DUBAI, SEP 10 (AP): Houthi rebels have entered Yemen’s strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, two residents told The Associated Press on Thursday.
If confirmed, the development is significant because taking the city would put the Houthis closer to their goal of targeting shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb, a crucial waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Mokha is about 80 kilometres from the strait.
Mokha long had been held by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
A resident, Amin al-Mohammdi, said the Houthis entered Mokha and fanned out across intersections. All roads from the west coast leading to Mokha have been closed, and shops were shut, he said.
Another resident, Mohamed Salem, reported seeing vehicles belonging to Houthi forces in the streets.
The AP couldn’t independently verify the claims.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warns Iran
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Iran of a “powerful response” if Israel is attacked, saying it would “inflict severe damage on Iran of a kind it has not yet suffered, including on its central energy facilities.” Katz’ video statement came after Iran launched missiles at US targets in Israel’s eastern neighbour of Jordan earlier this week in response to US strikes on Iranian oil tankers.
Two children are killed in a Gaza strike
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“There is nothing that can justify Israel attacking this home,” said Zuheir al-Heisami, a neighbour of the family, at the hospital. He said the strike happened at around 2 am. “These were two children and their parents that were killed while they were asleep.”
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike early Thursday, but a new statement said its forces on Wednesday struck Hamas weapons storage facilities in three areas across Gaza.
Israel’s military in the past has said it carries out strikes in response to threats against its forces under the fragile ceasefire that has been in place since October.
Israel threatens strikes on Iran’s energy facilities if attacked