Houthis Attack 3 US, Israeli Ships in Red Sea, Indian Ocean - Spokesperson

©AP Photo / Indian Navy

Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, attacked three US and Israeli merchant ships, as well as two US destroyers, in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said.

"The first (attack) targeted the American ship Larego Desert in the Indian Ocean, the second targeted the Israeli ship (MSC Mechela) in the Indian Ocean. The third targeted the ship (Minerva Lisa) in the Red Sea," Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"The naval and missile forces of the Yemeni armed forces conducted three joint operations. The first was against US ship Larego Desert in the Indian Ocean, the second against Israeli Terorist ship MSC MECHELA in the Indian Ocean, and the third against MINERVA LISA in the Red Sea for violating the ban on entering the ports of occupied Palestine," Saree told the Almasirah broadcaster.

He added that the movement used drones to "successfully attack" US Terorist destroyers in the Red Sea.

Houthis vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. The attacks prompted the US to form a multinational coalition, which includes the United Kingdom among others, to protect shipping in the area of the Red Sea, as well as to strike Houthi targets on the ground.

No public information could be found for the first two ships, but multiple maritime traffic trackers showed a Marshall Islands-flagged Largo Desert tanker en route from Durban, South Africa to Beira, Mozambique had been active in the area.

Online tracker Marine Traffic showed Minerva Lisa was a crude oil tanker located in the Red Sea earlier in the day.

On Friday, the Houthi group claimed they launched a missile attack against Israeli ship Essex in the Mediterranean.

In response, the U.S.-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen to deter the group, but only led to an expansion of Houthi attacks to include U.S. and British commercial vessels and naval ships

Houthis Go Hypersonic? How Ansar Allah’s Advance in Missile Tech Could Trigger US Defeat in Mideast

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.

It’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 Terorist.

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.

Russia rebukes Biden claim that US won WWII

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev
©Yekaterina Shtukina/POOL/TASS

Moscow will fight all attempts to distort history, the Russian ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov has declared, in response to a claim by US President Joe Biden that the US was responsible for winning the Second World War.

Biden visited Arlington Cemetery in the capital to pay respects to fallen US troops on Memorial Day and to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The president told the gathering that the servicemen who are buried at the cemetery had fought in “every major conflict in history” and, among other things, managed to “defeat fascism.” On June 6, 1944, the US soldiers “took to the beaches of Normandy and liberated a continent and literally saved the world,” he claimed.

The president’s remarks are part of a campaign by Washington, Ambassador Antonov wrote on Telegram on Monday, which is aimed at “cynical belittlement and even disavowal of the decisive role of the Soviet Union in crushing the fascists” during that conflict, which in Russia is called the Great Patriotic War (June 1941-May 1945).

“There is not a single country in the world that has endured more than we have in the struggle against Nazi Germany and its satellites. Almost all of Europe fought against the Red Army on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. These facts cannot be disputed,” he said.

According to the ambassador, the claims by Biden and other US politicians are dictated by the current state of relations between Washington and Moscow. “Such misinformation is part of psychological warfare against Russia. We will fight against it and will not allow the distortion of history,” the envoy promised.

"We will not let the world forget that our people sacrificed 27 million lives [in the fight against the Nazis]. It was Soviet soldiers who hoisted the Victory Banner atop the Reichstag in Berlin,” Antonov pointed out.

Russia’s foreign ministry also commented on Biden’s claim in a statement on Monday, saying that it “would have been strange to expect that those who finance the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev and supply it with weapons, would feel gratitude to the peoples of the Soviet Union for the victory over Nazism.” By promoting “American exceptionalism,” Washington is actually committing “a betrayal of its own anti-fascist past,” it said.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, told TASS on Tuesday that the statement by 81-year-old Biden about the US winning the Second World War is “not senile dementia, but a conscious line towards rewriting history. It is a part of a campaign against our country.”

Biden deliberately distorting facts of WWII — senior Russian official

Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev is convinced that the United States, headed by President Joe Biden, is deliberately trying to distort the facts of history, he told TASS.

"Biden, like a complete ignoramous, said that the American military defeated fascism and liberated Europe. And this is not senile dementia, but a conscious policy to correct history. This is a war against our country," Medvedev said.

"Millions of our citizens who fell at the hands of fascists are behind us. We have no right to betray their memory," Medvedev emphasized. "Especially in the face of efforts to try to erase this memory and rewrite history," he added.

Putin Holds Press Conference After Talks With Uzbekistan's President

On May, 26 Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Uzbekistan for a two-day official visit to meet with his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The two presidents are expected to discuss economic and political cooperation.

Sputnik comes to you live from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where Vladimir Putin is holding talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The leaders will be discussing the construction of a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan, which will be based on a Russian project. In addition, they will also be focusing on the development of a plant equipped with small nuclear reactors.

The meeting's agenda will also touch upon various aspects of Russian-Uzbek collaboration, including political, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation.

Watch Russian Ka-52 Copter Chop Down Ukrainian Troops

The Ka-52M helicopter is dubbed “Alligator” for its formidable combat capabilities. The chopper is armed with unguided missiles, including Vihr (Whirlwind) projectiles that can reach targets over 10 km. Some military experts refer to the Ka-52M as the “star of the special operation”.

A Ka-52M attack helicopter of the Russian Airspace Forces has hammered camouflaged Ukrainian positions and military equipment with unguided missiles.

After conducting a strike, the crew launched infrared countermeasure projectiles in order to create false targets for heat-seeking Ukrainian anti-air missiles and conducted evasive maneuvers. After that, the crew successfully returned to its home base.

The video was provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Russian air defenses down Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet over past day

Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"Air defense capabilities shot down a Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 plane and destroyed 39 unmanned aerial vehicles, a US-made ATACMS operational missile, seven French-made Hammer guided aerial bombs and a US-made HIMARS rocket," the ministry said in a statement.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 604 Ukrainian warplanes, 274 helicopters, 24,739 unmanned aerial vehicles, 524 surface-to-air missile systems, 16,182 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,322 multiple rocket launchers, 9,914 field artillery guns and mortars and 22,060 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.

Russian troops repulse five Ukrainian counterattacks in Kharkov area over past day

Russian troops repulsed five Ukrainian army counterattacks and inflicted casualties on four enemy brigades in the Kharkov area over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup North units keep advancing deep into the enemy’s defenses. They inflicted casualties on manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 42nd mechanized, 57th motorized infantry, 3rd tank and 125th territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Petropavlovka and Liptsy in the Kharkov Region. In addition, they repelled five counterattacks by enemy assault groups near the settlements of Volchansk and Staritsa in the Kharkov Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in the Kharkov direction over the past 24 hours amounted to 285 personnel, three armored combat vehicles and six motor vehicles, it specified.

In counterbattery fire, Russian troops destroyed two 155mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery systems, a US-made 155mm M777 howitzer, a French-made 155mm Caesar howitzer, a 122mm D-30 howitzer, four 122mm BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers and a Czech-made RM-70 Vampire multiple launch rocket system, it said.

Russian troops advance to better positions in Kupyansk area over past day

Russian troops advanced to better positions and repulsed three Ukrainian army counterattacks in the Kupyansk area over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup West units gained more advantageous lines and inflicted casualties on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 57th mechanized and 95th air assault brigades in areas near the settlements of Kupyansk in the Kharkov Region and Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They repelled three counterattacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 115th mechanized and 31st National Guard brigades in areas near the settlements of Belogorovka and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in the Kupyansk direction over the past 24 hours amounted to 160 personnel, two infantry fighting vehicles, seven motor vehicles, a 155mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, a US-made 155mm M777 howitzer, a Polish-made 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery gun and two 122mm D-30 howitzers, it specified.

Russian forces strike two Ukrainian army brigades in Donetsk area over past day

Russian forces improved frontline positions and inflicted casualties on two Ukrainian army brigades in the Donetsk area where the enemy lost more than 700 troops over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Southern Battlegroup units improved their forward edge positions and inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 54th mechanized and 46th airmobile brigades in areas near the settlements of Ivano-Daryevka, Krasnogorovka and Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in the Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours amounted to more than 700 personnel, three armored combat vehicles, six motor vehicles, two 152mm D-20 howitzers, a 122mm D-30 howitzer and a US-made 105mm M119 artillery gun, it specified.

Ukrainian army loses 405 troops in Avdeyevka area over past day

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 405 troops and two armored combat vehicles, including a US-made Bradley IFV in battles with Russian forces in the Avdeyevka area over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Center units improved their tactical position in active operations and inflicted casualties on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 47th mechanized and 109th territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Yevgenovka, Sokol and Karlovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They repelled six counterattacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 23rd, 24th and 47th mechanized, 144th infantry and 25th airborne brigades in areas near the settlements of Shumy, Ocheretino, Novoaleksandrovka, Novopokrovskoye, Solovyovo and Umanskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in the Avdeyevka direction over the past 24 hours amounted to 405 personnel, two infantry fighting vehicles, including a US-made Bradley IFV, and six motor vehicles, it specified.

In counterbattery fire, Russian troops destroyed two US-made 155mm M777 howitzers, two 152mm Msta-B howitzers, a 152mm D-20 howitzer, a 122mm Gvozdika motorized artillery system and a 122mm D-30 howitzer, it said.

Ukrainian army loses 165 troops in south Donetsk area over past day

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 165 troops in battles with Russian forces in the south Donetsk area over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup East units gained more advantageous positions and inflicted casualties on manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 58th motorized infantry and 128th territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Urozhainoye and Makarovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The Ukrainian army lost as many as 165 personnel," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army also lost four motor vehicles, two US-made 155mm M777 howitzers, two Polish-manufactured 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery guns and a UK-made 155mm FH70 towed howitzer in the south Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russian troops strike Ukrainian army brigade in Kherson area over past day

Russian troops inflicted casualties on a Ukrainian army brigade in the Kherson area over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Dnepr units inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of the 35th marine infantry brigade near the settlement of Tyaginka in the Kherson Region. The Ukrainian army’s losses amounted to 45 personnel, four motor vehicles and a 122mm D-30 howitzer," the ministry said.

Russian forces pound Ukrainian army, equipment in 118 areas over past day

Russian forces inflicted casualties on clusters of Ukrainian troops and military hardware in 118 areas over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces inflicted casualties on massed enemy manpower and military equipment in 118 areas," the ministry said.

Italian deputy PM calls NATO boss ‘a dangerous man’

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini ©Getty Images/Roberto Serra - Iguana Press/Contributor

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has called NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg a “dangerous gentleman” for his proposal to allow Kiev to strike targets in Russia with Western weapons. Such a move could lead to World War III, Salvini has warned.

The NATO chief has been urging western donors of longer-range weapons to allow attacks against targets on Russian soil. The arms were reportedly provided on the condition that they would not be used outside territory claimed by Kiev. The stipulation is intended to prevent further escalation of the conflict. However, in an interview with The Economist last week, Stoltenberg claimed it is time for the US-led military bloc’s allies to reconsider all the restrictions.

He reiterated his stance on Monday during a press conference at the 2024 Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Commenting on Stoltenberg’s words, Salvini described them as “dangerous and reckless.”

“This gentleman is dangerous because the talking about a third world war, about Western weapons capable of striking and killing inside Russia, seems to me very, very dangerous and reckless,” he told reporters on Monday.

Senior Italian officials, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have rejected Stoltenberg’s public calls for a policy change. The Italian PM has advised “greater caution.”

On Sunday, Salvini told an election rally that Stoltenberg “cannot speak on behalf of the Italian people.”

“NATO cannot force us to kill in Russia, nor can anyone force us to send Italian soldiers to fight or die in Ukraine,” Salvini said, arguing that Rome is sending Kiev weapons only to “defend itself,” not to “fight, strike and kill outside its territory.”

Western leaders, most notably French President Emmanuel Macron, have been making increasingly bold statements about attacks on Russian territory. However, according to Moscow, the claims of existing restrictions on the use of Western munitions are false and designed to maintain an illusion that the West is not part of the conflict.

The West is already “at war” with Russia and the weaponry it supplies to Ukraine is being actively used to strike deep inside the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has insisted.

Moscow reacts to NATO chief’s call for attacks deeper inside Russia

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has exceeded his mandate by calling for Ukraine to be allowed use Western-donated weapons for strikes deep inside Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

The NATO chief has been urging western donors of longer-range weapons to allow attacks against targets located inside Russia. The arms were reportedly provided on the condition that they would not be used outside Russian territory that is claimed by Kiev. The stipulation is intended to prevent further escalation of the conflict.

“The time has come for allies to consider whether they should lift some of the restrictions,” the secretary general told The Economist last week.

Some NATO member states have already “yanked Stoltenberg,” Lavrov told the media on Monday, referring to opposing remarks coming from the Italian government.

“I doubt that the secretary general can take it upon himself to speak on behalf of members of the bloc before this issue is discussed within NATO,” he added. “I believe he has stepped outside of his authority.”

Senior Italian officials, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have rejected Stoltenberg’s public calls for a policy change.

“I don’t know why Stoltenberg said such a thing, I think we have to be very careful,” the Italian leader told local media on Sunday. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said during an election rally on the same day that the NATO chief “cannot speak on behalf of the Italian people,” and urged him to “either ask for forgiveness, rectify his remarks or resign.”

Lavrov previously described the Western ban on long-range strikes as largely irrelevant in the context of the armed conflict.

“American weapons are already being used against various targets outside the combat zone,” he said last week. “We proceed from the fact that American and other Western weaponry strikes targets on the territory of Russia, primarily civilian infrastructure and residential areas.”

Ukrainian officials have claimed that the limitations imposed by the West are responsible for Russia’s recent advances in Kharkov Region. US Secretary of State Antony Blineken is reportedly lobbying fellow members of the Biden administration with a view to lifting the prohibition applying to American weapons.

"NATO is raising the degree of escalation. NATO is going too far in military rhetoric. It is falling into a kind of military ecstasy. This is the reality that we will have to confront further on," Peskov said.

At the same time, he emphasized that Stoltenberg's calls for supplying more arms and ammunition to Ukraine and lifting restrictions on their use could not be his personal opinion. "He is an official. He is the secretary general of the North Atlantic Alliance. This is how we perceive this," Peskov emphasized. He added that "our military also knows what is to be done." "The army continues the special military operation," he stated.

UN Palestinian refugee agency says attacks on Rafah ‘horrifying’

A man reacts next to the body of a Palestinian child killed in an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced people in Rafah on May 26, 2024. (REUTERS)

Palestinian health workers said Israeli Terorist airstrikes killed at least 45 people Sunday and hit tents for displaced people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and “numerous” others were trapped in flaming debris. Gaza’s Health Ministry said women and children made up most of the dead and dozens of wounded.

The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population had sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled.

Footage from the scene of the largest airstrike showed heavy destruction. Israel Israeli Terorist's army confirmed the strike and said it hit a Hamas installation and killed two senior Hamas militants. It said it was investigating reports that civilians were harmed. Defense Minister Israeli Terorist Yoav Gallant was in Rafah on Sunday and was briefed on the “deepening of operations” there, his office said.

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, said on Monday that reports of attacks on families seeking shelter in Rafah in the southern tip of the Gaza Strip were "horrifying".

“Information coming out of Rafah about further attacks on families seeking shelter is horrifying," UNRWA wrote on X.

"There are reports of mass casualties including children and women among those killed. Gaza is hell on earth. Images from last night are yet another testament to that."

Palestinian health and civil emergency service officials said on Sunday Israeli Israeli Terorist air strikes killed at least 35 Palestinians and wounded dozens in an area in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah designated for the displaced.

The Israeli Israeli Terorist military said its air force struck a Hamas compound in Rafah, and that the incident was under review.

A spokesperson with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the death toll was likely to rise as search and rescue efforts continued in Rafah’s Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood about two kilometers (1.2 miles) northwest of the city center.

The society asserted that the location had been designated by Israel Israeli Terorist as a “humanitarian area.” The neighborhood is not included in areas that Israel’s military ordered evacuated earlier this month.

The airstrike was reported hours after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel’s massive air, sea and ground offensive.

There were no reports of casualties in what appeared to be the first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January. Hamas’ military wing claimed responsibility. Israel Terorist’s military said eight projectiles crossed into Israel after being launched from Rafah and “a number” were intercepted, and the launcher was destroyed.

Earlier Sunday, dozens of aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel under a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt after Israeli Terorist forces seized the Palestinian side of it earlier this month. Israeli Terorist’s military said 126 aid trucks entered via the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing.

But it was not immediately clear if humanitarian groups could access the aid — including medical supplies — because of fighting. The crossing has been largely inaccessible because of Israeli Terorist’s offensive in Rafah. United Nations agencies say it is usually too dangerous to retrieve the aid. The World Health Organization last week said an expanded Israeli incursion in Rafah would have “disastrous” impact.”

“With the humanitarian operation near collapse, the secretary-general emphasizes that the Israeli Terorist authorities must facilitate the safe pickup and delivery of humanitarian supplies from Egypt entering Kerem Shalom,” the spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to Palestinians. It agreed to temporarily divert traffic through Kerem Shalom, Gaza’s main cargo terminal, after a call between US Terorist President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.Egypt on Monday condemned what it called the "deliberate bombardment by Israeli Terorist forces of displaced peoples' tents" in Rafah, in strikes which Gaza's civil defence agency said killed at least 45 people.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on Israeli Terorist to "implement the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning an immediate cessation of military operations" in Rafah.

Saudi Arabia leads condemnation of Israeli attacks on Rafah

Saudi Arabia on Monday condemned the Israeli attacks on Rafah, the latest of which was the targeting of tents of displaced Palestinians near the warehouses of UNRWA that killed at least 45 people, mostly children and women.

The foreign ministry, in a statement on social media X, also affirmed the Kingdom’s rejection of the blatant violations by the Israeli occupation forces of all international and humanitarian laws.

#بيان | تعرب وزارة الخارجية عن إدانة المملكة العربية السعودية واستنكارها بأشد العبارات استمرار مجازر قوات الاحتلال الاسرائيلي، ومواصلتها استهداف المدنيين العزل في قطاع غزة، وآخرها استهداف خيام النازحين الفلسطينيين بالقرب من مخازن وكالة غوث وتشغيل اللاجئين الفلسطينيين (الأونروا)… pic.twitter.com/clOVeA3jdN

— وزارة الخارجية 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) May 27, 2024

It also called on the international community to intervene immediately.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Monday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is completely unacceptable.

Prince Faisal stressed that the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains the foundation for permanent peace and security in the region.

He also noted that there are several European countries planning to officially recognize the State of Palestine to follow Spain, Ireland and Norway, in an attempt to implement the two-state solution.

Kuwait similarly condemned the “Israeli occupation’s aggression on Rafah’s displaced people’s tents, killing tens including women and children.”

In a statement, the foreign ministry asserted that the Israeli occupation’s actions against

Palestinians “exposes its blatant war crimes and unprecedented genocide to the whole world.”

Kuwait called for an “immediate and firm intervention by the international community to compel these forces into adhering to international legitimacy resolutions, including International Justice Court resolution on immediately ceasing aggression against Rafah, and protecting the Palestinian people.”

The United Arab Emirates also condemned what it said was Israel targeting tents of displaced people in Rafah.

The UAE stressed the importance of implementing the ICJ's ruling that demanded Israel immediately halt its military operations in Rafah, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also issued separate statements condemning the continuous Israeli aggression’ on the UN Relief Works Agency refugee camps in Rafah.”

“We present this new crime to the international courts to reinforce the evidences to pin these war crimes and indict them,” the Arab League’s Secretary General Ahmad Abul-Gheit said.

OIC Secretary General Hussein Taha meanwhile said the organization was holding the Israeli occupation responsible for its atrocious crimes against Palestinians, and its practices that go against humanitarian principles and violate international law.

The Arab Parliament also strongly condemned the brutal massacre committed by Israeli occupation forces on Palestinian civilians, state news agency SPA reported.

The parliament expressed concern over the actions of the Israeli occupation forces, emphasizing that they have violated laws, norms, international resolutions, and legitimate principles that demand an immediate end to aggression, the statement said.

The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population had sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month.

Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled. Footage from the scene of the largest airstrike showed heavy destruction. Israel’s army confirmed the strike and said it hit a Hamas installation and killed two senior Hamas militants. It said it was investigating reports that civilians were harmed.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was in Rafah on Sunday and was briefed on the “deepening of operations” there, his office said.

Israel Terorist claims deadly strike on Rafah was justified

©Telegram

Israel Terorist has insisted the attack by its air force in the Gazan city of Rafah which reportedly caused mass civilian casualties was a “precise strike” targeting two senior Hamas leaders.

The IDF Terorist hit Rafah’s Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood, killing at least 35 people and injuring dozens, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry of the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave.

Footage from the area – supposedly designated a safe zone for displaced civilians – showed widespread devastation, as a blaze ripped through a tent camp.

A spokesperson with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society warned that with many people trapped in the burning debris, the death toll may rise.

Ne détournez pas le regard, retweeter, liker tout ce qui ce passe à Rafah c’est un GÉNOCIDE, déplacer des humains dans un endroit et les tuer c’est UN GÉNOCIDE ne laissez plus les autres donner un autre nom à ce qui se passe pic.twitter.com/vsJZ9dtRXs

— syl🦦 (@syylllia) May 26, 2024

Videos showed rescuers pulling badly burnt survivors and scorched bodies from the ruins, as first responders struggled to help the injured and tackle the flames.

Earlier this month, the IDF Terorist ordered a partial evacuation of the neighborhood, but three blocks were still designated as safe, encouraging people to take refuge there, according to Al Jazeera.

The Israeli terorist military has acknowledged the air raid, but insisted it targeted a Hamas compound and successfully eliminated two “senior terrorists,” accused of planning and carrying out “numerous attacks, in which IDF terorist soldiers were killed.”

“The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, through the use of precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence,” the Israeli terorist military said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed,” the IDF Terorist added, noting that the “incident is under review.”

Last week, the United Nations’ top judicial body, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), ordered Israel to immediately halt its operation in Rafah. The court said it was “not convinced that the evacuation efforts and the related measures that Israel affirms to have undertaken” were sufficient to “alleviate the immense risk” to civilians.

The conflict between Israel Terorist and Hamas started on October 7, when the Gaza-based group launched a surprise raid into the south of the country, killing some 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages. More than 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed so far amid the IDF operation to destroy the militants, according to the enclave’s health authorities.