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Yemen Online
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Online
Yemen : Houthis likely to be ‘persistent problem' for US, military official says
The Houthi group in Yemen will likely be a 'persistent problem' for the US in the future, a senior US military official said on Tuesday, even after Washington and the Houthis reached an agreement last month that ended a US air campaign against the Iran-backed group, which controls much of Yemen. 'The Houthis are likely to be a persistent problem… that we'll be dealing with in the future a few times again,' Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, director for operations of the Joint Staff, told lawmakers. Grynkewich has been nominated to lead the US military's European Command. Last month, US President Donald Trump announced the US would stop bombing the Houthis, who had been firing at US warships and commercial vessels off Yemen's coast since November 2023. The US military said it struck more than 1,000 targets during its operation in Yemen, known as Operation Rough Rider. The strikes, the US military said, killed 'hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders.' Rights groups voiced concerns about civilian casualties during the bombing campaign. The Houthis — whose slogan calls for 'Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews' — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas-led massacre and hostage-taking that started the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. The group, which had said it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians, stopped firing at US ships under the May 2025 agreement, though it has continued to attack Israel directly. Last week, the Houthis said they would again target US ships in the Red Sea if Washington were to become involved in Israeli attacks on Iran. However, they did not resume attacks after the US struck three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. On Monday, Trump announced an Israel-Iran ceasefire deal. The nascent truce was shaken shortly thereafter, when Iran fired at Israel and Israel threatened a heavy response, but as of Tuesday evening, it appeared to be holding.
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First Post
24-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Top US general warns Houthis will remain long-term threat despite truce
A senior U.S. military official warned that Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement is likely to remain a recurring threat, despite a recent agreement that halted American airstrikes. The group has paused attacks on U.S. vessels but may resume if tensions in the region escalate. read more Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement will likely be a persistent problem for the U.S. in the future, a senior U.S. military official said on Tuesday, even after Washington and the Houthis reached an agreement last month that ended a U.S. air campaign against the group. 'The Houthis are likely to be a persistent problem… that we'll be dealing with in the future a few times again,' Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, director for operations of the Joint Staff, told lawmakers. Grynkewich has been nominated to lead the U.S. military's European Command. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Last month, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would stop bombing the Houthis, who had been firing at U.S. warships and commercial vessels off Yemen's coast. The group, which had said it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians during Israel's military campaign in Gaza, stopped firing at U.S. ships under the agreement. Rights groups had voiced concerns about civilian casualties during the nearly two-month-old U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen. Last week, the Houthis said they would again target U.S. ships in the Red Sea if Washington became involved in Israeli attacks on Iran. Still, they have not resumed attacks after the U.S. struck three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. On Monday, Trump announced an Israel-Iran ceasefire deal.
New York Post
22-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Inside Operation Midnight Hammer: US dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordow nuke site in biggest ever B-2 raid
The US strike on Iranian nuclear sites — dubbed 'Operation Midnight Hammer' — was the biggest ever attack by B-2 stealth bombers, and the longest flight the aircraft have made since 2001. It also marked the first time that the US used the massive, 15-ton GBU-57 bunker buster bombs in anger — and the US used 14 of them. The highly coordinated strike took Tehran by utter surprise Saturday night, with the terrorist state not launching any attacks at incoming American military personnel, according to Chief of the Joint Staff Gen. Dan Caine. 3 The US' Satturday strike on Iranian nuclear sites was dubbed 'Operation Midnight Hammer.' Dept of Defense 'We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the US strike package on the way in,' he said during a press conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon Sunday. '… We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out.' 'Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission. We retained the element of surprise,' he added. The 25-minute operation inside Iran began at 6:40 p.m. ET, with a lead American B-2 bomber dropped two GBU-57 'bunker buster' munitions on the 'first of several aim points at Fordow,' Caine said. 'The remaining bombers then hit their targets, as well, with a total of 14 MOPs (Massive Ordnance Penetrators) dropped against two nuclear target areas,' he said. 3 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine briefing on Iran strike. Getty Images 'All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6:40pm and 7:05pm ET.' The operation ended with a barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles, fired from an American submarine, 'to ensure we retain the element of surprise throughout the operation.' Caine and Hegseth underscored the history-making nature of the strikes against Iran, noting that it was the first operational deployment of the GBU-57A/B MOP — the most powerful heavy-duty bunker buster bomb known to exist. 'It was historic, a strike that included the longest B-2 Spirit Bomber mission since 2001 and the first operational employment of the MOP, a massive ordinance penetrator,' Hegseth said. 3 Aerial view of the Fordow underground complex in Iran after airstrikes. MAXAR Technologies Caine also noted that Operation Midnight Hammer was the 'second longest B-2 mission ever flown, 'exceeded only by those in the days following 9/11.' 'The region, especially in Iraq, Syria and the Gulf, our forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks, which would be an incredibly poor choice,' Caine warned Iran.
Yomiuri Shimbun
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Suspects Chinese Flattops Conducted Drills against U.S.
Courtesy of the Joint Staff of the Defense Ministry The Chinese Navy aircraft carrier Liaoning is seen in the waters near Iwoto Island on Sunday. TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan's Defense Ministry suspects that Chinese aircraft carriers recently found operating in the Pacific may have conducted drills for countering U.S. forces in the event of a Taiwan contingency. The ministry last week announced for the first time that it had spotted two Chinese aircraft carriers operating simultaneously in Pacific waters near Japan. The vessels sailed within Japan's exclusive economic zone near remote islands that are part of the Ogasawara chain. In addition, there were incidents in which a Chinese fighter jet based on one of the flattops flew dangerously close to a Maritime Self-Defense Force plane. The ministry is analyzing China's intentions behind these operations, sources said. Of the Chinese aircraft carriers, the Liaoning crossed for the first time the so-called second island chain, which links the Ogasawara Islands and the U.S. territory of Guam, sailing within the EEZ around Minamitorishima on June 7. China is said to regard the second island chain as a defense line to keep at bay U.S. aircraft carriers and submarines coming from Guam and elsewhere in the event of a Taiwan contingency. According to ministry sources, the Liaoning and the other flattop, Shandong, may have conducted exercises for countering U.S. forces in the event of a Taiwan contingency, with one playing the role of a U.S. aircraft carrier and the other practicing intercepting it. Regarding the close encounters between the Japanese and Chinese planes, some observers say that China may have made the moves because it did not want Japanese aircraft to approach the air defense zone established by the carrier fleet. The Shandong operated in the EEZ around Okinotorishima on June 9, with the departures and arrivals of carrier-based aircraft confirmed. In the EEZ around Okinotorishima, a Chinese marine research ship operated without Japan's consent in late May. Although the Japanese government protested, China maintained its position of not recognizing the EEZ, saying that Okinotorishima is not an island but rocks. 'It is necessary to examine whether there is any connection between the marine research ship and the Chinese military behavior in the EEZ,' a ruling party member said. The sea area around Minamitorishima where the Liaoning sailed is believed to hold significant seabed resources. According to the International Seabed Authority, China plans to test-mine for manganese nodules, which contain minor metals, from the seabed in international waters outside Japan's EEZ around Minamitorishima under exploration rights granted by the ISA. 'We will take all possible measures for warning and surveillance and deter any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force,' Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told a press conference Friday. 'We will proceed with a detailed analysis' of the latest movements of Chinese aircraft carriers, he added.
Miami Herald
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
China Feuds With US Ally Over Fighter Jet Intercept
China and Japan-a treaty ally of the United States-engaged in finger-pointing after their military aircraft had close encounters while conducting operations over the Pacific Ocean. Beijing accused Tokyo of "intruding" into the training area of its naval fleet, while Japan asserted that Chinese fighter jets deliberately flew in close proximity to its patrol aircraft. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese and Japanese foreign ministries for comment via email. Japan has been monitoring the Chinese navy-the largest in the world by hull count-in the western Pacific Ocean as the Northeast Asian country forms part of the first island chain, a defensive line of islands intended to contain China's navy under a U.S. maritime strategy. China has deployed both of its aircraft carriers-CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong-to the east of the first island chain since June 7. Japan's military reported that its patrol aircraft was intercepted by fighter jets launched from the Shandong while conducting surveillance. Regarding the aerial intercept incidents reported by Japan the previous day, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a news conference on Thursday that the two countries' defense departments "are in communication through existing channels." However, the Chinese official blamed Japan's "close-in reconnaissance" of China's routine military activities for creating what he described as "maritime and air security risks" and urged the Japanese military to stop such dangerous actions by its vessels and aircraft. Meanwhile, an unnamed spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Japan reiterated a statement from the Chinese navy, saying the dual aircraft carrier deployment in the western Pacific Ocean was part of routine training and did not "target any specific country or objective." The Chinese spokesperson accused the Japanese patrol aircraft of "seriously disrupting" the training by approaching the aircraft carrier. The official said, "China conducted professional and standardized on-site handling in accordance with laws and regulations." In Japan, General Yoshihide Yoshida, the chief of the Joint Staff, told media that the approach by Chinese fighter jets toward the Japanese patrol aircraft was not accidental, saying the two incidents lasted for 40 and 80 minutes, respectively, and occurred on two consecutive days. Tokyo expressed serious concern to Beijing and requested measures to prevent a recurrence, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Japanese government's spokesperson, at a news conference. He added that Japan would defend its territory, airspace and waters. Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday: "China's activities in relevant waters and airspace are consistent with international law and international practices." An unnamed spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Japan said on Thursday: "China urges Japan to stop dangerous actions that interfere with China's training activities and to avoid causing unexpected incidents." General Yoshihide Yoshida, the chief of the Japan Joint Staff, said on Thursday: "If we relax our posture, we will encourage attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by (China's) force." Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, said on Thursday: "The unusual approach of a Chinese military aircraft could provoke an accidental collision." Japan is likely to continue its surveillance of Chinese military activities near its territory as China's navy and air force expand their reach and presence across the wider Pacific Ocean. Related Articles US Ally Keeps American Missiles at Choke Point Near ChinaUS Aircraft Carrier Holds 'Warfighting' Drills on China's DoorstepChina Closer To Solving Hyperloop Train's Biggest FlawDonald Trump Issues Next Trade Deal Update After China 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
