International
Hutis say that they attacked 3 other ships and the United States, that a Ukrainian freighter was hit
Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels claimed new attacks “with direct impact” against three other merchant ships in the Red and Arabian Seas, while the United States confirmed that a Ukrainian-owned freighter was hit and a member of its crew was seriously injured.
The Houthi military spokesman, Yehya Sarea, said in a statement that the new attacks were carried out “with drones and missiles during the last 24 hours,” shortly before the US force in the area announced that one of those attacks caused a fire on a Ukrainian freighter, operated by Poland, and “serious injuries” to a member of its crew.
“The first attack targeted the Verbena ship in the Arabian Sea (…) the second the Seaguardian (…) and the third the Athina,” said the insurgent spokesman, who assured that the latter two were hit in the Red Sea, and that the three actions were carried out with drones and ballistic missiles and had a “direct impact.”
Sarea did not reveal more details about the attacked vessels, although the U.S. Central Command. (Centcom, in English) said in his account in X that “two anti-ship cruise missiles of the Houthis, backed by Iran, hit M/V Verbena.”
It is “a bulk cargo ship operated by Poland, Ukrainian-owned and with the flag of Palau” that “reported damage and subsequent fires on board,” according to the message from Centcom, which pointed out that “the crew continues to fight the fire,” and that “a civilian sailor was seriously injured during the attack.”
“A plane of the USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) medically evacuated the sailor who was injured in a nearby associated ship to receive medical attention,” Centcom added, pointing out that the M/V Verbena recently docked in Malaysia and was heading to Italy with wooden construction material.
The new attacks of the Houthis come after the fighters of this Shiite ideology movement announced on Wednesday a similar action in the Red Sea against a Greek freighter that was “seriously damaged”, in a new escalation of violence on that strategic sea route.
“This continuous reckless behavior of the Houthis backed by Iran threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of sailors in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” the Centcom message added.
He pointed out that “the Houthis claim to act on behalf of the Palestinians in Gaza and yet attack and threaten the lives of third-country nationals who have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza,” and “their threat makes it more difficult to provide help to the people of Yemen and Gaza.”
Since mid-November, the Houthis have claimed dozens of attacks on merchant ships in the Red and Arabian Seas, which they accuse of being Israelis or linked to Israel, in response to that country’s attacks on the Palestinian enclave.
Its actions against navigation have intensified in the last two weeks, while the United States and the United Kingdom have also intensified their bombings against Houthi positions in the context of an operation started in February to protect navigation in the Red Sea.
International
Pope Francis meets former Gaza hostages
Pope Francis met on Thursday at the Vatican with 16 Israelis who had been held hostage in Gaza for months by the Islamist group Hamas, according to the official Vatican news website.
The group consisted of ten women, four men, and two children, as reported by the same source. Several of the former hostages showed the Argentine pontiff banners or photos of their loved ones who remain in captivity.
Francis had previously met with the families of hostages in April this year and November 2023, but this was the first time he had met with individuals who had personally endured captivity.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began, the pope has repeatedly called for the immediate release of Israeli hostages, while also condemning the suffering of the Palestinian population.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Islamist militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,206 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 251, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures that include hostages who died in captivity.
Of the kidnapped, 97 are still being held in Gaza, but the Israeli military estimates that 34 of them have died.
The military offensive launched by Israel in response has killed at least 43,736 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, according to data from the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-governed territory.
International
Israeli airstrikes on Damascus kill 15 and injure 16, including women and children
Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on residential buildings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and its surroundings on Thursday, resulting in at least 15 deaths and 16 injuries, according to Syria’s Ministry of Defense and state television.
The ministry stated that around 3:20 p.m. local time (12:20 GMT), the Israeli military launched an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights, targeting several residential buildings in the Mazzeh neighborhood in western Damascus and the Qudsaya suburb to the northwest of the capital.
The airstrikes “resulted in the death of 15 people and injuries to 16 others, including women and children,” based on initial estimates, in addition to significant damage to private property and civilian buildings, the ministry added.
Meanwhile, state television reported Israeli airstrikes on three buildings in Mazzeh and another on a building in an educational complex located in a residential area of Qudsaya.
Following the strikes, loud explosions were heard throughout the city, and thick plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the targeted locations. Ambulances and emergency services rushed to the scene to attend to the victims.
International
Drug trafficker dies after boat collision with Guardia Civil Vessel in Sanlúca
Three people were on the boat that collided with a Guardia Civil vessel around midnight at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, near the Andalusian city of Cádiz, a spokesperson for the Civil Guard reported.
Two officers sustained “contusions,” the spokesperson explained.
The drug traffickers managed to bring the boat to shore, where one of them was “abandoned” severely injured. The other two fled.
The Civil Guard officers attempted to resuscitate the victim before transporting him to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, but he ultimately died early in the morning.
The other two suspects took advantage of the officers’ absence while they were taking the victim and returned to set their boat on fire.
The collision occurred very close to the site of another accident on September 1, where a drug trafficker died following a Guardia Civil pursuit.
The suspects’ boat traveled “400 meters” before crashing head-on and “at full speed” into the riverbank, where a hundred bundles of hashish were found.
Mulino warns Trump: Darién is U.S.’s ‘other border’ in call for bilateral solutions to migration
Pope Francis meets former Gaza hostages
Israeli airstrikes on Damascus kill 15 and injure 16, including women and children
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
-
Central America3 days agoBukele begins official visit to Costa Rica based on security, cooperation and trade
-
Central America2 days agoNicaraguan Naval Force seizes cocaine on Pacific Coast, suspects escape
-
Central America2 days agoEl Salvador delivers aid to Costa Rica amid severe flooding and red alerts
-
Central America2 days agoBukele urges Costa Rica to reform prison system amid rising crime rates
-
International2 days agoMarco Rubio considered for Secretary of State in Trump administration, reports say
-
International2 days agoSheinbaum pledges support for mexican migrants amid U.S. border enforcement plans
-
International3 days agoDaniel Ortega turns 79: 29 in power, 17 “governing from below”, and 7 in prison
-
International3 days agoLe procureur vénézuélien dénonce une campagne visant à présenter les “criminels” comme prisonniers politiques
-
International3 days agoLes migrants qui ont été retenus en Albanie par le gouvernement de Meloni arriveront ce soir en Italie
-
International4 days agoShooting at Tuskegee University leaves one dead and several injured
-
International2 days agoElon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency
-
International1 day agoMálaga paralyzed by new storm as torrential rains hit Spain
-
International3 days agoA US flight to Haiti is deflected after being shot when approaching Port-au-Prince
-
International2 days agoPresident-elect Trump chooses Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense
-
International1 day agoSeven bodies found with signs of torture in Sinaloa
-
International1 day agoHezbollah launches explosive drone strike on Israel’s defense headquarters
-
International3 days agoIrish mobster Hutch is rending for general elections after arrest in Spain
-
International1 day agoEcuadorian judge orders preventive detention for nine inmates after deadly prison clashes
-
Internacionales2 days ago
Mexico deploys 12,000 security agents to Guerrero amid escalating violence
-
Internacionales4 days agoTropical storm Rafael weakens over gulf of Mexico after devastating Cuba
-
International1 day agoSantiago Uribe cleared of homicide and paramilitary charges
-
International3 days agoTrump appoints an ally without experience in the sector to the environmental agency
-
International1 day agoTrump nominates Matt Gaetz as attorney general
-
International1 day agoMarco Rubio to become first latino U.S. diplomacy chief under Trump
-
International3 days agoThe court of El Salvador postpones the preliminary hearing for the massacre of Jesuit parents in 1989
-
Central America10 hours agoMulino warns Trump: Darién is U.S.’s ‘other border’ in call for bilateral solutions to migration
-
International10 hours ago
Aemet downgrades rainfall alert as heavy rains ease in Spain
-
International10 hours agoDrug trafficker dies after boat collision with Guardia Civil Vessel in Sanlúca
-
International10 hours agoIsraeli airstrikes on Damascus kill 15 and injure 16, including women and children
-
Central America10 hours agoTen dead in Panama due to storms causing over $100 million in damages
-
International10 hours agoVenezuelan opposition activist dies in custody amid allegations of repressive crisis
-
International10 hours agoMaria Corina Machado sees clear signs for Venezuela after Trump’s victory
-
International10 hours agoPope Francis meets former Gaza hostages