The Hague (Netherlands), Jan 13: In the second day of hearings Friday at the United Nations’ top court, Israel rejected allegations levied by South Africa that its campaign against Hamas amounts to genocide against the Palestinian people, saying that, if anything, it is Hamas that is guilty of genocide. Although the case is likely to take years to resolve, South Africa is asking the International Court of Justice to order an immediate suspension of Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip. It’s unclear if Israel would comply with any court order.
Meanwhile, the United States and British militaries have launched strikes on sites used by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen in retaliation for their attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis say their attacks are aimed at stopping Israel’s war on Hamas, but their targets increasingly have little or no connection to Israel and imperil a crucial trade route linking Asia and the Middle East with Europe. The Oct. 7 Hamas attack from Gaza into southern Israel that triggered the war killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage by militants. Israel’s air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 23,000 people, some 70% of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. The count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Another Houthi site in Yemen struck
The U.S. military has struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that was determined to be putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk.
The strike happened early Saturday, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an operation that hadn’t yet been publicly announced.
The first day of strikes on Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets. However the U.S. determined the additional location, a radar site, still presented a threat to maritime traffic, one official said.
The Central Command said that since November 19, 2023, the Houthi militants have attempted to “attack and harass” vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at least 28 times. “These illegal incidents include attacks that have employed anti-ship ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles,” it said. (AP)