humanitarian aid to Yemen. A civil war has been raging in the impoverished country since 2014. A large part of the population lives in areas controlled by the Houthis. According to the UN, millions of people are going hungry.
Since the start of the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas, the Houthi militia has repeatedly attacked merchant ships with alleged Israeli connections in the Red Sea. The US and Britain responded with an extensive military assault on Houthi positions in Yemen. Major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the Red Sea Route, through which approximately ten percent of world trade normally passes. The Houthi militia in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon belong to the ‘axis of resistance’ against Israel.
Medicines purchased in France for Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip will be flown to Egypt on Wednesday aboard two military planes from Qatar, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. From there they would be taken to the Gaza Strip.
The attack and massacre of Israel by the Islamist Hamas and other Palestinian organizations on October 7 saw approximately 250 people abducted to the Gaza Strip. 136 people are currently being held in the coastal strip. Israel estimates that about two dozen of them are no longer alive.
Last year, the federal government approved the export of war weapons worth 20.1 million euros to Israel. These include 3,000 portable anti-tank weapons and 500,000 ammunition for machine guns, submachine guns or other fully or semi-automatic firearms. This is evident from a response from the Ministry of Economic Affairs to a request from Bundestag member Sevim Dagdelen of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, submitted to the German Press Agency. In total, the traffic light government approved arms deliveries to Israel amounting to 326.5 million euros – ten times as much as in the previous year.
According to a report in the US media, the Islamist Hamas tunnel network in the Gaza Strip could be longer than Israel previously believed. Its length is estimated at about 560 to 720 kilometers, the New York Times said, citing senior Israeli defense officials. According to the report, Israeli estimates in December estimated that the tunnel system under Palestinian territory was about 400 kilometers long. The Gaza Strip itself is approximately 45 kilometers long and between six and fourteen kilometers wide. It is barely bigger than Munich. For comparison: the metro network in the Bavarian capital covers a distance of 95 kilometers.
The war in Gaza is also likely to be the focus of discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In view of crises and wars, the meeting of the world’s political and economic elite in the Swiss ski resort aims to provide a platform for exchange and cooperation. UN Secretary General António Guterres, among others, will speak on Wednesday. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
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