A Houthi rebel attack on Wednesday killed at least three crew members on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, forcing the crew to abandon ship. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen's port of Aden.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack in a prerecorded message, saying its missile fire set the vessel ablaze.
He said the rebels’ attacks would only stop when the “siege on the Palestinian people in Gaza is lifted
Houthi fighters in Yemen have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping since mid-November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and in opposition to Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.
The Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to reroute to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.
The True Confidence is owned by the Liberian-registered company True Confidence Shipping and operated by the Greece-based Third January Maritime, both firms said in their joint statement. They said the ship had no link to the US.
TV broadcast speech of Yemen's Houthi Spokesperson Yahya Sare'e, on March 4, 2024, in Sana'a, Yemen. Mohammed Hamoud | Getty Images News | Getty Images
However, it had previously been owned by Oaktree Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based fund that finances vessels in instalments
Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, acknowledged the attack but said its forces targeted two US warships, without elaborating.
The Houthis “will not stop until the aggression is stopped and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted”, Saree said.
The Barbados-flagged bulk carrier True Confidence, in Ravenna, Italy, Mar. 10, 2022. (Reuters)
Two sailors were killed in a Houthi missile attack on a bulk carrier near Yemen’s southern port of Aden on Wednesday, the British embassy in Sanaa said.
The Houthi militia attacked Barbados-flagged bulk carrier True Confidence a day after launching a barrage of drones and missiles at US Navy ships in the Red Sea.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which tracks down ship attacks, reported on Wednesday that it had received an alert about an attack damaging a commercial ship 54 nautical miles southwest of Aden and urged ships in the area to be cautious and that coalition forces in the area were offering assistance to the targeted ship.
“A merchant vessel in the vicinity is reported to have been hit and has suffered damage. Coalition Forces are supporting,” the UKMTO said.
A US official said the missile caused “significant damage” to True Confidence, adding that its “crew reports at least two fatalities and six injured crewmembers” who abandoned the ship.
The ship is owned by the Liberian-registered company True Confidence Shipping and operated by the Greece-based Third January Maritime, both firms said in a joint statement.
According to www.marinetraffic.com, which provides data on ship movements and whereabouts, True Confidence was in the area this week, going from China’s Lianyungang port to Jeddah port in Saudi Arabia.
Since November, the Houthis have seized a commercial ship and launched hundreds of drones, missiles and explosive-laden and remotely controlled boats at commercial and navy ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden, obstructing vital water corridors before Israeli ships.
The Houthis claim that their assaults are intended to push Israel to let food, water and other humanitarian supplies into the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
The Houthi attack on the ship came as the US Central Command said on Wednesday that its forces shot down on Tuesday an anti-ship ballistic missile and three drones fired by the Houthis from areas under their control in Yemen at the Navy ship USS Carney in the Red Sea, adding that its forces also destroyed three anti-ship missiles and three remotely controlled and explosive-laden boats on the ground in Yemen before the Houthis launched them.
In Sanaa, Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, said on Tuesday night that their naval and missile forces fired a number of naval missiles and drones at two US Navy destroyers in the Red Sea, stating that the attacks were in support of the Palestinian people and retaliation for US and UK strikes on areas under their control in Yemen.
The Houthis also said that the US and UK launched five attacks on Al-Jabanah and Ras Isa in the western province of Hodeida on Tuesday.
On Saturday, local officials and marine activists warned of an impending ecological calamity in the Red Sea after the MV Rubymar, a Belize-flagged and Lebanese-operated ship, sunk with a load of more than 21,000 tons of fertilizer. The ship was seriously damaged by missiles fired by the Houthis on Feb. 18.
Capt. Yeslem Mubarak, vice executive chairman of the Maritime Affairs Authority and a member of the government’s commission dealing with the sinking ship, told Arab News on Wednesday that the ship sank carrying thousands of tons of fertilizer, 200 tons of mazut, and 87 tons of diesel, and that the government teams on the ground had found no evidence of contamination near the ship or on Yemeni coastlines.
“Teams visited the ship’s location many times to inspect its condition, and it became evident that the rescue mission was beyond governments’ capabilities, necessitating the use of a specialist international rescue organization,” Mubarak said.
The Houthis, who accused the US of exaggerating the ship’s environmental concerns, said they would not allow rescue efforts to approach the sinking ship unless Israel lifted its siege on Gaza.
US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin, who attended a virtual meeting on Tuesday with the Yemeni government’s committee, condemned the Houthis for destroying ecosystems as well as disrupting international commerce by attacking ships sailing off Yemen’s shores.
“The attack on and sinking of the MV Rubymar is yet another example of Houthi disregard for the lives of mariners and livelihoods of Yemenis. These abhorrent Houthi attacks must stop now,” the US ambassador said in a statement on X
However, US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin never condemned Israel-Jews's actions are immoral and humanitarian and are destroying the infrastructure of the Palestinian people's life.
The United States promised to deliver 31 Abrams tanks to Kiev, with deliveries reportedly starting in September last year. US media reported that Ukrainian officials admitted that the tanks would not be able to change the situation at the front.
The Russian military has hit another Abrams tank with the first shot, a unit commander of the Russian Armed Forces operating on the Avdeyevka front said.
"During a tank duel, the crew of a T-72B3 tank destroyed the vaunted American Abrams with the first shot," the commander said.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the destruction of two Abrams tanks in the special military operation zone. One of them was struck with the help of kamikaze drones. According to the company producing the drones, the vehicle approached the positions of Russian forces, who shot it with an RPG-7 grenade launcher, stopping the tank. Then they used two UAVs and burned it.
The Kremlin has repeatedly stressed that the Abrams tanks delivered to Ukraine will burn like other Western equipment.
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank developed by the United States and has been in service with the US Army since the early 1980s.
Watch Mobile Anti-Tank Paratrooper Unit Neutralize Ukrainian Infantry Group
Russian paratroopers are part of the Russian Aerospace Forces' Airborne Troops, a highly trained and specialized unit. Their primary role is to conduct airborne operations, including capturing and securing objectives, reinforcing ground troops, and engaging in reconnaissance missions.
The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage of a Trans-Baikal paratrooper mobile anti-tank unit neutralizing a Ukrainian infantry group in the special military operation zone.
Using a Fagot anti-tank missile system mounted on a pick-up truck, the paratroopers neutralized an eight-man infantry group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the ministry said.
The ministry added that the paratroopers from a separate airborne guard formation from Buryatia continue combat operations in the Artyomovsk area.
Watch Russian FPV Kamikaze Drone Annihilate Ukrainian Starlink Station
The Russian Armed Forces have been using kamikaze drones, also known as suicide drones or loitering munitions, since the beginning of the special military operation. These unmanned aerial systems are designed to locate, track, and strike targets with high precision.
A Russian kamikaze drone has destroyed a stationary communication module of the Starlink system in the special military operation zone, UAV operator with the call sign "Topaz" told Sputnik.
"Our reconnaissance drone detected a Ukrainian Starlink communications station secretly placed and camouflaged in one of the enemy positions. The scouts passed the information to the FPV drone operators.
The guys immediately took the guidance, launched a 'bird' and successfully destroyed the target. Despite the work of enemy electronic warfare, the target was successfully hit, as confirmed by target control footage," Topaz reported.
West plays with fire, Kremlin spokesman says about idea of sending NATO troops to Ukraine
The Western countries are playing with fire when discussing the possibility of sending their troops to Ukraine, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told the media. He described as dangerous the very fact such an idea was mentioned by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Peskov said that Moscow is hearing "many contradictory statements" from the West about sending NATO troops to Ukraine, but "the very fact of this discussion is dangerous."
He pointed out that Macron's statements to the effect that a discussion should begin on this score came amid speculations that the West wants to see Russia suffer a strategic defeat.
"They are all playing with fire," Peskov warned. He added that together with German officers’ discussion of strikes on Russia all this leads "to a further degradation of the situation."
"Of course, this is extremely irresponsible behavior," Peskov stated.
He pointed out that Moscow was keen to achieve its goals and that "Russia is open to political and diplomatic ways of achieving them."
Displaced Palestinians carry their belongings through a street in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 6, 2024. (AFP)
After five months of its war on Gaza, Israeli authorities have lost all credibility in their claims that they are attempting to protect Palestinian civilians in the besieged territory, a UN expert said on Wednesday.
Instead, they continue to display an unprecedented “wholesale disregard” for the rights of displaced people there, said Paula Gaviria Betancur, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons.
She accused Israel of using evacuation orders simply to forcibly relocate the people of Gaza and confine them in conditions not fit for living. She also said she is appalled by Israel’s stated intention to extend such orders to include the southern city of Rafah — the last refuge for more than 1.5 million displaced Gazans and the only remaining functioning entry point for humanitarian aid to the territory — should its demands not be met by March 10.
“Any evacuation order imposed on Rafah under the current conditions, with the rest of Gaza lying in ruins, would be in flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, forcing people to flee to conditions of certain death, deprived of food, water, health care and shelter,” Gaviria Betancur said.
Few internal-displacement crises in recent history have matched wholesale disregard for the rights of the displaced in Gaza, she added.
“(Internally displaced persons) in Gaza have been arbitrarily driven from their homes multiple times with no regard for their rights to life, dignity, liberty and security,” she said.
“It is impossible to conceive of any durable solution to their displacement, given Israel’s systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, schools, markets and places of worship, atop the immense psychological toll the conflict has taken on the people of Gaza.
“Preventing arbitrary displacement, and providing protection, assistance and durable solutions to displaced persons are neither optional nor acts of charity. They are Israel’s obligations as an occupying power under international law.”
Israel continues to carry out air strikes on Rafah that kill more than 100 Palestinians each day. Survivors are forced to endure unimaginable hardship, living in tents that flood when it rains or makeshift shelters made from scraps of material. UN humanitarians officials sound the alarm daily about the need for Israeli authorities to allow the delivery of greater amounts of desperately needed humanitarian assistance.
Gaviria Betancur condemned Israel’s “continued efforts to obstruct and weaponize humanitarian aid, including through attacks on civilians seeking aid.”
The International Court of Justice in January ordered Israel to refrain from taking action against the people of Gaza that could amount to genocide, and to implement “immediate and effective measures” to ensure humanitarian aid is provided to civilians.
“Instead, Israel immediately launched a campaign to discredit and defund UNRWA (the UN’s agency that provides aid and development assistance for Palestinians), the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza, based on allegations for which Israel has yet to publicly provide any credible evidence,” Gaviria Betancur said.
“Israel has also continued to attack aid convoys and health facilities, impose arbitrary movement restrictions on humanitarian actors, and done little to hold Israeli citizens accountable for blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid.
As a result, starvation and disease are running rampant and claiming lives alongside Israel’s military actions.
“Most disturbingly, Israel appears to have expanded its assault on humanitarian aid to systematically target aid-seekers themselves,” she added, referring to a massacre on Feb. 29 when hundreds of people were killed or injured while queueing for food aid.
“I am horrified by the depravity of killing civilians while they are at their most vulnerable and seeking basic assistance. These constitute atrocity crimes of the highest order.”
Since the start of the war in Gaza in October, about five percent of Gaza’s population has been killed or injured, and more than 75 percent displaced, according to monitors.
“Palestinian lives are not mere statistics,” Gaviria Betancur said. “These are families struggling to make ends meet, loved ones torn apart, children trying to find joy amidst unimaginable trauma — people like anywhere else.
“The international community must abandon the fiction that Israel will respect the principles of international humanitarian and human rights law in its military operations.
“An immediate and permanent ceasefire, coupled with meaningful measures to document and ensure accountability for atrocities, as well as secure the fundamental rights of Palestinians in Gaza, is the only path forward for the sake of our shared humanity.”
Special rapporteurs are part of what is known as the special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. They are independent experts who work on a voluntary basis, are not members of UN staff and are not paid for their work.
Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and therefore does not recognize any decisions handed down by the Hague-based ICC, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on arrest warrants issued by the ICC against Sergey Kobylash, commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Long-Range Aviation, and Russian Black Sea Fleet Commander Viktor Sokolov. The Kremlin official noted: "We do not participate in the Statute, we do not recognize it. So we treat such decisions accordingly."
"This is not the first decision [by the ICC against Russia]," Peskov reiterated. Earlier, the court, unrecognized by Moscow, issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children’s Rights Ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova. Putin’s press secretary also noted that "various [non-transparent] closed-door processes are underway" at the ICC.
Earlier, the ICC published a press release announcing its decision to issue arrest warrants for Kobylash and Sokolov. The document contends that both Russian commanders are liable for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed within the context of the Ukrainian conflict.
ICC issues arrest warrants for top Russian military commanders
The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two top Russian military commanders, accusing them of committing war crimes amid the Ukrainian conflict.
The two top officers, Lieutenant-General Sergey Kobylash of the Long-Range Aviation fleet and Admiral Viktor Sokolov of the Black Sea fleet, are accused of committing “the war crime of directing attacks at civilian objects,” causing “excessive incidental harm to civilians,” as well as perpetrating a “crime against humanity,” the ICC said in a press release.
The alleged crimes are said to have taken place during a campaign of missile strikes “against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023,” the court claimed.
The Hague-based tribunal has repeatedly taken hostile steps against Moscow, most notably by issuing an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin last spring. Putin is accused of “unlawful deportation” of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Moscow has rebuffed the ICC claims, stating that the children in question were merely evacuated form the warzone, and could be returned to Ukraine should their legal guardians request it. Russia has also taken retaliatory steps against the ICC itself, launching a criminal case against the court’s principal prosecutor and judges, ultimately issuing arrest warrants against them.
Like many other countries, including the US, Moscow does not recognize the authority of the Hague-based tribunal and its actions have no legal validity in Russia. The body has been repeatedly accused of being Eurocentric and biased towards the West.
Russian servicemen destroyed an American HIMARS MLRS in the rear area of Ukrainian troops near Donetsk, a Russian Armed Forces unit commander told Sputnik.
Two US-made HIMARS MLRS systems were eliminated deep behind Ukrainian forces' front lines, one in the Donetsk area and the other on the border of the Kherson and Nikolayev regions.
Sputnik has obtained footage of the destruction of a HIMARS MLRS, recorded by a drone near Donetsk.
"The HIMARS MLRS was destroyed in the rear area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," the agency's interlocutor said.
The HIMARS multiple launch rocket system was developed in the United States by BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin in 1996-2000, and has been manufactured since 2003. It is based on the US Army's three-axle wheeled FMTV chassis, capable of carrying six rockets or one ATACMS operational and tactical ballistic missile. The aiming range for certain types of ammunition is up to 80 kilometers.
The launcher, as well as two other Ukrainian vehicles, was detected near a wooded area just as it apparently was being readied to fire. It was hit by an unspecified projectile, which caused the detonation of its ammo stock, as well as the uncontrolled launch of its missiles, the images show.
The explosion sparked multiple fires in the vicinity and completely obliterated the vehicle itself.
The explosion sparked multiple fires in the vicinity and completely obliterated the vehicle itself.
While no information was readily available on what exactly hit the HIMARS, the video suggests it was targeted by guided munitions fired from a Russian Tornado-S multiple rocket launcher system. The 300mm Tornado-S fills a similar niche to the HIMARS and is widely regarded as Russia’s response to the US-made platform.
HIMARS launchers, as well as their heavier, tracked counterpart the M270, have been supplied by Washington and other NATO allies to Ukraine since summer 2022. While multiple systems have been reported destroyed during the hostilities, the new video is the clearest footage to date of one being neutralized.
The systems have been widely celebrated by Ukraine as an ultimate weapon of sorts, given their ability to carry out high precision long-range strikes, while being able to promptly relocate to avoid counter-battery fire. The launchers have been systematically used by Kiev’s forces against civilian targets and critical infrastructure in Donbass and elsewhere, including with controversial anti-personnel shrapnel munitions.
Kiev loses 500 troops in Avdeyevka area over past day — Russia’s top brass
The Ukrainian military lost roughly 500 troops in battles with Russian forces in the Avdeyevka area near Donetsk over the past day, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday, reporting on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine.
Units of Russia’s Battlegroup Center continued seizing more advantageous sites and positions in the Avdeyevka area over the past day in their well-coordinated operations. They inflicted damage by firepower on the personnel and military hardware of the Ukrainian army’s 24th, 31st, 47th and 61st mechanized brigades near the communities of Netailovo, Novosyolovka Pervaya and Toretsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, it specified.
"They also repulsed three attacks by Ukrainian army units near the settlements of Kirovo, Berdychi and Shumy and ten counterattacks near the communities of Tonenkoye, Pervomaiskoye and Orlovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The enemy lost as many as 500 personnel, 4 armored combat vehicles, including a Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and an M113 armored personnel carrier of US manufacture, 4 motor vehicles and a D-30 howitzer," the ministry reported.
Russian forces improve tactical position in Kupyansk area over past day
Russian forces improved their tactical position in the Kupyansk area over the past day, the ministry reported.
"In the Kupyansk direction, units of the Western Battlegroup improved their tactical position and struck massed manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 60th mechanized, 25th air assault and 68th infantry brigades near the settlements of Yampolovka and Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Sverdlovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the ministry said.
Near the settlement of Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region, Russian forces repulsed five attacks by units of the Ukrainian army’s 41st mechanized and 57th motorized infantry brigades, it specified.
"The enemy’s losses amounted to 35 personnel and four motor vehicles. In counter-battery fire, Russian forces destroyed a US-made M777 artillery system, a Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery gun, an Msta-B howitzer, a Gvozdika motorized artillery system and a Grad multiple rocket launcher," the ministry reported.
Russian forces repulse two Ukrainian counterattacks in Donetsk area over past day
Russian forces took advantageous sites and repulsed two Ukrainian army counterattacks in the Donetsk area over the past day, the ministry reported.
"In the Donetsk direction, units of the Southern Battlegroup conducted active operations, took more advantageous forward edge positions and inflicted damage on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 81st airmobile, 22nd, 33rd and 42nd mechanized, 92nd assault and 241st territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Novomikhailovka, Pobeda, Belogorovka, Novoye and Kurdyumovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. In addition, they repelled two enemy counterattacks near the settlements of Kleshcheyevka and Krasnogorovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.
Russian forces destroy 300 Ukrainian troops in Donetsk area over past day
Russian forces destroyed roughly 300 Ukrainian troops and four enemy armored vehicles in the Donetsk area over the past day, the ministry reported.
"The Ukrainian army lost as many as 300 personnel, 2 tanks, 2 armored personnel carriers and 3 motor vehicles. In counter-battery fire, the following targets were destroyed: an US-made M198 howitzer, two D-20 howitzers, an Msta-B howitzer, two Gvozdika motorized artillery systems, a D-30 howitzer and a Grad multiple rocket launcher," the ministry said.
Russian forces eliminate 230 Ukrainian troops in south Donetsk area over past day
Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units in the south Donetsk area, eliminating roughly 230 enemy troops and a UK-made air defense system over the past day, the ministry reported.
"In the south Donetsk direction, units of the Battlegroup East inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of the 102nd and 128th territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Vodyanoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Malinovka in the Zaporozhye Region. The Ukrainian army’s losses amounted to 230 personnel, 2 tanks, 2 armored combat vehicles, 6 motor vehicles, an Msta-B howitzer and a UK-made Stormer surface-to-air missile launcher," the ministry said.
Russian forces repel Ukrainian army attack in Zaporozhye area over past day
Russian forces repulsed a Ukrainian army attack in the Zaporozhye area over the past day, the ministry reported.
"Near the settlement of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye Region, an attack by an assault group of the Ukrainian army’s 118th mechanized brigade was repelled. The enemy’s losses amounted to 25 personnel and 3 motor vehicles," the ministry said.
In the Kherson direction, units of Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr struck massed manpower and military equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 117th mechanized brigade, 38th marine infantry brigade, 121st territorial defense brigade and the 15th National Guard brigade near the communities of Sadovoye and Mikhailovka in the Kherson Region and Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporozhye Region, it specified.
Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian S-300, Buk anti-aircraft missile launchers in DPR
Russian forces destroyed S-300 and Buk anti-aircraft missile launchers of the Ukrainian army in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day, the ministry reported.
"Russian forces destroyed a missile launcher of an S-300 surface-to-air missile system near the settlement of Mayaki in the DPR and a missile launcher of a Buk anti-aircraft missile system near the community of Vozdvizhenka in the DPR," the ministry said.
Over the past 24 hours, operational-tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groupings of forces destroyed a Ukrainian UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) control post near the settlement of Novokalinovo in the DPR and struck enemy manpower and military hardware in 104 areas, it said.
Russian air defenses down Ukrainian MiG-29 warplane over past day
Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet and intercepted four rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system over the past day, the ministry reported.
"Air defense capabilities shot down a Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 plane near the settlement of Lyubomirovka in the Nikolayev Region. During the last 24-hour period, they intercepted four HIMARS rockets," the ministry said.
Russian air defense systems also destroyed 112 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular, near the settlements of Peschanoye, Nikolskoye, Staromikhailovka and Lastochkino in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Romanovskoye in the Zaporozhye Region, it specified.
In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 576 Ukrainian warplanes, 267 helicopters, 14,305 unmanned aerial vehicles, 479 surface-to-air missile systems, 15,360 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,233 multiple rocket launchers, 8,299 field artillery guns and mortars and 19,365 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.
