United States sends private message to Iran

US President Joe Biden said America has delivered a private message to Iran about the Houthis in Yemen after the US carried out a second strike on the group.

"We delivered it privately and we're confident we're well-prepared," he said without giving further details.

The US said its latest strike was a follow on action targeting radar.

Iran denies involvement in attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea. However, United States continues to allege that Iran is supplying weapons to Houthis.

It is believed that United States wants to disrupt smooth sailing of ships through Red Sea because about 15% of global seaborne trade passes through it. This includes 8% of global grain, 12% of seaborne oil and 8% of the world's liquefied natural gas.

Joint US-British airstrikes targeted nearly 30 Houthi positions in the early hours of Friday with the support of Western allies including Australia and Canada.

A day later, the US Central Command said it carried out its latest strike on a Houthi radar site in Yemen using Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles.

A Houthi spokesman told Reuters the strikes had no significant impact on the group's ability to affect shipping.

Most Yemenis live in areas under Houthi control. As well as Sanaa and the north of Yemen, the Houthis control the Red Sea coastline.

The official Western government line is that the ongoing air strikes on Houthi targets are quite separate from the war in Gaza. These are a necessary and proportionate response to the unprovoked and unacceptable Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, they say.

In Yemen and the wider Arab world these attacks are viewed rather differently.

These assaults are seen as Britain and United States joining in the Gaza war on the side of Israel, since the Houthis have declared their actions to be in solidarity with Hamas and the people of Gaza. One theory even says that the West is doing Netanyahu's bidding.

It is still possible that these airstrikes will have a chilling effect on the Houthis. They will certainly degrade their capacity to attack ships in the short term. But the longer these airstrikes persist, the greater the risk that Britain and the US get sucked into another conflict in Yemen.

It has taken Saudi Arabia more than eight years to extricate itself from Yemen after a US proxy war and Houthis are now more entrenched than ever.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign of air strikes and ground operations against Hamas in Gaza have killed 23,843 Palestinians so far with thousands more believed dead under rubble. 

New Israeli mantra: Iran trying to distract world from its nuclear program

Speaking at The Jerusalem Post’s Israel Summit, leading US Evangelist Dr. Mike Evans said that the Hamas massacre on October 07, 2023 was a preemptive attack on the State of Israel by Iran, via Hamas, its proxy. Evans stated that Iran authorized the attack to divert attention from its dream of developing nuclear weapons.

“Iran is trying to exhaust Israel and distract Israel. They’re trying to exhaust the world and distract the world to keep their eyes off of Iran going atomic. Iran will be an atomic nuclear state by November of this year (2024), when the US presidential election takes place, and it wants a nuclear umbrella of Russian planes flying over Iranian airspace similar to what they do in Syria as a quid pro quo for its drones and missiles helping Russian’s war against Ukraine,” he said.

“If this happens, the Gulf States will begin a nuclear arms race and will be paving the way for Armageddon. Nineteen terrorists attacked America on September 11, 2001,” said Evans. “You can be certain that Iran has more than 190 Hezbollah sleeper cells waiting for the green light to come in through the Mexican border to America.”

Evans said that two years before the Abraham Accords, at the 2018 Jerusalem Post Summit, he had predicted that five to six Arab countries would be signing peace agreements with Israel.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has built a bridge among these Muslim countries,” he stated, “and that alliance is not going to end because of the Gaza crisis you are in now. But the Gaza war is only the welcome mat to a Persian Pandora’s box.”

Evans provided a comprehensive list of the numerous ways in which the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem is helping the State of Israel during the war.

The organization has hosted evacuated families from the South in its apartment complex, organized free events for evacuees and their families, provided vouchers valued at thousands of shekels to evacuated families, and held special events for them twice a week at the FOZ Heritage Center.

Friends of Zion help wounded soldiers and tend to their needs, provides food and entertainment to Holocaust survivors, and renovated and repurposed a bomb shelter for the activities of Holocaust survivors.

“We are fighting a media war,” says Evans, “and it’s a real war that we’ve got to win together.”

In that spirit, Evans and Friends of Zion reported the events of October 07 from the field and hosted journalists and influencers who expressed their support for Israel.

FOZ is fighting a social network war with over 700 posts, many with over 4 million viewers, to win the hearts and minds of 40% of the globe that gets its misinformation on social networks.

 

Muslim Parliamentary Union demands prosecution of Israel over Gaza atrocities

Israeli officials should face legal action for the crimes committed by the regime against the besieged Gaza Strip, demanded a meeting of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The gathering also issued a warning that the current state of affairs might lead to an unprecedented explosion in the region.  

The demand was made via the final communiqué of the 5th emergency meeting of the permanent Palestine committee of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday. 

The meeting was merged with the first meeting of the Palestine Committee of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly.

The communiqué declared Israel must be placed on trial for its war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against people in Gaza.

“We want the international community to fully take up its responsibility to condemn these measures and try to put an immediate end to the aggression,” it said.

In addition to praising South Africa for bringing an International Court of Justice complaint against Israel, the statement asked PUIC members to assist South Africa in prosecuting Israeli offenders.

According to the statement, the world must act to put an immediate halt to Israel’s onslaught, warning that Muslim nations cannot stay passive while Israel continues to massacre Palestinians, and that the situation risks producing an eruption of wrath and a regional confrontation.  

It also said that PUIC members support the Palestinian people’s struggle against Israel in all forms, as all occupied countries have the right to self-defense in the face of aggression.

The statement denounced Israel’s intention to forcefully relocate Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and demanded the return of all Palestinians to their country.

Additionally, the communiqué also denounced US backing for Israel’s offensive, noting that Washington has given the regime access to a variety of cutting-edge weaponry and munitions.

It further stated that the US sought to whitewash Israel’s misdeeds in the international arena by using its veto power to prevent the UN from acting against the apartheid regime.

The statement also urged member nations to provide financial and political assistance to Palestinians, as well as seek to provide additional supplies to the beleaguered strip and assist Palestinians in rebuilding their homes devastated by Israel’s war machine.

Representatives from 26 Islamic and Asian nations, including Bahrain, Turkey, Algeria, Oman, and China, attended the PUIC summit in Tehran. The PUIC was set up in Iran in 1999, with its headquarters in Tehran.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, stated at the meeting on Wednesday that the Israeli regime was built on aggression and genocide, and that it must continue to do such horrible crimes in order to survive.

“What is coming to pass in the Gaza Strip today is a cause of deep concern and shame for humanity. It is double injustice to a nation that has been deprived of all human rights and has been under aggression and occupation for more than seven decades,” Qalibaf said.

He continued by saying, “No awakened conscience can be dismissive of the heinous and widespread bloody crimes being committed by the Israeli Zionist regime’s war machine in Gaza and its horrendous effects on the peace and security of the region and the world.”

A representative from the Palestinian parliament underscored the imperative for Islamic nations to stand in support of Palestine, vehemently denouncing bilateral ties with the Zionist regime as a tacit approval of ongoing atrocities.

President of the Algerian Parliament Ebrahim Boughali also urged advocates for the freedom of Palestine and global leaders to take necessary actions for the trial of the Zionist regime in international courts.

“All tools should be used to prosecute Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people in international courts,” said Qassem Hashem, the representative from the Lebanese Parliament.

 

Saudi Arabia urges restraint after US and UK target Yemen

Saudi Arabia is closely monitoring with deep concern the ongoing military operations in the Red Sea region after the United States and Britain carried out massive air strikes in Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Friday.

"The Kingdom underscores the critical importance of maintaining security and stability in the Red Sea area, which is internationally recognized for its strategic significance in global navigation, directly impacting the interests of the entire world."

In light of the ongoing regional events, Saudi Arabia called for restraint and urged all parties involved to avoid any escalation, emphasizing the need for a peaceful resolution to maintain the area's stability and security.

United States and British militaries bombed more than a dozen sites in Yemen on Thursday, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, US officials said.

The military targets included air defense and coastal radar sites, drone and missile storages and launching pads.

US President Joe Biden stated that the air strikes were to demonstrate that the US and its allies “will not tolerate” the militant group’s continuous attacks in the Red Sea. He clarified that the decision was made after diplomatic negotiations and careful deliberations.

“These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea — including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history,” Biden said.

He said these attacks endangered US personnel and civilian mariners and jeopardized trade. “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary," he added.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak noted that the Royal Air Force conducted targeted strikes against military facilities used by the Houthis. The Defense Ministry revealed that four fighter jets based in Cyprus participated in the strikes.

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry has refuted rumors regarding the presence of foreign forces at King Fahd Air Base in Taif. Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, the ministry’s spokesperson, said these rumors were false, Al Arabiya reported early on Friday.

Ali al-Qahoum, a high-ranking Houthi official, vowed retaliation, stating, “The battle will be bigger... and beyond the imagination and expectation of the Americans and the British.”

Al-Masirah, a Houthi-run satellite news channel, reported strikes hitting various strategic locations, including the Al-Dailami Air Base north of Sanaa, the airport in the port city of Hodeida, a camp east of Saada, the airport in the city of Taiz, and an airport near Hajjah.

United States adamant at stopping ships entering Red Sea

After the latest attacks at Yemen on Saturday, it has become evident that United States and its allies, particularly Britain, are adamant at stopping ships passing through Red Sea. The strikes at Yemen are aimed at opening a new front in the Middle East and take attention away from ongoing genocide in Gaza by Israel.

It is necessary to understand why United States is targeting Yemen. For a long time US has fought a proxy war in Yemen. After the resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran and Saudi refusal to join the US-led naval force, United States wants to target Yemen.

It may be recalled that ships had resumed journey through Red Sea, which was not appreciated by United States. Therefore, it raised false flag of attacks on ships by Houthis to create a justification of attacks on Yemen.

Readers can recall the US hoax call of presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to pave way for attack on the country. Even at that time British Prime Minister, Toney Blair was the mouthpiece of US President George Bush.

 According to Associated Press (AP), the US military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk.

The latest strike came after the US Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the initial airstrikes.

The warning came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed fierce retaliation, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel’s war in Gaza.

 “We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior along with our allies,” Biden told reporters during a stop in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

US Lawmakers Slam Strikes on Yemen

US lawmakers said Thursday that the Biden administration's barrage of airstrikes in Yemen—launched in coordination with American allies but without congressional approval—was blatantly unconstitutional and dangerous, heightening the risk of a full-blown regional conflict, reports Common Dreams.

"This is illegal and violates Article I of the Constitution," Cori Bush wrote on social media following the strikes. "The people do not want more of our taxpayer dollars going to endless war and the killing of civilians. Stop the bombing and do better by us."

The Biden administration said the airstrikes, which it characterized as a response to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea, hit more than 60 targets in Yemen. Administration officials reportedly briefed congressional leaders on its plans to bomb Yemen, but there was no formal authorization from lawmakers.

"This is an unacceptable violation of the Constitution," said Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "Article 1 requires that military action be authorized by Congress."

Rashida Tlaib echoed Jayapal, writing that US President Joe Biden is "violating Article I of the Constitution by carrying out airstrikes in Yemen without congressional approval."

"The American people are tired of endless war," Tlaib added.

Article I of the Constitution states that Congress has the power to declare war, and the War Powers Resolution (WPR) of 1973 seeks to constrain the president's ability to take unilateral military action. As Brian Egan and Tess Bridgeman have explained, the War Powers Resolution "does not authorize the president to use force," calling the belief that it does "a common misperception."

"It takes a limited view of the president's authority to introduce US armed forces into such situations in the absence of congressional authorization or an attack on the United States," Egan and Bridgeman noted.

The WPR states that, within 48 hours of a military action, the president must deliver a report to Congress explaining the rationale and legal authority under which such an action was launched. The statute clarifies that the president can only take military action under three circumstances: "(1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces."

In a statement, US President Joe Biden called the Yemen strikes defensive, signaling the administration's intention to invoke Article II of the Constitution as its legal foundation for Thursday's bombing campaign. Article II designates the president as commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces, and it has been used by multiple administrations as a blank check for military action.

Yemen's Houthis have been targeting ships in the Red Sea since October, when Israel launched its devastating assault on the Gaza Strip in response to a deadly Hamas-led attack.

The Houthis say they are acting to prevent genocide by blockading ships headed for Israel.

The US and allied nations have been working to repel Houthi attacks on commercial vessels since October, shooting down Houthi drones and missiles and sinking Houthi ships in the Red Sea.

The White House said Thursday that Houthi attacks on commercial shipping have had very little impact on the US economy.

Stephen Miles, the president of Win Without War, called the US strikes on Yemen "deeply troubling," arguing that "it's an action clearly at odds with both the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution."

"Congressional authorization isn't some sort of courtesy, it's a legal requirement for this kind of act," Miles wrote. "And since we're all about to hear a whole lot about 'self-defense' let's be very clear.

Under the WPR, presidents are required to seek authorization before knowingly introducing US forces into where combat may become imminent. It was written expressly for situations like this."

Barbara Lee said Thursday that the worsening cycle of violence in the Middle East is why she "called for a cease-fire early."

"Violence only begets more violence," Lee added. "We need a cease-fire now to prevent deadly, costly, catastrophic escalation of violence in the region."

 

United States and Britain strike Yemen

United States and British warplanes, ships and submarines launched dozens of air strikes across Yemen overnight, widening regional conflict stemming from Israel's war in Gaza.

According to Reuters, witnesses confirmed explosions at military bases near airports in the capital Sanaa and Yemen's third city Taiz, a naval base at the main Red Sea port Hodeidah and military sites in the coastal Hajjah governorate.

"These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation," said US President Joe Biden.

The Houthis said five of their fighters had been killed in a total of 73 air strikes, and that they would retaliate and continue their attacks on shipping, which they describe as intended to support Palestinians against Israel.

The commander of US air operations in the Middle East, Air Force Lieutenant-General Alex Grynkewich, said 60 targets at 16 separate locations had been hit using more than 100 precision-guided munitions.

A US official said the targets were not just symbolic but intended to weaken the Houthis' ability to attack, "We were going after very specific capability in very specific locations with precision munitions."

In a country only just emerging from nearly a decade of war that brought millions of people to the brink of famine, morning brought long queues at petrol stations from people fearing an extended new conflict with the West.

According to an AP Report, Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, in a videotaped address on Friday said “American and British enemy bears full responsibility for its criminal aggression against our Yemeni people, and it will not go unanswered and unpunished.” He described 73 strikes hitting five regions of Yemen under Houthi control.

The strikes marked the first US military response on Yemeni soil since attacks on commercial ships of Israeli origins and ships carrying goods to/ from Israel. Houthis have avoided attacking other commercial ships.

President Joe Biden said the strikes were meant to demonstrate that the US and its allies will not tolerate the ceaseless Red Sea attacks. And he said they only made the move after attempts at diplomatic negotiations and careful deliberation.