A missile believed to have been launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia struck a vessel off Yemen’s southern city of Aden on Thursday, as the US military said that it had shot down a fresh barrage of Houthi missiles and drones in the Gulf of Aden. (AFP/File)
A missile believed to have been launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia struck a vessel off Yemen’s southern city of Aden on Thursday, as the US military said that it had shot down a fresh barrage of Houthi missiles and drones in the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis did not immediately take credit for assaulting the ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday or launching drones or missiles that were intercepted by US forces.
However, the Houthis routinely claim credit for Red Sea ship strikes hours after they occur.
Houthi media said on Thursday that the US and UK launched four strikes on the Al-Jah district of the Red Sea province of Hodeidah, a day after another round of strikes hit Hodeidah airport.
Since November, the Houthis have fired hundreds of drones, missiles, and remotely controlled boats at commercial and navy ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, and Gulf of Aden, claiming that their actions are intended to force Israel to allow humanitarian assistance, including water and food, into the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
At the same time, the diplomatic missions of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, and the US all (supporters of the Palestinian genocide by Israel) condemned the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, including the Houthi missile attack on the Liberian-owned MV True Confidence, which killed two Filipino and one Vietnamese civilian sailors.
“It is critical that the Houthis cease these attacks immediately. These illegal attacks have taken the lives of innocent sailors and only serve to destabilize the region and harm the people of Yemen,” the diplomats said in a joint statement.
The top Houthi negotiator, Mohammed Abdul Sallam, responded to the global condemnation of the militia’s attacks on ships by saying that they would continue to uphold their “religious, humanitarian and moral responsibilities” toward Palestinians by blocking the Red Sea before all ships headed to Israel and striking ships until Israel ends its siege on Gaza.
“We emphasize that Yemen’s stance is solid and will remain on Gaza’s side until the Israeli assault ceases, the blockade is removed, and aid reaches the whole Strip,” Abdul Sallam said on X.
A military source close to Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement has informed Sputnik that the militia has carried out a successful test flight of a hypersonic missile and is preparing to add it into its arsenal. Sputnik asked a leading Russian military observer about the development’s strategic implications.
Sputnik’s source has indicated that the new Houthi missile can accelerate to speeds up to Mach 8 (nearly 10,000 km per hour), and that it is powered by a solid fuel engine – which typically reduces launch preparation time dramatically and eases transport.
“Yemen intends to begin manufacturing it for use during attacks in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel,” the source, who was not at liberty to speak publicly due to the sensitive nature of the information, said.
The Houthis themselves have dropped hints about their efforts to develop a hypersonic missile amid their increasingly fierce confrontation in the Red Sea with US, British and European warships, and a partial blockade of vital international shipping lanes – which has all but shut down Israel- and Europe-bound commercial travel through the strategic maritime chokepoint.
“Our enemies, our friends and our people will see a level of achievement of strategic importance which will place our country and its capabilities in the ranks of few countries in this world,” Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said in an address last Thursday, adding that Ansar Allah has “surprises” in store for the US and Israel.
How are Houthis Able to Maintain an Arms Industry?
Yemen has been locked in a brutal civil conflict since 2014 involving a number of warring factions – including the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council, which is concentrated in the country’s northwest and controls most of the country’s population centers, the separatist Southern Transitional Council controlling much of the territory of the former South Yemen, and the Republic of Yemen, the UN-recognized state entity in control of lands in the country’s north and northeast.
Although Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Middle East and North Africa, the Houthis have shown themselves to be masters of asymmetric warfare, regularly targeting US forces and their regional allies using cheap-to-build kamikaze drones and timeworn but effective ballistic missiles.
Divided during the Cold War, the southern Arabian nation was flooded with vast stocks of Soviet armaments, from portable anti-tank weapons to long-range Scud ground-to-ground missiles and sophisticated 2K12 Kub anti-air missile system defenses, modernized into the Fater-1 (lit. ‘Innovator-1’) and used to shoot down at least five US-made reaper drones to date.
In addition to the modernization of old Soviet weapons stocks, the Yemeni militia has managed to capture vast quantities of military equipment from their Arabian coalition-allied adversaries in the course of the 2014-2022 conflict, from light vehicles to gunboats, sea mines and artillery installations.
The Houthis pride themselves on the creation of weapons “developed with purely Yemeni expertise.” Western officials and Washington’s Middle Eastern allies have often alleged that the Houthis are getting help from outside, most notably from Iran. Iranian officials have not shied away from saying that they support the Houthis politically, but have repeatedly emphasized that this support does not extend to military-technical or planning support. The US Defense Intelligence Agency claimed in a February report that the Houthis receive technical assistance from the Islamic Republic, but no conclusive link has ever been established.
Houthi Carrier-Killing Missiles?
Sputnik's source did not offer any additional details about the hypersonic missile being tested by the Houthis, with its range, warhead weight and other key characteristics remaining unknown. But observers say that if the information about Houthi hypersonics pans out, it will be an unprecedented game-changer for the region.
“If the Houthis really have managed to accelerate a missile to Mach 8, that will mean that the ship-based air defense systems of the American naval group will be powerless,” says veteran Russian military observer Alexei Leonkov.
“The air defenses of the carrier strike group presently parked off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and sporadically firing at the Houthis will not be able to intercept these missiles if they approach at Mach 8. And if the Houthis have managed to make them even a little maneuverable, that’s it, they won’t be possible to intercept. If the Houthis learn to accurately hit warships with these missiles, we will see America’s defeat,” Leonkov told Sputnik.
Facing off against hypersonic missile-armed Houthis, the US would receive “something akin to Vietnam,” in the military observer’s estimation, with the Yemeni fighters receiving strike capabilities far outmatching those they currently enjoy, which have already managed to throw the Western-led international trading order into chaos, even if they haven’t sunk many ships.
“If they start using such missiles to attack ships, warships, the [result] will be devastating. How the United States will respond is an open question, of course,” Leonkov said, warning that he could not rule anything out – even a desperate turn to tactical nuclear weapons. Worryingly, the latest US Nuclear Posture Review in 2022 did not prohibit the president from launching a nuclear first strike, even against non-nuclear-armed adversaries.
“For the Americans to start thinking about using a weapon of last resort to impact the Houthis, they would have to sink an American aircraft carrier,” the observer said. “The Houthis do things incrementally. They started with commercial ships, and almost didn’t touch warships. Then warships began intercepting rockets being launched at them. If the Houthis get a hypersonic anti-ship missile, a rocket flying at hypersonic speeds, the result could be very different," Leonkov summed up.
Kondisi bangunan SMAN 1 Ciampea Kabupaten Bogor yang ambruk
Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD) Kabupaten Bogor, Jawa Barat, mengungkapkan, atap bangunan SMA Negeri 1 Ciampea ambruk. Sehingga kejadian itu menyebabkan korban luka-luka.
Kepala Bidang Kedaruratan dan Logistik BPBD Kabupaten Bogor M. Adam Hamdani di Cibinong, Bogor, mengungkapkan, saat ini, petugas gabungan sedang melakukan evakuasi terhadap siswa-siswi sekolah itu. Sejumlah pelajar menjadi korban ambruknya atap bangunan sekolah tersebut.
Meski belum mengetahui jumlah pasti dalam peristiwa tersebut, Adam memastikan, korban-korban luka telah ditangani oleh tim medis dari Puskesmas Ciampea.
”Iya betul, tim Puskesmas juga sudah meluncur ke sana,” kata Adam seperti dilansir dari Antara, Kamis (14/3).
Dia menyebutkan, peristiwa ambruknya atap sekolah yang berlokasi di Desa Cibadak, Kecamatan Ciampea, Kabupaten Bogor, itu terjadi sekitar pukul 10.00 WIB. Saat itu para siswa sedang mengikuti kegiatan belajar mengajar.
”Ambruknya atap bangunan SMAN 1 Ciampea dipicu hujan deras yang mengguyur wilayah Kabupaten Bogor sejak Kamis (14/3) dini hari,” papar Adam Hamdani.
"Yang luka delapan orang, merupakan siswa di kelas atas nama di atas dan semua korban sudah dibawa ke pusat kesehatan wilayah Ciampea. Empat korban luka dibawa ke RSUD Leuwiliang dan empat lainnya di bawa ke tukang urut di wilayah sekolahan," kata Staf Kedaruratan dan Logistik BPBD Kabupaten Bogor Jalaludin dihubungi terpisah.
"Disebabkan hujan deras dengan durasi yang cukup lama, disertai angin kencang di Wilayah kecamatan Ciampea yang berakibat 1 kelas di SMA Negeri 1 Ciampea ambruk," kata Jalal dalam laporannya.
Saat ini, petugas gabungan dari kepolisian, BPBD dan Damkar Kabupaten Bogor sudah berada di lokasi untuk melakukan penanganan. Petugas masih membereskan puing-puing reruntuhan.
"Saat ini tim sedang membersihkan puing kelas sekolah yang ambruk. Situasi belum kondusif, karena bangunan kelas belum sepenuhnya ambruk, dan tiang-tiang struktur bangunan masih dalam keadaan patah," terangnya.
Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (BMKG) melaporkan potensi terjadinya cuaca ekstrem yang dapat berujung kebencanaan meningkat di sebagian besar daerah hingga sepekan ke depan dipicu akibat adanya intervensi bibit siklon tropis.
“Maka dengan adanya analisa keberadaan bibit siklon tropis ini masyarakat termasuk otoritas terkait mesti meningkatkan kewaspadaan dampak yang ditimbulkan,” kata Kepala BMKG Dwikorita Karnawati di Jakarta, Kamis.
Ia menjelaskan, tiga bibit siklon tropis; Bibit Siklon Tropis 91S, 94S, dan 93P termonitor berada di sekitar Samudera Hindia selatan Jawa, Laut Timor, dan Laut Australia menunjukkan pengaruh terhadap wilayah Indonesia bagian selatan.
Berdasarkan analisis meteorologi diketahui bahwa Bibit Siklon Tropis 91S memiliki kecepatan angin maksimum 30-35 knots (56 – 65 km/jam), tekanan udara di pusat sistem sebesar 994 hPa, pergerakan ke arah tenggara, dan peluang untuk menjadi Siklon tropis pada kategori sedang-tinggi dalam 24 jam ke depan.
Selanjutnya, bibit Siklon Tropis 94S memiliki kecepatan angin maksimum 15 - 20 knots (28 - 37 km/jam), tekanan udara di pusat sistem sebesar 999.9 hPa, pergerakan ke arah timur-tenggara, dan peluang untuk menjadi Siklon Tropis pada kategori rendah dalam 24 jam ke depan.
Begitu pula, Bibit Siklon Tropis 93P memiliki kecepatan angin maksimum 20 - 25 knots (37 - 46 km/jam), tekanan udara di pusat sistem sebesar 1003 hPa, pergerakan ke arah tenggara, dan peluang untuk menjadi Siklon Tropis pada kategori rendah dalam 24 jam ke depan.
Menurut dia, kombinasi pengaruh fenomena-fenomena tersebut diprakirakan menimbulkan potensi hujan dengan intensitas sedang-lebat yang disertai kilat, dan angin kencang di 18 daerah sepekan ke depan, atau setidaknya meningkat hingga 18 Maret 2024.
Masing-masing Bengkulu, Lampung, Banten, Jawa Barat, DKI Jakarta, Jawa Tengah, DI Yogyakarta, Jawa Timur, Bali, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kalimantan Utara, Sulawesi Selatan, Maluku, Papua Barat, dan Papua.
Bahkan, Deputi Bidang Meteorologi Guswanto menambahkan berdasarkan hasil analisa terkini pihaknya menetapkan beberapa daerah berstatus siaga dan waspada bencana hidro-meteorologi atas adanya peningkatan curah hujan mulai dari 14 - 16 Maret 2024.
Pada kategori siaga; Banten, Kalimantan Tengah, Nusa Tenggara Timur. Sedangkan kategori waspada; Bengkulu, Lampung, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, DI Yogyakarta, Jawa Timur, Bali, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Kalimantan Tengah, Sulawesi Selatan, Maluku, dan Papua.
Guswanto memastikan, BMKG terus melakukan pemantauan berkelanjutan untuk perkembangan kondisi cuaca serta potensi pembentukan bibit siklon tropis di sekitar wilayah Indonesia. Masyarakat juga dihimbau terus melakukan pemantauan perkembangan peringatan dini cuaca ekstrem dari BMKG.
BMKG: Penurunan tanah jadi pemicu Pulau Jawa rentan terdampak banjir
Kepala Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (BMKG) Dwikorita Karnawati mengungkapkan selain kondisi anomali cuaca-iklim, penurunan permukaan tanah juga memicu sebagian besar daerah di Pulau Jawa rentan terkena bencana banjir dan tanah longsor.
“Fenomena penurunan muka tanah ini diketahui merujuk dari hasil penyelidikan geologi yang diikuti oleh tim BMKG,” kata dia dalam video konferensi bibit siklon tropis BMKG yang dipantau di Jakarta, Kamis.
Menurut dia, Kota Semarang, Pekalongan dan Demak menjadi salah satu contoh daerah di Pulau Jawa yang paling kentara mengalami penurunan permukaan tanah itu
Dari hasil penelitian itu diketahui, penurunan permukaan tanah menyasar wilayah pesisir Kota Semarang, Pekalongan dan Demak sekitar 10 centimeter per tahun. Fenomena ini sudah berlangsung terhitung sejak 10 tahun terakhir.
Ia menyebutkan akibat penurunan yang berkelanjutan membuat saat ini permukaan tanah wilayah pesisir Jawa Tengah itu terpaut lebih rendah dari muka air laut.
Kondisi kian diperparah setelah analisis meteorologi menemukan hingga beberapa waktu ke depan atmosfer Indonesia masih akan dilanda aktivitas Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) serta fenomena Gelombang Kelvin, Rossby Equatorial, dan tiga Bibit Siklon Tropis sekaligus.
“Itulah mengapa bila diguyur hujan air cepat menyebar, dan surutnya membutuhkan waktu lama dan juga tak sedikit berujung longsor,” ujarnya.
Kepala BMKG menilai hasil analisa saintifik tersebut menjadi dasar acuan untuk semua pihak baik pemerintah, legislatif maupun masyarakat memikirkan solusi bagaimana kerentanan bencana banjir bisa diminimalisasi dan dampaknya tidak meluas.
BMKG berkomitmen untuk siap melakukan apapun yang diperlukan; membantu baik dalam hal mitigasi kebencanaan maupun upaya penanganan darurat dampak bencana bersama lembaga/instansi lainnya demi kemaslahatan bangsa.
"Allahummak fini bi halalika ‘an haramika wa aghnini bifadhlika ‘aman siwaka,".
Artinya:
"Ya Allah! Cukupilah aku dengan rezekiMu yang halal (hingga aku terhindar) dari yang haram. Perkayalah aku dengan karuniaMu (hingga aku tidak minta) kepada selainMu.” (HR Tirmidzi),".
Allahumma inni audzubika minal hammi wal hazani wa ‘audzubika minal ‘ajzi wal kasali wa audzubika minal jubni wal bukhli wa audzubika min ghalabatid daini wa qahrir rijali.
Artinya:
"Ya Allah! Cukupilah aku dengan rezekiMu yang halal (hingga aku terhindar) dari yang haram. Perkayalah aku dengan karuniaMu (hingga aku tidak minta) kepada selainMu.” (HR Tirmidzi),"
Allahumma inni audzubika minal hammi wal hazani wa ‘audzubika minal ‘ajzi wal kasali wa audzubika minal jubni wal bukhli wa audzubika min ghalabatid daini wa qahrir rijali.
Artinya:
“Ya Allah, saya berlindung kepada-Mu dari kekhawatiran dan kesedihan dan saya berlindung kepada-Mu dari kelemahan dan kemalasan dan saya berlindung kepada-Mu dari sifat pengecut dan kikir, dan saya berlindung kepada-Mu dari keutamaan agama dan menaklukkan orang-orang berkata, Saya dapat melakukannya, Tuhan Yang Mahaperkasa lagi Mahamulia, dan telah melunasi utangku kepadaku.” (HR Dawud).
Ash-bahnaa wa ash-bahal mulku lillah walhamdulillah, laa ilaha illallah wahdahu laa syarika lah, lahul mulku walahul hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli syai-in qodir. Robbi as-aluka khoiro maa fii hadzal yaum wa khoiro maa ba’dahu, wa a’udzu bika min syarri maa fii hadzal yaum wa syarri maa ba’dahu. Robbi a’udzu bika minal kasali wa su-il kibar. Robbi a’udzu bika min ‘adzabin fin naari wa ‘adzabin fil qobri
Artinya:
“Kami telah memasuki waktu pagi dan kerajaan hanya milik Allah, segala puji bagi Allah. Tidak ada ilah (yang berhak disembah) kecuali Allah semata, tiada sekutu bagi-Nya. Milik Allah kerajaan dan bagi-Nya pujian. Dia-lah Yang Mahakuasa atas segala sesuatu. Wahai Rabbku, aku mohon kepada-Mu kebaikan di hari ini dan kebaikan sesudahnya. Aku berlindung kepada-Mu dari kejahatan hari ini dan kejahatan sesudahnya. Wahai Rabbku, aku berlindung kepada-Mu dari kemalasan dan kejelekan di hari tua. Wahai Rabbku, aku berlindung kepada-Mu dari siksaan di neraka dan siksaan di alam kubur.” (HR. Muslim no. 2723)
Allahumma innii as-aluka ‘ilman naafi’a, wa rizqon thoyyibaa, wa ‘amalan mutaqobbalaa
Artinya:
“Ya Allah, sungguh aku memohon kepada-Mu ilmu yang bermanfaat (bagi diriku dan orang lain), rezeki yang halal dan amal yang diterima (di sisi-Mu dan mendapatkan ganjaran yang baik).” (HR. Ibnu Majah, no. 925 dan Ahmad 6: 305, 322)
Doa ini diamalkan setelah melaksanakan salat subuh.
Allahumak-finii bi halaalika ‘an haroomik, wa agh-niniy bi fadhlika ‘amman siwaak
Artinya:
“Ya Allah cukupkanlah aku dengan yang halal dan jauhkanlah aku dari yang haram, dan cukupkanlah aku dengan karunia-Mu dari bergantung pada selain-Mu.” (HR. Tirmidzi no. 3563)
A 33-year old woman, call sign “Shum”, has told Sputnik news why she left the Russian city of Saint Petersburg – dubbed the "Northern Palmyra" and the "Venice of the North" – for the noise of battle in the Ukraine conflict.
Shum, an evacuation group medical worker of the "Don" Volunteer Assault Corps, arrived in the special military operation zone a year ago.
"It's the love for the Motherland that played a role," she said, responding to a question as to why she decided to join the volunteer corps. "I didn’t immediately manage to enroll in contract service: for almost a year, I simply delivered humanitarian aid, including to the front line. So I knew what I was getting into."
Pretty, smiling, and playful, Shum looks younger than her age.
"I’m just very loud, I often make noise - that’s why I have such a call sign," she said.
Sputnik's interlocutor wound up in the volunteer assault corps almost by accident: she was told that joining Don would be the quickest way to enlist. Prior to that, she had exhausted all other possibilities of getting to the front line.
"I heard again and again: 'We don’t enroll women.' I think this is unfair: if a woman wants to join the military service, she should be given such an opportunity."
She argues that if one wants to defend their Motherland, it doesn't matter whether a person is a man or a woman.
It's hardly surprising that young Russian women strive to go to the front line: many of them are taking up the torch from their great-grandmothers.
According to some estimates, between 600,000 and one million Russian women participated in World War II in various capacities, including as pilots, snipers, drivers, intelligence officers, tank crews, artillerywomen, etc.
Over 1,000 Russian women are currently serving in the zone of the special military operation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu revealed last year.
Very soon, Shum will be dispatched to Avdeyevka, a city in the Donetsk region that was liberated by the Russian Armed Forces on February 17.
"How am I preparing? I read books on tactical medicine, I practice and work out certain aspects. I bought medicines. What am I expecting? I can’t say anything about that. During war, you're just waiting for an order. I live according to the principle: 'Do your duty, come what may.'"
She says it's not shameful to be scared during hostilities, as it's quite natural.
"It can always be scary. Only a fool or a dead person is not afraid of anything. Fear is a natural defense mechanism to survive. It's the so-called self-preservation instinct. He who is not afraid will die."
Shum doesn't believe being at the front line is more difficult for women than for men.
"In fact, any war is one continuous difficulty. I don't think it can be easy for anyone. Perhaps the main difficulties [women face] are hygiene matters. Psychologically, I think it’s difficult for everyone who is here. Many people can’t stand it, even seasoned military men. For their part, women have a more flexible psyche."
"It’s very nice to receive news from home and children’s letters. Sometimes you even read and tears [of joy] roll down your cheeks. These are just very warm moments. I hope I’ll get more letters like those from kids."
Shum is currently not making plans for the future, as she believes that surviving and winning are the most important priorities right now.
"I have dreams, of course," the female soldier said when asked what she will do when the conflict is over. "Probably, I would like to continue my journalistic work, to maintain my own blog. I will spend more time with my family and my son."
Those in the West who believe Russia is waging a "war of aggression" know virtually nothing about Ukraine and the roots of the conflict, she underscored: they should visit the Alley of Angels, a memorial to Donetsk children murdered by the Kiev regime since 2014.
NATO member states fuelling the conflict and sending weapons and manpower to Ukraine should bear in mind that Russians don't surrender, Shum concluded.
