Latest news with #Hudaydah
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Why Do Yemeni Coffeehouses Seem to Be Everywhere Lately?
A couple of weeks ago, when Hamzah Nasser learned that the Israeli military had bombed the Yemeni port of Hudaydah, he knew he had a problem. His monthly coffee shipments already involved an arduous journey from the country's mountainous interior to his cafe in Dearborn, Mich. — facing warring factions on land and rebel fire by sea. Now their usual path was blocked. 'It's getting a little bit stressful,' Nasser said. A Yemeni cafe requires Yemeni coffee. And Nasser, who plans to open many more Yemeni cafes, needs a lot more beans. Nasser, a former truck driver, opened his first Haraz Coffee House in Dearborn four years ago. Since then, he has gone from hauling parts for the likes of Ford to buying a 70,000-square-foot building in Dearborn that housed the company's vehicle prototypes. His headquarters now holds two industrial roasters and a bakery, where a pastry chef recently arrived from France to train his staff. In an office upstairs, his franchising team crunches the numbers on where Haraz should open next. Increasingly, the answer is: everywhere. Nasser, who intends to double his locations to 60 in the next six months, originally sought to open cafes in Arab neighborhoods or near mosques. But his search has expanded to anywhere that's young and diverse, or where families will linger late into the night and buy multiple rounds of $7.95 pistachio lattes. Chances are, the coffeehouses will wind up just a short distance from another Yemeni cafe. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Israel's navy hits Houthis in Yemen in 'unique' strike after Trump promises end to US ops
The Israeli navy on Tuesday issued an unprecedented strike against the Houthi terrorist network in Yemen, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official confirmed to Fox News. The long-range precision strikes were issued from a Sa'ar 6 vessel, which hit the port of Hudaydah "to stop the use of the port for military purposes." There was no immediate reporting on any casualties from the strikes, though the official described it as "a unique long-range strike conducted from hundreds of kilometers away." "The Israeli Navy has been preparing for the operation for an extended period of time, and it is safe to say that it was a successful one," the official said. The latest strike comes just one month after Israel launched a significant attack against the major port and first hit the nearby Sana'a International Airport. President Donald Trump then said the U.S. would stop its military strikes against the Iran-backed terrorist group. However, the Houthis remain a threat to Israel and, on Thursday, the IDF intercepted a Houthi missile above Jerusalem, which was just the latest attempt to strike the Jewish nation in retaliation for its military operations in the Gaza Strip. U.S. Army Gen. Michael Kurilla told lawmakers in the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that Iran is the number one reason the Houthis remain a threat, adding the terrorist network "would die on the vine without Iranian support." The deputy head of the Houthis' media office, Nasruddin Amer, took to X to claim that the attack had little impact. "No significant impact on our operations in support of Gaza, nor on preparations for escalation and expansion of operations deep inside the Zionist enemy entity," he wrote. "It has no impact even on the morale of our people who take to the streets weekly by the millions in support of Gaza." "Gaza is not alone and will not be alone, and escalation and expansion of operations are coming," he threatened. The IDF has threatened to enforce a naval and air blockade over the Houthis, which control the second-largest port in the country, if the attacks continue on Israel.
National Post
10-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Israeli navy strikes Houthis in Yemen
Israel attacked the Houthi-controlled port of Hudaydah in Yemen on Tuesday, reportedly marking the first time that naval forces were used in an operation against the Iranian-backed terror group instead of the air force. Article content Israeli Navy missile ships struck 'terror targets' at the port following 'the aggression of the Houthi terrorist regime' against the Jewish state and its citizens, including the launching of ballistic missiles and drones, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Article content Article content 'The strikes were carried out to stop the use of the port for military purposes. The port has been struck by the IDF over the past year and continues to be used for terrorist purposes,' the military said. Article content Article content 'The port is used to transfer weapons and is a further example of the Houthi terrorist regime's cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure to advance terrorist activities,' it added. Article content The IDF's Arabic-language spokesperson, Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, issued an urgent evacuation notice on Monday night for Yemen's Ras Isa, Hudaydah and Al-Salif ports. Article content 'Due to the terrorist Houthi regime's use of seaports for its terrorist activities, we urge all those present at these ports to evacuate and stay away from them for your own safety until further notice,' Adraee wrote on X, accompanied by a map. Article content Jerusalem has conducted multiple rounds of attacks against the Houthis in Yemen since last summer, mainly in retaliation for Houthi missile and drone attacks. The terrorist group claims these attacks are intended to end Israel's military campaign against the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza. Article content Article content The Houthis have launched dozens of ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel since the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, with the attacks intensifying this year. Article content Article content The terrorist group has also targeted commercial and military ships in the Red Sea. Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks on over 100 merchant ships, resulting in the sinking of two vessels and the deaths of four sailors, according to the Associated Press. Article content The Houthis halted their attacks during a self-declared ceasefire until the United States launched a major offensive against them in mid-March. U.S. President Donald Trump suspended this campaign just before his Middle East visit, stating that the rebels had 'capitulated' to American demands. Article content Approximately two weeks ago, the Israeli Air Force conducted an operation called 'Golden Jewel,' striking the airport in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. At the time, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the strike had destroyed the last aircraft in use by the Houthis.
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Israeli navy strikes Houthi-controlled port city of Hudaydah
Israeli navy ships have struck targets in the port city of Hudaydah in Houthi-controlled Israeli military said in a statement the strikes were carried out in response to Houthi missiles targeting Israel and were aimed at stopping the use of the port for "military purposes". There were no immediate reports of posted on social media showed black plumes of smoke rising from the port, with Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reporting two separate Houthis have regularly launched missiles at Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. On Thursday, a Houthi missile was intercepted above Jerusalem, while last month one hit the grounds of Israel's main airport. The strikes on Hudaydah, which unusually were carried out by navy ships rather than aircraft, were conducted in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier issued evacuation warnings to all those present in Hudaydah port, as well the other Houthi-controlled ports of Ras Isa and Salif."Due to the terrorist Houthi regime's use of seaports for its terrorist activities, we urge all those present at these ports to evacuate and stay away from them for your own safety until further notice," IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on Amer, the deputy head of the Houthis' media office, wrote on X that the attack had no significant impact on the group's operations."It has no effect even on the morale of our people, who take to the streets weekly ... in support of Gaza," he port, which is the main entry point for food and other humanitarian aid for millions of Yemenis, has been the target of several Israeli strikes in the past month, one person was killed in an Israeli strike, the Houthi-run health ministry said in a statement at the time. Israeli officials said the strike would put the port out of action for around a Iran-backed Houthi group has controlled much of north-western Yemen since 2014, when they ousted the internationally-recognised government from the capital, Sanaa, and sparked a devastating civil Houthis began attacking ships passing through the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza after the Israeli military began a bombardment there in response to the Palestinian armed group Hamas' attack on Israel in October November 2023, the Houthis launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on commercial ships - sinking two vessels, seizing a third and killing four crew attacks forced even major shipping companies to stop using the Red Sea - through which almost 15% of global seaborne trade usually passes - and to take a much longer route around southern Africa response, former US president Joe Biden began US air strikes against the campaign ramped up after US President Donald Trump took office, until a ceasefire was reached in early May.
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
When the U.S. and Israel Bomb the Houthis, Civilians Pay the Highest Price
Mohammed Omar Baghwi was working the evening shift on April 17 at Ras Isa port in Yemen's northwestern Hudaydah Province when the American military began bombing. As a manager, Mr. Baghwi, 45, was responsible for a department that filled cooking gas cylinders. He was one of at least 74 people killed during the strike, making it one of the deadliest attacks by the United States on Yemen. U.S. Central Command said it had attacked the port to 'degrade the economic source of power' of the Iran-backed Houthi militant group based in northern Yemen that controls most of the country. But Mr. Baghwi's family said he had been just a civilian trying to make ends meet. 'Mohammed and his companions had done nothing wrong,' said Hassan Omar Baghwi, his brother. 'They were simply doing their job to earn a living for themselves and their families under extremely difficult living conditions.' The Houthis have been firing drone and missile strikes at Israel in solidarity with Hamas after it led an attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and to pressure Israel over its campaign in Gaza. The Houthis have also targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea, a vital trade route. Those attacks have prompted retaliatory strikes from the United States and Israel, which, for the past two months, have regularly bombed Yemen. The American and Israeli governments say the strikes were focused on Houthi leaders and assets, but they have also killed many civilians, destroyed vital infrastructure and deepened uncertainty in the poorest country in the Middle East. Before President Trump announced this month that the United States had reached a cease-fire with the militia, the Trump administration had said its main goal was to restore navigation in the Red Sea. When he announced the cease-fire, Mr. Trump said the Houthis had 'capitulated.' The Houthis have continued to attack Israel, however, launching missiles that have landed near Ben Gurion Airport, close to Tel Aviv, setting off sirens and sending millions of civilians into bomb shelters. Israel has responded with more strikes, and the two sides show little sign of stopping their tit-for-tat attacks. Analysts say the strikes will only add to the misery for Yemeni civilians, the vast majority of whom live in Houthi-controlled territory and had already experienced decades of war before the U.S. and Israeli attacks. The Houthis oppose the United States and Israel, and see themselves as part of the Iranian-led 'axis of resistance,' alongside Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. But despite the months of strikes, some analysts and officials have questioned whether the U.S. and Israeli efforts have degraded the Houthis' military capability. The Trump administration has launched more than 1,000 strikes costing billions of dollars and have destroyed Houthi weapons and equipment. But U.S. intelligence agencies have said the group could easily reconstitute. 'The strikes have already triggered a fuel crisis, which will drive up the cost of basic goods and services in a country where most of the population are struggling to afford food,' said Nadwa al-Dawsari, an analyst focused on Yemen at the Middle East Institute in Washington. 'Even if their operations slow temporarily, they'll regroup, rebuild and return stronger,' she added. Civilians and aid workers say the bombing campaigns have compounded an already dire humanitarian situation. In 2014, the Houthis seized on a period of political instability to take over the country's capital, Sana. A Saudi-led military coalition backed by U.S. assistance and weapons began a bombing campaign in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government. The coalition enforced a de facto naval and air blockade that restricted the flow of food and other goods into Houthi-held territory. The intervention failed, leaving the Houthis in power in the north of the country. The subsequent civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemeni civilians and caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. In a briefing to the United Nations Security Council last week, humanitarian officials warned that Yemen still faced serious challenges. 'Half of Yemen's children — or 2.3 million — are malnourished, 600,000 of them severely so,' said Tom Fletcher, the United Nations' humanitarian chief. He added that 2,000 nutrition programs had been forced to shut down. Israeli airstrikes on Yemeni cities this month, including on the city's international airport, caused nearly $500 million in damages, according to the airport's director, and flights were suspended for more than a week. Israel said the attack had been in retaliation for a Houthi missile strike near Ben Gurion Airport. But the airport in Sana is mainly used for civilian travel and is one of the few ways Yemenis can get access to emergency medical treatment overseas. Waseem al-Haidari, a 42-year-old government employee in Sana, said past closures of the airport because of airstrikes had caused painful financial and emotional hardship on families like his when emergency medical treatment is needed. 'Our family sold valuable belongings and borrowed additional money to cover my brother's trip through Aden Airport to Cairo for a cornea transplant,' he said. Critically ill patients in Yemen are left with no choice but to endure a grueling 24-hour road journey to Aden or Seiyun, in the south of Yemen, to seek medical evacuation abroad. The western port city of Hudaydah, which the Israeli military says is a critical supply route for the Houthis, has borne the brunt of U.S. and Israeli strikes over the past year. Many of its ports and roads, which are lifelines for food and medicine entering the country, are in ruins. Even residents in southern areas of the country that are run by the internationally recognized Yemeni government say they were being affected, even if they are not in an area that has been regularly bombed. Saleh Ramadan, 49, lives in a dilapidated home in the southern city of al-Mukalla, where his children sleep in a dimly lit room. There is no furniture, no table for meals, no cupboards to store clothes. 'In the past, we could buy meat and chicken, even celebrate Eid with meat and new clothes,' he said, referring the Islamic festival celebrated at the end of Ramadan. Now, he said, his family often skips meals. Mr. Ramadan's eldest son, Mohammed, 20, dropped out of school to help his father deliver cooking gas. When the children get sick, the family relies mostly on herbal remedies because it cannot get medicine, which has become too expensive or is in short supply. Mr. Trump's decision to slash overall U.S. aid spending has made matters worse. Aid agencies have had to scale back food distribution, and the United Nations' World Food Program has warned that without new funding, programs for malnourished children under 5 could stop as early as this month. The Trump administration's decision to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist group has also complicated efforts to deliver humanitarian aid, as international banks fear contravening U.S. sanctions and are hesitant about processing transactions involving Yemen. Donor fatigue and geopolitical tensions have made securing aid even more challenging. The costs of food and transportation have soared, and the U.N.'s humanitarian office has reported that many families now spend up to 60 percent of their income on food alone. For Sara Mohammed, a widowed mother of three living in al-Mukalla, the struggle has been relentless. Living in a makeshift home with her mentally ill mother and blind father, she said the family relied on her sister's income as a domestic worker and their father's modest pension. 'We can't afford food,' she said. 'My sister dropped out of college to work two shifts. She has heart problems but can't afford medical treatment. My kids eat boiled rice. We survive on faith.'
