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US appears to confirm fresh attacks on Yemen
The United States Central Command (Centcom) has seemingly validated reports of renewed military actions in Yemen, showcased by a video on X depicting fighter jets in flight with the caption “Give ‘em Hell Harry!!!” likely referring to the USS Harry S Truman, an American aircraft carrier positioned near Yemen.
This video surfaced amidst reports of recent US strikes in the northern province of Saada, resulting in injuries to at least two individuals and the destruction of a cancer treatment facility.
The Houthis, a militant faction that has maintained control over a significant portion of Yemen for the last decade, claim to have attacked international shipping routes in support of Palestinian causes amid Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza.
These hostilities subsided briefly when a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was established in January—just prior to Donald Trump’s inauguration. However, the Houthis recently declared their intent to resume targeting Israeli vessels after Israel restricted humanitarian aid to Gaza.
On March 15, the Trump administration initiated what it labeled a “decisive and powerful” campaign of airstrikes against the Iran-aligned Houthis, aiming to deter them from threatening Red Sea maritime operations. Critics argue that these US-led operations have resulted in numerous civilian casualties, including women and children.
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Updated at 09.31 CET
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Amid these events, senior officials from the Trump administration have provoked bipartisan backlash after inadvertently sharing classified military strategy details within a Signal group chat that included a prominent journalist.
As reported by the Atlantic, the editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added to a group chat of around a dozen senior officials, including Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Signal message group apparently included vice-president JD Vance and defence secretary Pete Hegseth. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
My colleague Joseph Gedeon has highlighted the widespread anger from both parties regarding this significant breach of national security protocols. Below are some notable reactions:
On the Senate floor on Monday, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer termed it “one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time,” calling for a comprehensive investigation into the incident, its ramifications, and preventative strategies for the future.
Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic Minority Leader, emphasized the need for a thorough inquiry into the “unacceptable and irresponsible national security breach,” deeming the situation “completely outrageous and shocking.”
Republican Senator John Cornyn, describing the incident informally, referred to it as “a huge screw-up” and criticized the administration for this serious lapse in security protocol.
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US appears to confirm fresh attacks on Yemen
The United States Central Command (Centcom) appears to have confirmed fresh attacks on Yemen, with a video posted to X of fighter jets taking off accompanied by the caption “Give ‘em Hell Harry!!!” in a likely reference to the USS Harry S Truman, an American aircraft carrier stationed near Yemen.
The post came after reports of new US attacks on the northern province of Saada, which reportedly injured at least two people and destroyed a cancer hospital.
The Houthis, an armed movement who have taken control of most of Yemen over the past decade, say they have targeted international shipping in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
The attacks stopped when a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire took hold in January – a day before Donald Trump took office – but earlier this month the Houthis said they would renew attacks against Israeli vessels after Israel cut off the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
On 15 March, the Trump administration launched what it described as a “decisive and powerful” series of deadly airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, with the stated aim of deterring the rebel group from attacking Red Sea shipping. Officials say the US strikes have killed many civilians, including women and children.
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Updated at 09.31 CET
As we mentioned in the opening summary, Israel’s security cabinet has approved a suggestion by the country’s defence minister, Israel Katz, to set up a new administration within his department tasked with enabling Palestinians to “voluntarily” leave Gaza, their homelands.
In a statement a couple of days ago, Katz’s office said the new directorate would work to:
Prepare for and enable safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure to third countries, including securing their movement, establishing movement routes, checking pedestrians at designated crossings in the Gaza Strip, as well as coordinating the provision of infrastructure that will enable passage by land, sea and air to the destination countries.
Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have heavily condemned the Israeli plan.
The Qatari foreign ministry said that “any form of Palestinian displacement constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.” Jordan’s foreign ministry wrote in a post on X:
The ministry of foreign affairs and expatriates condemned in the strongest terms Israel’s announcement of the establishment of a special agency targeting the displacement of Palestinians under the pretext of “voluntary departure” from the Gaza Strip.
This coincided with the Israeli security cabinet’s approval of the demolition of 13 illegal settlement neighborhoods in the West Bank, in preparation for their “legalization” as colonial settlements.
The ministry stressed that all Israeli measures targeting the Palestinian presence on their land are invalid and represent a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and part of practices that constitute the crime of forced displacement of Palestinians from their occupied land.
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Fresh evacuation orders made as overnight Israeli attacks on Gaza kill over 20 Palestinians
Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Israel’s continuing war on Gaza.
Gaza’s health ministry said yesterday that 730 Palestinian people had been killed in Israeli attacks since the country’s military resumed intensive bombardments across the strip last Tuesday, including about 60 people in the past 24 hours.
Israeli attacks have killed at least 23 Palestinians, including seven children, since midnight in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera and the Associated Press. Most of the attacks reportedly targeted areas in south and central Gaza.
The victims include three children and their parents who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their tent near the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Nasser hospital which has received dead bodies throughout the war.
Three people were killed in an airstrike on a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Awda hospital, while an Israeli airstrike on a residential building killed 5 people in Gaza City, according to officials.
Palestinian children inspect the destruction after an Israeli airstrike on tents in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Photograph: APAImages/REX/Shutterstock
In other news:
Hossam Shabat, a journalist for the Al Jazeera Mubasher channel, was killed in northern Gaza on Monday. Witnesses told the network that his car was targeted in the eastern part of Beit Lahiya. Earlier in the day, Mohammad Mansour, a reporter who worked for Palestine Today, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis.
The Israeli military issued more calls to evacuate parts of northern Gaza, telling Palestinians to head towards “known shelters” even though there is no guarantee of safety there. “Terrorist organizations are once again returning to and firing rockets from populated areas … For your safety, head south toward the known shelters immediately,” the Israeli military spokesperson wrote on X, after issuing similar warnings for the northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun.
In extraordinary blunder, top Trump cabinet members added the Atlantic magazine editor to a Signal group chat discussing secret military plans for recent attacks in Yemen. The major security breach sparked bipartisan outrage and calls from one Democratic group for Pete Hegseth to resign as defence secretary.
The Israeli military said earlier today it struck targets – “Tadmur and T4” – at two Syrian military bases in Homs province, claiming they hosted “military capabilities.”
Israel’s defence ministry has announced the creation of an administration dedicated to the “voluntary departure of Gaza residents to a third country”, drawing outrage from Egypt, which borders Gaza and Israel. Cairo expressed “its strong condemnation” of the creation of the authority.
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Updated at 09.06 CET
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www.theguardian.com