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Yemen’s Houthi militia has launched attacks on two commercial ships in the Red Sea, the group said on Tuesday.
There were reports that one of the ships was damaged after coming being hit by a barrage of explosive drone boats and missiles.
The Houthis, in co-ordination with Iran-backed militias in Iraq, also claimed to have attacked a vessel in the Mediterranean. Pro-militia channels in Iraq also reported the strike but there were no reports of a ship being damaged.
Central Command, the US military headquarters in the Middle East, confirmed two of the attacks and said five drones had been shot down over the Red Sea and Yemen. “Iranian-backed Houthis launched multiple attacks against MT Bentley I, a Panama-flagged, Israel-owned, Monaco-operated tanker vessel in the Red Sea carrying vegetable oil from Russia to China.
“Iranian-backed Houthis used three surface vessels in this attack, one uncrewed surface vessel [USV] and two small boats. No damage or injuries have been reported at this time,” it said.
Centcom said the group then launched a ballistic missile at the ship, with no success.
Separately, Iranian-backed Houthis attacked MT Chios Lion, a Liberian-flagged, Marshall Islands-owned, Greek-operated crude oil tanker with a USV, with less success, Centcom added.
A Houthi-affiliated social media account shared what it said were images and videos of the attack on the Chios Lion on Tuesday.
The video appeared to show a missile hitting an oil tanker, causing a large explosion.
It was shared by an account that describes itself as the "Yemeni Military Media."
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the latest Houthi military operations were a response to the Israeli air strike on the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on Saturday, an attack that killed at least 90 Palestinians and wounded 300 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The rebels have said repeatedly that they will not halt attacks on ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea until the war on Gaza stops.
US redeploys super carriers
The latest attacks come shortly after the US sent a second super carrier to replace the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, which has just finished an eight-month deployment in the region.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt will patrol the waterways near Yemen “to deter aggression, promote regional stability and protect the free flow of commerce in the region”, Centcom said. The 100,000-tonne super carriers can launch air attacks at a rate of 200 per day against enemy targets.
But experts say the air missions – to intercept Houthi drones and bomb launching sites inside Yemen, have not been enough to keep the waterway open.
Two multinational naval missions, one US and UK-led, and a second, which is headed by the EU and purely focused on shooting down Houthi weapons, have so far failed to stop attacks on container ships and oil tankers.
Air strikes on Houthi positions began in January.
According to Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, traffic in the region is still significantly down since the start of the Houthi blockade in November. This has significantly damaged Egypt’s Suez Canal revenue.
“The number of ships crossing through the canal has plummeted by 66 per cent since carriers began temporarily diverting their vessels around Africa,” the company said.
Yemen’s Houthi militias and Iran-backed Iraqi militias, known as the Islamic Resistance, also claim to be working together to launch attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Mediterranean, as well as launching co-ordinated drone and missile attacks against Israel.
The latter is feasible – both groups are armed and trained by Iran and the Houthis have become adept at relatively accurate, long-range attacks over hundreds of kilometres, or even thousands, with their longest-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.
But attacking ships as far out as the Mediterranean is less likely, due to what analysts call the challenge of maintaining the “kill chain". This involves having drones or other aircraft spotting a ship thousands of kilometres away, tracking its movement and updating the course of a missile or drone. It is a complex task and Houthi ballistic missiles have been reported missing ships by kilometres.
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Abramovich London
A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
RESULTS
Dubai Kahayla Classic – Group 1 (PA) $750,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Deryan, Ioritz Mendizabal (jockey), Didier Guillemin (trainer).
Godolphin Mile – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
Dubai Gold Cup – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (Turf) 3,200m
Winner: Subjectivist, Joe Fanning, Mark Johnston
Al Quoz Sprint – Group 1 (TB) $1million (T) 1,200m
Winner: Extravagant Kid, Ryan Moore, Brendan Walsh
UAE Derby – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Rebel’s Romance, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
Dubai Golden Shaheen – Group 1 (TB) $1.5million (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zenden, Antonio Fresu, Carlos David
Dubai Turf – Group 1 (TB) $4million (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord North, Frankie Dettori, John Gosden
Dubai Sheema Classic – Group 1 (TB) $5million (T) 2,410m
Winner: Mishriff, John Egan, John Gosden
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: Najem Al Rwasi, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Fandim, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Harbh, Pat Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
3.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
4pm: Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
