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Saudis are keen to end their engagement in Yemen and US needs Saudi support to end Gaza conflictUS determination to keep Saudi Arabia engaged in a peace process with Israel has led Washington to give Riyadh an informal green light to try to revive a peace deal with the Houthis, the Yemen-based rebels who have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea since...

Urgent funding needed to help people return home as humanitarian crisis reaches critical levels, according to migration organisationThe number of African migrants stranded in Yemen, many of whom endure “horrifying and brutal” violence while trapped there, is reaching critical levels, according to international NGOs and civil society organisations based in the Arab state.The International Organization for Migration (IOM) put out a warning this week...

Calls during Yemen briefing come as missile believed to have been launched by Houthis strikes a vessel off AdenThe US and UK have called for a UN maritime inspectorate to do more to prevent Iranian missiles reaching Houthi-controlled ports in the west of Yemen.The calls during a UN security council briefing on the crisis in Yemen came as a missile believed to have been...

Incident marks first fatalities of commercial shipping crew since militants began launching strikes off Yemen last yearThree sailors have died and others have been injured after a Houthi missile attack on a ship in the Gulf of Aden, US officials have said – the first fatalities of crew of commercial shipping since the Houthis began launching strikes at ships in waters off Yemen last...

Leaking fuel and thousands of tonnes of fertiliser could harm marine ecosystems and affect coastal fishing communitiesThe sinking of a bulk carrier off the coast of Yemen after a Houthi missile attack poses grave environmental risks as thousands of tonnes of fertiliser threaten to spill into the Red Sea, officials and experts have warned.Leaking fuel and the chemical pollutant could harm marine life, including...

Destroyer Caio Duilio, part of the EU shipping protection force, took out weapon when it came within four miles of the vesselAn Italian warship participating in the EU naval protection force in the Red Sea was forced to shoot down a Houthi missile on Saturday in a rare engagement by the country’s navy, which has largely avoided direct action since the second world war.The...

Yemeni government warns of Red Sea environmental disaster after cargo ship struck by rebels last weekMiddle East crisis – live updatesHouthi leaders have denied they have targeted critical underwater sea telecommunication cables, as Yemen’s UN-recognised government warned of an imminent marine environmental disaster if a cargo ship struck by the rebels last week was not quickly rescued.The Rubymar, a Belize-flagged but British-owned bulk carrier,...

Costs are escalating amid delays, according to British Chambers of Commerce research that shows UK exporters have also been hitMore than half of UK retailers and exporters have been affected by the disruption to Red Sea trade from Houthi rebel attacks on cargo ships, research by a leading business lobby group suggests.The price of shipping a container from Asia to Europe has gone up...

Joint statement says 18 sites across eight locations were targeted, including missile storage facilitiesThe US and UK carried out strikes against 18 Houthi targets including underground weapons and missile storage facilities in Yemen on Saturday in the latest round of military action against the Iran-linked group that continues to attack shipping in the region.The strikes were against Houthi targets across eight locations and also...

Two projectiles hit Belize-flagged vessel in strike that if confirmed would be a propaganda victoryMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Houthis have claimed one of their most significant strikes since they started launching missiles at ships in the Red Sea, after two projectiles hit a Belize-flagged cargo ship.The Yemeni rebels claimed the ship was at risk of sinking, a significant propaganda victory for the...

UK Maritime Trade Operations says military authorities exploring apparent explosion near vesselThe UK is investigating reports that a cargo ship has come under attack off the coast of Yemen, after an apparent explosion close to the vessel on Sunday.Following the reports of damage to the vessel, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said: “Military authorities are investigating. UKMTO has received a report of an incident...

Shipments of food and medical supplies from Asia are having to take longer, more expensive routes to avoid seaborne assaultsAttacks by Houthi forces against ships in the Red Sea are holding up shipments of vital aid to Sudan and driving up costs for cash-strapped humanitarian agencies in the east African country, where conflict has put millions at risk of famine.The attacks mean ships carrying...

Militants fired missiles at Greek-owned ship, says US military, in strike that raises questions over who Houthis are trying to targetIran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have carried out their first attack in the Red Sea in six days, firing at an Iran-bound grain cargo ship, the US military has said, in a strike that raises questions about the group’s targeting.The lull in attacks on...

Two vessels not badly damaged but incident casts doubt on success of UK-US strikes on Yemen missile sitesMiddle East crisis – live updatesHouthi rebels say they have successfully targeted a British and a US ship in the Red Sea, casting doubt on the effectiveness of three waves of US-UK strikes on missile sites belonging to the group in Yemen.Neither of the two ships were...

Joint operation to further disable militias follows attacks on US and international interests amid war in GazaThe United States and Britain struck at least 30 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday in another wave of assaults meant to further disable Iran-backed groups that have attacked US and international interests in response to the Israel-Hamas war.Ships and fighter jets on Saturday launched strikes against the...

Defence secretary says third joint UK-US assault on Iran-backed group is to protect lives and ‘preserve freedom of navigation’The UK has joined the US for a third time in conducting a wave of airstrikes on Iran-linked Houthi targets in Yemen.The defence secretary, Grant Shapps, said the fresh assaults were “not an escalation”, but instead were designed to “protect innocent lives and preserve freedom of...

Supply chain difficulties have led to job losses and cuts in purchasing and stocks, S&P Global poll showsBritain’s factories have been hit by disruption caused by Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea that led to shipping delays and contributed to rising costs, as the boss of Adidas warned about “exploding” global freight rates.UK manufacturers have experienced growing supply chain difficulties, as the Red...

The US military says it also hit up to 10 unmanned drones that were preparing to launchIsraeli media reports that Hamas representatives are again conducting talks in Cairo on the outlines of a possible hostage deal, with Egypt and Qatar mediating.Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that two Palestinian men have been shot and wounded overnight by Israeli security forces during a raid on the...

Biden administration officials reported as saying terms emerging for prospective deal involving release of hostagesSee all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and the Middle East crisisThe Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says that medical teams at the al-Amal hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis cannot perform surgical operations due to “oxygen depletion”.The PRCS on Saturday condemned the siege and targeting of...

US military confirms Houthi attack on Marlin Luanda in Gulf of AdenThe UK government has said Britain and its allies “reserve the right to respond appropriately” after an oil tanker was struck and set alight off coast of Yemen.Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed their naval forces carried out an operation targeting what they described as the “British oil tanker Marlin Luanda” in the Gulf of...

US navy shoots down two missiles and a third lands in sea as Iran-aligned group continues strikes against Red Sea shippingTwo ships sailing close to the Gulf of Aden were forced to seek the support of the US navy after explosions were heard nearby, as the Houthi group kept up their assault on commercial shipping off the coast of Yemen.The Houthis have said their...

Sources says Israel and Hamas closer to 30-day ceasefire; Iraqi PM’s office says US strikes undermine years of cooperationThe United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (Ocha) has outlined some of the violence happening in the West Bank in its latest update. It describes the number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank in 2023 as “the highest” since Ocha started recording...

PM rejects calls from MPs for Commons vote over military action as pressure grows to clarify long-term strategy on Red Sea crisisRishi Sunak has warned there could be further bombing of Yemen if Houthi attacks on shipping continue, as he came under mounting pressure from MPs to clarify Britain’s long-term strategy for tackling the deepening crisis.The prime minister told parliament that a second round...

IDF says deaths happened when militants fired rocket-propelled grenade as soldiers prepared explosives to demolish buildingsFull report on latest round of US and UK strikesReged Ahmad here picking up the blog from Jem BartholomewUS Central Command (Centcom) has posted some of the latest video and images of their airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthis.The US undertook its eighth round of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen...