All posts tagged: airstrikes

Houthis Claim Hypersonic Missile Strike On Israel, Prompting IDF Airstrikes On Yemen

Houthis Claim Hypersonic Missile Strike On Israel, Prompting IDF Airstrikes On Yemen

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Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree claimed on X that Iran-backed Yemeni Armed Forces launched two hypersonic ballistic missiles targeting military sites in the Jaffa region near Tel Aviv. Israel reported intercepting the missile strike, which was followed hours later by Israeli fighter jets pounding key infrastructure in Yemen.  “Statement of the Yemeni Armed Forces regarding the implementation of a qualitative military operation targeting two qualitative and sensitive military targets of the Israeli enemy in the occupied Jaffa region with two hypersonic ballistic missiles of the Palestine 2 type,” Saree wrote on X (translated via Google).  بيان القوات المسلحة اليمنية بشأن تنفيذ عملية عسكرية نوعية استهدفت هدفين عسكريين نوعيين وحساسين للعدو الإسرائيلي في منطقة يافا المحتلة وذلك بصاروخين بالستيين فرط صوتيين نوع فلسطين2.pic.twitter.com/N5wdOE5El7 — العميد يحيى سريع (@army21ye) December 19, 2024 Israel’s military announced the interception of a missile launched from Yemen: “Rocket and missile sirens were sounded following the possibility of falling debris from the interception,” adding that a missile had been intercepted before entering Israeli airspace.  “I urge the leaders of the Houthi organization to see, to understand and to remember: …

Israel launches fresh airstrikes in Syria | World | News

Israel launches fresh airstrikes in Syria | World | News

Published by Sam

Israel has reportedly launched fresh airstrikes in Syria tonight, plunging the Middle East into further crisis and sparking fears of all-out war. A fresh blitz was said to be underway in the port city of Tartus, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. It followed airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon just hours after the international community called for calm in the region. Joe Biden had said earlier: “We’ve been determined to prevent a wider war that engulfs the entire region. “A diplomatic solution is still possible. In fact, it remains the only path to lasting security.” But reports said the situation had deteriorated even further, with Syrian air defences intercepting eight targets off Tartus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors violence, said multiple explosions were heard over the city. A video posted on X showed flashes in the sky but it was unclear if any bombs landed. It’s not the first time Syria has been struck this month. On September 9, Israel launched deadly attacks on several military sites, killing at least 16 people. The …

Ukraine orders nationwide electricity rationing after Russian airstrikes

Ukraine orders nationwide electricity rationing after Russian airstrikes

Published by Sam

Ukrainian officials on Wednesday said they were preparing to order electricity rationing measures across the country following a major overnight missile strike by Russia — the latest in a relentless bombing campaign against civilian infrastructure. Brownouts “are possible throughout Ukraine” between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., the state energy provider, Ukrenergo, said in a statement posted on the Telegram social media platform. The statement cited a “shortage of electricity in the power system.” Source link

Israeli troops seize Gaza side of Rafah crossing, hit Rafah with airstrikes

Israeli troops seize Gaza side of Rafah crossing, hit Rafah with airstrikes

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Israel’s military said Tuesday its forces had taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, a day after ordering tens of thousands of Palestinians to leave the area and launching repeated airstrikes. The Israeli operation comes after weeks of Israeli officials saying an offensive in Rafah was necessary to achieve their goal of defeating Hamas, while the United States, the United Nations and others warned that launching an offensive in an area crowded with Palestinian civilians could create a humanitarian disaster. The developments in Rafah also follow an announcement by Hamas that it had accepted a cease-fire proposal worked out with Egyptian and Qatari negotiators. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Monday the cease-fire proposal was “far from Israel’s essential demands,” but that Israel would send negotiators to Cairo to continue talks. During the past week, efforts to secure a cease-fire intensified, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s traveling to the region and repeatedly telling Hamas that Israel had made compromises, and that Hamas should …

Israel launches huge airstrikes on Hamas targets in Rafah | World | News

Israel launches huge airstrikes on Hamas targets in Rafah | World | News

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Benjamin Netanyahu’s violent move on Rafah comes despite international condemnation, with the likes of the Biden administration and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urging them not to launch an offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city. After the Israeli evacuation order was issued, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the US has not seen a credible and implementable plan to protect Palestinian civilians. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called Israel’s evacuation order “inhumane,” adding that “it contrary to the basic principles of international humanitarian and human rights laws.” The UN Relief and Works Agency, the largest humanitarian organisation for Palestinians in Gaza, said that it won’t comply with the evacuation order and instead stay in Rafah as long as possible to provide humanitarian aid. Source link

Drone footage shows how Russian airstrikes devastated Ukrainian city

Drone footage shows how Russian airstrikes devastated Ukrainian city

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KYIV, Ukraine —  Months of relentless Russian artillery pounding have devastated a strategic city in eastern Ukraine, new drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows, with barely a building left intact, homes and municipal offices charred, and a town that once had a population of 12,000 now all but deserted. The footage shows Chasiv Yar — set amid green fields and woodland — pounded into an apocalyptic vista. The destruction is reminiscent of the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, which Ukraine yielded after months of bombardment and huge losses for both sides. The strategically important city has been under attack by Russian forces for months. Capturing it would give Russia control of a hilltop from which it can attack other cities that form the backbone of Ukraine’s eastern defenses. That would set the stage for a potentially broader Russian offensive that Ukrainian officials say could come as early as this month. Russia launched waves of assaults on foot and in armored vehicles at Chasiv Yar’s outnumbered Ukrainian troops, who have run desperately short of …

Israel fighter jet kills Hezbollah target as airstrikes ramp up in Middle East | World | News

Israel fighter jet kills Hezbollah target as airstrikes ramp up in Middle East | World | News

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Hezbollah strongly opposes Israel’s existence as well as US intervention in the Middle East. Tensions in the area have risen since Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Iranian-backed Palestinian groups, attacked Israel on October 7, sparking a devastating Israeli offensive in Gaza that has continued for more than six months. The war in Gaza has killed over 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. Hezbollah immediately began striking Israeli targets, opening up tit-for-tat fighting along a second front, while Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, Syria and Yemen have also fired missiles and drones at Israel throughout the war. While Israel and Iran have waged a shadow war for years, mostly in neighboring Syria, they have largely avoided direct confrontations. That changed after an April 1 airstrike killed two Iranian generals at an Iranian diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital of Damascus. Although Israel did not comment, Iran blamed Israel for the strike and vowed revenge. Source link

Iran on Edge Amid Airstrikes, Crackdowns and Fear of War

Iran on Edge Amid Airstrikes, Crackdowns and Fear of War

Published by Sam

In the early hours of Friday, Mehrdad, an engineer in Isfahan, Iran, woke to the sound of explosions rattling the windows and shaking the ground. In Tehran, passengers about to board flights were abruptly told the airspace was closed. Israel, they soon learned, had attacked Iran. As booms and gunfire went off in the distance, Mehrdad, 43, came to realize that the Israelis’ target was a military base on the outskirts of the city. He and his pregnant wife remained fearful that war would break out, he said in an interview by phone. “I think Israel wanted to test the water and evaluate with last night’s strikes,” said Mehrdad, who, like others interviewed for this article, asked that his last name be withheld for fear of retribution. “I fear the worst is coming, but I also hope that things end here.” So, apparently, does the Iranian government, which after a week of promising a forceful response to any Israeli attack on Iranian territory, appeared to be standing down from nearly going to the brink of …

Israeli airstrikes kill Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon

Israeli airstrikes kill Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon

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Israel’s military said Thursday its forces carried out airstrikes throughout the Gaza Strip targeting Hamas fighters and infrastructure, as well as airstrikes that killed two Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. The Lebanon strikes were the latest in cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that has raised concerns about the spread of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Agence France-Presse cited Hezbollah also saying two of its fighters were killed in an Israeli strike in Kfar Kila. Israel said 14 of its soldiers were injured Wednesday in a Hezbollah attack on northern Israel. Palestinian UN membership The U.N. Security Council is preparing to vote on a resolution recommending full member status for the Palestinian Authority. If the Security Council recommends the Palestinian Authority’s application, the U.N. General Assembly can approve it with a two-thirds majority vote. But the measure’s fate at the Security Council is unclear, with the United States holding one of the council’s veto-holding positions. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Wednesday during a visit to South Korea that the United States does …