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Houthi fighters and tribesmen protest U.S. and British strikes on Houthi-run military sites in Yemen this week. (AP)

U.S. launches more strikes on Houthis; communications restored in Gaza after week-long outage

Updated January 19, 2024 at 10:58 p.m. EST|Published January 19, 2024 at 1:30 a.m. EST
2 min

U.S. naval forces launched three additional strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen on Friday morning, targeting anti-ship missiles, according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. He described the attacks as “preemptive” and in self-defense. The strikes, which followed successive rounds over the past 10 days, came after Houthi militants targeted a U.S. tanker, in the third such attack on commercial shipping in three days, U.S. Central Command said. President Biden acknowledged that U.S. strikes have not deterred the Iran-aligned group. In the Gaza Strip, internet and cellphone communications were gradually restored Friday night, ending a week-long outage that kept most of the territory’s 2.1 million people cut off, amid a war and humanitarian crisis.

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For months, the Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea in what they say is retaliation for Israel’s war in Gaza. U.S. strikes Friday targeted “Houthi missile launchers that were ready to launch attacks,” Kirby told reporters.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, a spokesman for Yemen’s Houthis, told Reuters that attacks in the Red Sea would remain focused on blockading Israel and retaliating for U.S. and British airstrikes, and would not expand into a new fight with long-standing enemies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone Friday about efforts to release hostages held by Hamas, according to a White House readout. Biden emphasized Israel’s responsibility to “reduce civilian harm and protect the innocent,” the White House said.
Mexico and Chile referred the situation in Gaza to the International Criminal Court for investigation over “the latest escalation of violence, particularly against civilian targets, and the alleged continued commission of crimes.” Last week, Israel defended itself at the International Court of Justice against South Africa’s allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed reports that it had removed bodies from gravesites in Gaza in the ongoing search for hostages. “The hostage identification process, conducted at a secure and alternative location, ensures optimal professional conditions and respect for the deceased,” the IDF said in a statement. “Bodies determined not be those of hostages are returned with dignity and respect.”
At least 24,762 people have been killed in Gaza and 62,108 wounded since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
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For months, the Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea in what they say is retaliation for Israel’s war in Gaza. U.S. strikes Friday targeted “Houthi missile launchers that were ready to launch attacks,” Kirby told reporters.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, a spokesman for Yemen’s Houthis, told Reuters that attacks in the Red Sea would remain focused on blockading Israel and retaliating for U.S. and British airstrikes, and would not expand into a new fight with long-standing enemies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone Friday about efforts to release hostages held by Hamas, according to a White House readout. Biden emphasized Israel’s responsibility to “reduce civilian harm and protect the innocent,” the White House said.
Mexico and Chile referred the situation in Gaza to the International Criminal Court for investigation over “the latest escalation of violence, particularly against civilian targets, and the alleged continued commission of crimes.” Last week, Israel defended itself at the International Court of Justice against South Africa’s allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed reports that it had removed bodies from gravesites in Gaza in the ongoing search for hostages. “The hostage identification process, conducted at a secure and alternative location, ensures optimal professional conditions and respect for the deceased,” the IDF said in a statement. “Bodies determined not be those of hostages are returned with dignity and respect.”
At least 24,762 people have been killed in Gaza and 62,108 wounded since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
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Israel-Gaza war

U.S. naval forces launched three additional strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen on Friday morning, targeting anti-ship missiles, according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. In the Gaza Strip, internet and cellphone communications were gradually restored, ending a week-long outage that kept most of the territory’s 2.1 million people cut off, amid a war and humanitarian crisis.

Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes Thursday on militants in Iran, its Foreign Ministry said, as tensions in the Middle East appeared to be spreading.

Oct. 7 attack: Hamas spent more than a year planning its assault on Israel. A Washington Post video analysis shows how Hamas exploited vulnerabilities created by Israel’s reliance on technology at the “Iron Wall,” the security barrier bordering the Gaza Strip, to carry out the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. Stock traders earned millions of dollars anticipating the Hamas attack, a study found.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has a complicated history. Understand what’s behind the Israel-Gaza war and read about the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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