The US is “building a coalition” and will take “every step” to deter Yemen’s Houthi rebels from carrying out attacks in the Red Sea, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in Tel Aviv on Friday, after the rebels struck two ships in the strategic waterway.
Mr Sullivan’s warning came a day after western diplomats told The National that the US and its allies were studying options to respond to Houthi attacks on Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea, including strikes in their country.
The Iran-backed Houthis have attacked several ships, claiming they were linked to Israel, in support of Hamas. In some cases however, the ships had no clear connection to Israel and at least two were carrying cargo to Italy and a destination in northern Europe.
“The Houthis represent a material threat to freedom of navigation to commercial shipping to lawful commerce, and they're doing so in a vital artery," Mr Sullivan told reporters after meetings with Israeli officials.
“We are building a coalition. We are working to ensure that we rally the nations of the world, all of whom have an interest in seeing this stop.
“This is not about the United States and Israel. This is about the entire international community. And we will continue to take every step that we deem necessary and appropriate to deal with the threat that the Houthis pose.”
Houthi escalation risk
A diplomat involved in Yemen’s peace talks told The National earlier that “western security agencies and diplomatic missions … are studying together with other intelligence agencies how to respond to this increasing threat in the Red Sea, including possibly conducting targeted air strikes”.
On Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Brig Gen Pat Ryder said the US and partners were working to bolster a maritime task force to address the Houthi threat, despite Tehran warning that any proposed multinational task force would be “challenged”.
Meanwhile, the International Chamber of Shipping told The National that more warships are needed in the Red Sea where the US Navy leads multinational task forces, to prevent the escalating Houthi attacks on merchant vessels.
The body that represents nearly all merchant shipping warned that the rebels have become increasingly indiscriminate in launching missiles and drones at ships, with the latest attacks on vessels on Friday.
A US defence official said that attacks from Yemen struck two Liberian-flagged ships in Bab Al Mandeb.
US Central Command later said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, that "forces maintained direct communications with the vessel" and stated the Liberian-flagged Alanya ship "is believed to be travelling safely at this time".
A projectile, believed to be a drone, struck one of the vessels, the German-owned Al Jasrah, causing a fire but no injuries, the official said. Two ballistic missiles were fired in the second attack, one of which struck a vessel, causing a fire, which was eventually extinguished.
It also said the USS Mason destroyer had assisted with the Liberian-flagged MSC Palatium III ship after it issued a mayday call for a fire on board.
The Houthis confirmed in a statement that they carried out "a military operation against two container ships", adding that the ships "were targeted with two naval missiles".
"No injuries have been reported by any of the three ships attacked, but this latest round of attacks is yet another demonstration of the great risk to international shipping caused by these Houthi actions," the Centcom statement concluded.
In the months running up to the current war in Gaza, there had been relative optimism over the prospects of a peace deal in Yemen, which has been ravaged by one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Yemen's warring parties were considering a broader ceasefire to allow for crucial peace talks. But the Houthis' actions in support of Hamas in Gaza are jeopardising the process, Yemeni officials have said.
Fighting in Yemen was curtailed by a UN-brokered ceasefire in April last year, despite the truce expiring six months later. In September, Saudi Arabia hosted Houthi representatives for several days of talks, in the first public official visit by a Houthi delegation to the kingdom since the beginning of the war in 2014.
Despite the risks, the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks in the Red Sea and attempts to strike Israel with drones and missiles as long as the war continues in Gaza, where more than 18,400 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes and shelling since October 7.
On Friday, a Houthi senior official said the Red Sea waters, a strategic route for tankers and cargo ships, “is safe for international trade movement, with the exception of the Zionist enemy’s ships or those sailing to and from its ports, until the aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza stops, and their food and medicine needs are brought in”.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
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The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
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Kill%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nikhil%20Nagesh%20Bhat%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Lakshya%2C%20Tanya%20Maniktala%2C%20Ashish%20Vidyarthi%2C%20Harsh%20Chhaya%2C%20Raghav%20Juyal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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