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‘Yemen's fate is the same as Tehran's': Israel launches strikes on Houthis, targets Hodeidah port
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz waits for his British and French counterparts ahead of a meeting, amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem August 16, 2024. Source: Reuters
The Israeli military attacked Houthi targets in Yemen's Hodeidah port on Monday in its latest assault on the Iran-backed militants, who have been striking ships bound for Israel and launching missiles against it.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the army was 'forcefully countering any attempt to restore the terror infrastructure previously attacked'.
The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said on Monday that a series of attacks on the port was under way, without providing any details.
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In a statement, the Israeli military said the port it attacked had been used 'among other things, to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are then used by the Houthi to execute terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and its allies.'
Since Israel's war in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group Hamas began in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea in what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel has responded by launching attacks on Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port.
'As I have made clear – Yemen's fate is the same as Tehran's. The Houthis will pay a heavy price for launching missiles toward the State of Israel,' Katz said.
Earlier in July, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on the Greek ship Eternity C that maritime officials say killed four of the 25 people aboard.
In May, the U.S. announced a surprise deal with the Houthis where it agreed to stop a bombing campaign against them in return for an end to shipping attacks, though the Houthis said the deal did not include sparing Israel.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)
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Mint
10 minutes ago
- Mint
Did Hamas steal Gaza aid? USAID finds no evidence of massive theft
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An internal U.S. government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by the Palestinian militant group Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies, challenging the main rationale that Israel and the U.S. give for backing a new armed private aid operation. The analysis, which has not been previously reported, was conducted by a bureau within the U.S. Agency for International Development and completed in late June. It examined 156 incidents of theft or loss of U.S.-funded supplies reported by U.S. aid partner organizations between October 2023 and this May. It found 'no reports alleging Hamas' benefited from U.S.-funded supplies, according to a slide presentation of the findings seen by Reuters. A State Department spokesperson disputed the findings, saying there is video evidence of Hamas looting aid, but provided no such videos. The spokesperson also accused traditional humanitarian groups of covering up "aid corruption." The findings were shared with the USAID's inspector general's office and State Department officials involved in Middle East policy, said two sources familiar with the matter, and come as dire food shortages deepen in the devastated enclave. Israel says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being stolen by Hamas, which it blames for the crisis. The U.N. World Food Program says nearly a quarter of Gaza's 2.1 million Palestinians face famine-like conditions, thousands are suffering acute malnutrition, and the World Health Organization and doctors in the enclave report starvation deaths of children and others. The U.N. also estimates that Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 people seeking food supplies, the majority near the militarized distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the new private aid group that uses a for-profit U.S. logistics firm run by a former CIA officer and armed U.S. military veterans. The study was conducted by the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) of USAID, which was the largest funder of assistance to Gaza before the Trump administration froze all U.S. foreign aid in January, terminating thousands of programs. It has also begun dismantling USAID, whose functions have been folded into the State Department. The analysis found that at least 44 of the 156 incidents where aid supplies were reported stolen or lost were 'either directly or indirectly' due to Israeli military actions, according to the briefing slides. Israel's military did not respond to questions about those findings. The study noted a limitation: because Palestinians who receive aid cannot be vetted, it was possible that U.S.-funded supplies went to administrative officials of Hamas, the Islamist rulers of Gaza. One source familiar with the study also cautioned that the absence of reports of widespread aid diversion by Hamas 'does not mean that diversion has not occurred.' The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Nearly 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli assault began, according to Palestinian health officials. ISRAEL SAYS HAMAS DIVERTS HUMANITARIAN AID Israel, which controls access to Gaza, has said that Hamas steals food supplies from U.N. and other organizations to use to control the civilian population and boost its finances, including by jacking up the prices of the goods and reselling them to civilians. Asked about the USAID report, the Israeli military told Reuters that its allegations are based on intelligence reports that Hamas militants seized cargoes by "both covertly and overtly" embedding themselves on aid trucks. Those reports also show that Hamas has diverted up to 25% of aid supplies to its fighters or sold them to civilians, the Israeli military said, adding that GHF has ended the militants' control of aid by distributing it directly to civilians. Hamas denies the allegations. A Hamas security official said that Israel has killed more than 800 Hamas-affiliated police and security guards trying to protect aid vehicles and convoy routes. Their missions were coordinated with the U.N. Reuters could not independently verify the claims by Hamas and Israel, which has not made public proof that the militants have systematically stolen aid. GHF also accuses Hamas of massive aid theft in defending its distribution model. The U.N. and other groups have rejected calls by GHF, Israel and the U.S. to cooperate with the foundation, saying it violates international humanitarian principles of neutrality. In response to a request for comment, GHF referred Reuters to a July 2 Washington Post article that quoted an unidentified Gazan and anonymous Israeli officials as saying Hamas profited from the sales and taxing of pilfered humanitarian aid. AID GROUPS REQUIRED TO REPORT LOSSES The 156 reports of theft or losses of supplies reviewed by BHA were filed by U.N. agencies and other humanitarian groups working in Gaza as a condition of receiving U.S. aid funds. The second source familiar with the matter said that after receiving reports of U.S.-funded aid thefts or losses, USAID staff followed up with partner organizations to try to determine if there was Hamas involvement. Those organizations also would "redirect or pause" aid distributions if they learned that Hamas was in the vicinity, the source said. Aid organizations working in Gaza also are required to vet their personnel, sub-contractors and suppliers for ties to extremist groups before receiving U.S. funds, a condition that the State Department waived in approving $30 million for GHF last month. The slide presentation noted that USAID partners tended to over-report aid diversion and theft by groups sanctioned or designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations - such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad - because they want to avoid losing U.S. funding. Of the 156 incidents of loss or theft reported, 63 were attributed to unknown perpetrators, 35 to armed actors, 25 to unarmed people, 11 directly to Israeli military action, 11 to corrupt subcontractors, five to aid group personnel 'engaging in corrupt activities,' and six to 'others," a category that accounted for 'commodities stolen in unknown circumstances,' according to the slide presentation. The armed actors 'included gangs and other miscellaneous individuals who may have had weapons,' said a slide. Another slide said "a review of all 156 incidents found no affiliations with" U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations, of which Hamas is one. 'The majority of incidents could not be definitively attributed to a specific actor,' said another slide. 'Partners often largely discovered the commodities had been stolen in transit without identifying the perpetrator.' It is possible there were classified intelligence reports on Hamas aid thefts, but BHA staff lost access to classified systems in the dismantlement of USAID, said a slide. However, a source familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments told Reuters that they knew of no U.S. intelligence reports detailing Hamas aid diversions and that Washington was relying on Israeli reports. The BHA analysis found that the Israeli military 'directly or indirectly caused' a total of 44 incidents in which U.S.-funded aid was lost or stolen. Those included the 11 attributed to direct Israeli military actions, such as airstrikes or orders to Palestinians to evacuate areas of the war-torn enclave. Losses indirectly attributed to Israeli military included cases where they compelled aid groups to use delivery routes with high risks of theft or looting, ignoring requests for alternative routes, the analysis said. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Editing by Don Durfee and Claudia Parsons)
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First Post
13 minutes ago
- First Post
Thailand-Cambodia clashes enter Day 2: Is a war looming large?
Thailand and Cambodia aren't backing down. The two Southeast Asian neighbours began Friday with heavy weapon firing, which has now extended to 12 locations along the disputed border. The clashes have also prompted Thailand's acting PM to say that it could lead to 'a war' read more A Thai military mobile unit fires towards Cambodia's side after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery on Friday as their worst fighting in more than a decade stretched for a second day, in Surin, Thailand. Reuters War clouds loom large over Southeast Asia as the clashes between Thailand and Cambodia have entered day 2 on Friday, July 25. Clashes that began on Thursday resumed early on Friday, the Thai military reported, as the two countries fight in their bloodiest military clashes in over a decade. The intense fighting has prompted Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai to tell reporters in Bangkok, 'If the situation escalates it could develop into war, though for now it remains limited to clashes.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He also said the exchanges had affected people's lives and that the government had 'protected our nation and sovereignty'. Here's what's going on as we decipher in which direction will these clashes move — will it be a war or will cooler minds prevail? Thailand, Cambodia exchange heavy artillery fire on Day 2 Fresh clashes broke out at 4:30 am local time on Friday with both countries trading heavy artillery and rocket fire. Today's fighting has expanded to 12 locations from the six on Thursday along the disputed border, said a Thai military official, indicating that the conflict is widening. Thai's military spokesperson Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri told a press conference Cambodia had continued to use heavy weapons. In turn, Cambodia's local reports state that the Thai troops are using cluster munitions in Phnom Khmouch and Techo Thammachart Village — near the Thai border. Royal Thai Army soldiers are pictured on armoured vehicles on a road in Chachoengsao province. Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military targets on July 24 as Cambodia fired rockets and artillery. AFP The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) in a statement said that the use of the weapons was a 'serious breach of international humanitarian norms'. Cluster munitions are banned under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions due to their indiscriminate impact and lasting danger, particularly to children, the statement added. Reuters journalists in Surin province reported hearing intermittent bursts of explosions on Friday, amid a heavy presence of armed Thai soldiers along roads and gas stations in the largely agrarian area. Death, destruction and displacement As a result of two days of intense firing between Cambodia and Thailand, a total of 16 people have died. Moreover, Thai officials said 138,000 people from four border provinces had been evacuated. In Surin, evacuee Ngerntra Pranoram said she was 'shocked' by the fighting. 'Nobody wants this to happen. I feel for the elderly and the disabled. It's very difficult for them to get here,' she said, according to Reuters. 'Some people have cars, which is good, but for those who don't, it's really hard.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Seamstress Pornpan Sooksai also told AP, 'I just heard, boom, boom. We already prepared the cages, clothes and everything, so we ran and carried our things to the car. I was frightened, scared.' Rattana Meeying, another evacuee, said she had also lived through the 2011 clashes between the two countries but described this flare-up as worse. 'Children, old people, were hit out of the blue," she said. 'I never imagined it would be this violent.' A little girl rests inside a shelter, after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery on Friday as their worst fighting in more than a decade stretched for a second day, in Surin, Thailand. Reuters Some villagers earlier dug holes to create makeshift underground bunkers, covering them with wood, tarpaulin and zinc sheets to shield themselves from shelling. Families with children were seen packing their belongings on home-made tractors to evacuate, though a few men refused to leave. As per a report by the Associated Press, more than 4,000 people in Cambodia have been displaced from their homes near the border. Videos from Oddar Meanchey on Thursday showed villagers fleeing in the dead of night, packing their belongings into vehicles and sleeping under tarps. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The clashes have also caused widespread destruction to property. On Friday, Cambodia alleged that Thai forces had struck near the Preah Vihear temple – a UNESCO World Heritage site and longstanding flashpoint between the two countries. Damage from a fire caused by Cambodian artillery at a 7-11 convenience store is seen at a PTT gas station in the Thai border province of Sisaket province. AFP Authorities in Phnom Penh released photos they say show damage to the ancient hillside temple complex, which sits along the contested border in Preah Vihear province. However, Thailand has rejected this charge, saying it was a 'clear distortion of facts'. 'The Royal Thai Army would like to state that the operations of the Thai military forces have a clear goal of retaliating only against the Cambodian military forces, and are not targeting civilian areas or any locations unrelated to the military operation in any way,' it said on X. All the fighting has also resulted in foreign governments issuing travel advisories for their citizens. On Friday, the Indian embassy in Thailand has urged its nationals to stay updated and avoid certain areas near the Thailand-Cambodia border. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In view of the situation near Thailand-Cambodia border, all Indian travelers to Thailand are advised to check updates from Thai official sources, including TAT Newsroom. As per Tourism Authority of Thailand places mentioned in the following link are not recommended for… — India in Thailand (@IndiainThailand) July 25, 2025 India's advisory comes after the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong has similar warnings. War clouds loom large Reacting to the violence that is occurring, Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said, 'We have tried to compromise as we are neighbours, but we have now instructed the Thai military to act immediately in case of urgency. 'If the situation escalates, it could develop into war, though for now, it remains limited to clashes.' Michael Buehler, a reader in comparative politics at SOAS, University of London, told The Guardian that the current fights is heading towards a bigger crisis owing to a dangerous mix of nationalism, military posturing, and political fragility in both countries. 'With both governments under pressure and national pride at stake, there's a real risk of further deterioration,' he added. World calls for calm Even as Thailand warns of a war, the international community is seeking peace. In fact, the United Nations chief has called on both countries to show restraint. In a statement, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres asked Thailand and Cambodia to resolve their escalating border dispute through dialogue. Moreover, the UN Security Council is expected to convene an emergency meeting on the crisis later today in New York. Earlier, countries such as China, Malaysia and even the United States have offered to mediate between the two Southeast Asian neighbours. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a Facebook post late Thursday he had spoken with Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. He called on both sides to stop fighting and seek a diplomatic solution. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And on Friday, a spokesperson from the Thai foreign ministry said that it was open to Malaysia mediating in efforts. 'We are ready, if Cambodia would like to settle this matter via diplomatic channels, bilaterally, or even through Malaysia, we are ready to do that. But so far we have not had any response,' Nikorndej Balankura told AFP. However, there are conflicting reports on this issue. In a Reuters report, Balankura has rejected any foreign mediation efforts. 'We stand by our position that bilateral mechanism is the best way out,' he told the news agency. With inputs from agencies
Hindustan Times
43 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
From one chaiwala to another: PM Modi shares ‘taste of India' with UK's Keir Starmer at Chequers
During his visit to the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Keir Starmer bonded over tea during a relaxed 'chai pe charcha' at Chequers, the British PM's countryside retreat. The best part is that the tea was made and offered by an Indian 'chaiwala'. Prime Minister Modi also shared the image of his encounter with Akhil on his X account. (PTI) The heartwarming encounter between Modi, Starmer and Indian seller Akhil Patel is now going viral. The visit, part of Modi's ongoing trip to the UK and Maldives, turned into a delightful detour when the two leaders were drawn to the inviting aroma of freshly brewed masala chai wafting from Patel's stall. Akhil, offered both leaders his signature masala chai and also shared the secret behind his special blend, explaining the mix of spices, brewing technique. On this, Modi looks at Starmer and say "you get the taste of India." In the now viral video, Akhil also wittily says from 'one chaiwala to another' while pouring a cup of steaming hot tea for PM Modi. The Indian Prime Minister also shared the image of his encounter with Akhil on his X account. The post also features Starmer seated comfortably with a teacup in hand. 'Chai Pe Charcha' with Keir Starmer at Chequers… brewing stronger India-UK ties!" Modi captioned the image. While Patel didn't post anything on his personal social media, he posted a video on his company's official Instagram page. The caption to the video read, "Just a casual Thursday serving chai for @narendramodi @keirstarmer What a crazy day! Beyond honoured. We'll be sharing the full story with you next week so keep your eyes peeled!' It shows the two world leaders enjoying tea served by Patel. Who is Akhil Patel? According to his LinkedIn bio, he studied at the University College School in Hampstead, London. Later, he pursued a Bachelor of Science (BSc), Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). While a student, he completed internships at various organisations before taking up a job as a data analyst after graduating. In 2019, he changed his career trajectory and founded Amala chai, inspired by his grandma.
