US, UK renew strikes in Yemen

SANAA/GAZA－The US-British coalition struck Houthi camps in Yemen's capital and other provinces at midnight on Tuesday in the latest flare-up in the Red Sea tensions.

The development came as the Israeli army suffered what it said was its worst loss in the Gaza conflict. However, the Israeli forces claimed to have encircled Khan Younis, the second-largest city in the southern part of the enclave.

The latest strikes by the coalition targeted the al-Hafa camp in eastern Sanaa and the al-Daylami air base in the north. They also hit sites in Rada, a city in the central province of al-Bayda, and the Maqbanah area in the southwestern province of Taiz, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said without giving details.

Residents said the explosions were powerful and their sounds could be heard across the city.

Meanwhile, US media reported that the United States and Britain carried out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen late on Monday, the eighth round of attacks on the militia camps in just more than 10 days.

The strikes came hours after the Houthis said they launched a missile attack on a US military ship in the Gulf of Aden on Monday and claimed a direct hit. The US military denied the alleged attack.

The US-UK maritime coalition in the Red Sea has carried out several airstrikes on Houthi camps in various northern provinces of Yemen.

On Tuesday, New Zealand became the latest country to deploy a six-member defense team to the Middle East as part of "an international coalition to uphold maritime security in the Red Sea", Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said.

The decision, however, was criticized by the opposition party, as they say the deployment will further inflame tensions in the region.

The Houthi group vowed to continue targeting ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea until Israel ends its conflict and blockade on Gaza.

Last week, the US redesignated the Houthi group as a global terrorist organization and said the move would not affect food and medicine supplies to northern Yemen.

Monday also saw the biggest single-day toll of Israeli forces since the start of its ground operation on Oct 27 in Gaza, as the Israeli army said on Tuesday that 24 soldiers had been killed.

The Israeli military says its forces have encircled the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. The territory's second-largest city has seen heavy fighting in recent days, with dozens of Palestinians killed and wounded.

Israeli officials have said top Hamas leaders may be hiding in tunnels under the city. Khan Younis is the hometown of Yahya Sinwar, top Hamas leader in Gaza, whose current location is unknown. The military announced the encirclement in a statement on Tuesday.

In Israel, dozens of family members of hostages held by Hamas stormed on Monday a committee meeting in Israel's parliament, demanding a deal to win their loved ones' release.

Mounting pressure

The developments showed the increasing pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has dug in on both fronts. He has told the Israeli public that pursuing the devastating offensive in Gaza is the only way to bring the hostages home. At the same time, he has rejected the US vision for a resolution after the conflict ends, saying he will never allow a Palestinian state.

The dispute over Gaza's future pits Israel against its top ally and much of the international community. It also poses a major obstacle to plans for governance after the conflict ends or reconstruction of the territory, large parts of which have been left unlivable by Israeli bombardment.

US news site Axios reported on Monday that Israel has proposed to Hamas via Qatari and Egyptian mediators a pause in fighting of up to two months as part of a deal to free all the hostages being held in Gaza.

The report, citing unnamed Israeli officials, said the deal would take place in multiple stages, the first of which would see the release of women, men over 60 and those in critical medical condition.

The officials said the deal would also see the release of an undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel, but not all of them.

Agencies - Xinhua