Israeli military says it will strike Yemeni ports, issues evacuation warning
In a statement, the military's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee identified those places as the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Hodeidah power station.
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The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
‘We don't have any access': Iran's president backs Trump's claims of damage caused by U.S. strikes in interview
Iranian President Mahmoud Pezeshkian offered a rare moment of insight regarding the state of his country's nuclear program over the weekend in an interview with Tucker Carlson that was published Monday. U.S. forces struck three facilities across Iran associated with the development of nuclear weapons on June 22. The Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan sites were hit with an array of weaponry including 'bunker-buster' bombs dropped by B-52 bombers with the capability of damaging or destroying underground targets. An initial intelligence assessment obtained by Reuters and other news outlets reported that the strikes only set Iranian development efforts back by months, but the White House and Defense Department have insisted that further assessments put the damage at a greater level than was initially reported. In the lead-up to the interview's publication, Carlson told viewers of his channel that he didn't ask Pezeshkian about the status of the nuclear program and the country's weapons development, given that he expected the Iranian government to be deceptive on the matter. Still, the Iranian president offered a comment about the program's fate offhandedly during the interview, telling Carlson: 'the facilities there have been severely damaged, and therefore we don't have any access to them, and we cannot see - unless this access is going to be [restored], we have to see how much they have been damaged.' The admission that Iranian officials are apparently still unable to access the underground facilities targeted by U.S. strikes lends credence to the Trump administration's assertions that heavy damage was done, potentially knocking them totally out of commission for the foreseeable future. An initial U.S. intelligence assessment was leaked to the press and caused headaches for the administration as it claimed that Iran's stockpile of uranium was not hit during the attack and that centrifuges at the three sites were mostly intact following the strikes. Officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth angrily scolded reporters after publication of the assessment, which they blamed on an effort to make the president look bad. A report from the Wall Street Journa l in the days after the initial assessment's leak detailed a separate assessment delivered to members of Congress by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. According to Ratcliffe, the strikes were successful in achieving total destruction of the metals conversion site at Esfahan, which was Iran's only known facility capable of converting enriched uranium into metal — a key final-stage process in production of a weapon, and a capacity that Iran will require years to rebuild. International Atomic Energy Agency director Rafael Grossi told CBS News in late June that Iran could be producing enriched uranium again within a matter of months, explaining that the country's nuclear program did not suffer 'total' destruction. But the lack of a metals conversion facility could mean that the country is incapable of producing anything beyond a relatively unsophisticated weapon, unless it harbors a secret second site outside of Esfahan. The Times of Israel reported one expert as saying that it was a credible possibility for Iran to have another hidden metal conversion site. 'It is clear that there has been severe damage, but it's not total damage, first of all,' Gross said. 'And secondly, Iran has the capacities there; industrial and technological capacities. So if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again.' NBC News reported in late June that experts believed the destruction of Iran's air defense systems and continued efforts by Israeli intelligence to uncover hidden aspects of Iran's nuclear capabilities would make keeping a site like Esfahan hidden a near impossibility. 'Iran's principal challenge in pursuing a covert pathway is going to be keeping it hidden from U.S. and Israeli detection,' Eric Brewer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative told NBC. 'That's the key challenge, because both countries, particularly Israel, have demonstrated an ability to penetrate Iran's nuclear program.'
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Israel bombs hijacked Brit ship Galaxy Leader seized by Houthis in devastating wave of airstrikes against terror group
ISRAEL has bombed the hijacked Brit ship Galaxy Leader seized by Houthis in devastating wave of airstrikes. The car carrier was snatched by the terror group when crack troops swooped onto it with a helicopter in November 2023. 6 6 6 The Galaxy Leader is owned by a British company, which is partially owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar. The militants had celebrated its capture as a war trophy - with Yemeni influencers visiting the vessel to show it off. The brutal attack on Sunday night involved around a whopping 50 missiles and bombs, according to the IDF. The Force added the attack was in response to relentless Houthi attacks on Israel. The IDF said: "The Houthi terrorist regime's forces installed a radar system on the ship, and are using it to track vessels in international maritime space in order to promote the Houthi terrorist regime's activities." The strikes were also said to have hit the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, alongside the Ras Qantib power plant on the coast. A mere few hours later, two retaliation missiles were launched from Yemen, Israel said. Attempts were made to intercept them but the results were still under review. The Houthi group has continued to fire ballistic missiles at Israel since the tense ceasefire with Iran was reached. But the firing attempts are - most of the time - blasted singly, meaning Israel's Iron Dome is usually able to down them. Trump boasts 'Oops, there will be no attack' after US bombs Houthi terror soldiers 'preparing to fight' in drone strike In October, Houthi rebels forced hostages on board a hijacked British cargo ship to party on live TV as new satellite images reveal the vessel's movements. Footage shared on Yemen TV channels shows the captives watching a traditional knife dance as the guests of honour on the ship where they are being held hostage. Exclusive images provided to The Sun also showed the boat being brought back and forth from the shore by the Houthis. Satellite pics taken by company Maxar show the ship tied with its back to shore last April. The condition of the crew is dire as they face 'significant health issues" including malaria, a report claims. Most of the crew are from the Philippines, with three from Ukraine, two each from Bulgaria and Mexico, and one from Romania. The Houthis have sought to portray themselves as treating the hostages generously and have welcomed visits from the Red Cross and a top naval commander. But Filipino diplomatic sources have previously said they do not expect the captives to be released until Israel's war in Gaza is over. 6 6 6 For about a dollar per trip, male-only groups of visitors can board wooden boats five times a week to marvel at the hijacked carrier. The Houthis, designated a "global terrorist" group by Washington, have previously draped it in Yemeni and Palestinian flags and anti-American and anti-Israeli banners. They have continued their campaign to disrupt trade in the Red Sea for almost a year now. Footage from earlier this month shows them sending an explosive-laden drone at a British oil tanker. They shared the clip of a big explosion near the side of the Cordelia Moon, which damaged its port side tank and covered it in clouds of smoke. Around 12 per cent of all global trade normally passes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the now-under-attack 20-mile-wide stretch of the Red Sea also known as the "Gate of Tears". Who are the Houthis? THE Houthi rebels have spent months terrorising the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on vessels and warships - but who are they? The Shia militant group who now controls large swaths of Yemen spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world. However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage - turning one of the world's busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone. Their warped battle cry is 'Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam'. Why are they attacking ships? Last October, the rebel group began launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships - including warships - they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally Hamas. In reality, they targeted commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel - forcing global sea traffic to largely halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices around the world soaring. The sea assaults added to the carnage in the Middle East tinderbox as intense ripples from Israel's war in Gaza were felt across the region - with Iran accused of stoking the chaos. The Houthi chiefs pledged their Red Sea attacks would continue until Israel stopped its offensive in Gaza. The group's chiefs have previously said their main targets are Israel, and its allies the US and Britain. And despite repeated threats from the West and joint US and UK strikes blitzing their strongholds in Yemen - Iran's terror proxy appears undeterred. The UK and US have hit Houthi bases as recently as this month after the terror group once again targeted boats in the shipping lane. Israel has also hammered the group with airstrikes, reportedly hitting oil storage tanks at the port in Al Hudaydah
BreakingNews.ie
9 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Another cargo ship comes under attack in Red Sea
A Liberian-flagged cargo ship has come under fire in the Red Sea, with two security guards on board reportedly hurt and two others missing in an assault that followed Yemen's Houthi rebels purportedly sinking another vessel. The assault followed the Houthis saying the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas sank on Monday after being attacked with drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire on Sunday, forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vessel. Advertisement The two attacks and a round of Israeli air strikes early on Monday targeting the rebels raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in US and Western forces to the area, particularly after President Donald Trump's administration targeted the rebels in a major air strike campaign. The attacks comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance, and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear programme following American airs trikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also travelled to Washington to meet Mr Trump. Houthi rebels claimed the attack on a ship (Osamah Abdulrahman/AP) The private security firm Ambrey reported the latest attack on Monday night in the Red Sea, offering the details on the hurt and missing security guards. Advertisement It said the vessel had been heading north toward the Suez Canal when it came under fire by men in small boats and by bomb-carrying drones. The security guards on board had opened fire in response. 'The vessel's engines had reportedly been disabled and Ambrey observed that the vessel had started to drift,' the firm said. Military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the Houthis attacked the Magic Seas as the ship belonged to a company which it said continued to do port calls in Israel. Following the attack, the Israeli military said that it struck Houthi-held ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. Advertisement It released footage showing an F-16 launching from Israel for the strike, which came after the Israeli military issued a warning for the area. 'These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies,' the Israeli military spokesman said. He also said the military struck the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023 when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war. 'Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities,' the spokesman said. Advertisement The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. It said that no Israelis were on board. The ship had been operated by a Japanese firm, NYK Line. The Houthis acknowledged the strikes but offered no damage assessment from the attack. Mr Saree claimed its air defence forces 'effectively confronted' the Israelis. Israel has repeatedly attacked Houthi areas in Yemen, including a naval strike in June. Both Israel and the United States have struck ports in the area in the past — including an American attack that killed 74 people in April — but Israel is now acting alone in attacking the rebels as they continue to fire missiles at Israel. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz threatened to launch further strikes. Advertisement 'What's true for Iran is true for Yemen,' Mr Katz said in a statement. 'Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.' The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel. The Israeli military said that it attempted to intercept the two missiles launched by the Houthis but they appeared to make impact, though no injuries have been reported. Sirens sounded in the West Bank and along the Dead Sea. The attack on the Magic Seas, a bulk carrier heading north to Egypt's Suez Canal, happened about 60 miles south west of Hodeida, which is held by the Houthis. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, though the vessel later was struck by projectiles. Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, said that the Magic Seas also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats.
