Israel-Hamas War: What happened on Day 98?
US, UK and allies attack Iran-backed Houthis • IDF discovers Khan Yunis tunnel where hostages were kept by Hamas • Israel appears at ICJ on genocide charge
IDF destroys over 700 Hamas rocket launchers since start of the war
Many of the rocket launchers had been located by the IDF in schools and mosques.
Over 700 of Hamas’s rocket launchers have been destroyed since the beginning of the war, the IDF announced on Friday afternoon. This has limited Hamas’s launching capabilities, the IDF said, which is expected to reduce risks to civilian populations in Israel.
Many of the rockets and launchers had been located and destroyed by IDF soldiers operating within the Gaza Strip and during targeted airstrikes.
Weapons in civilian areas
The 100th Squadron, during an aerial intelligence gathering mission, identified Hamas terrorists firing from within a school and a mosque in the Gaza Strip. The squadron neutralized the launchers in both locations.
Footage of the IAF airstrikes was subsequently released released.
In a similar situation, forces from the Golani Brigade located loaded and ready-to-launch rocket launchers that Hamas had stored within a cemetery. Again, the soldiers neutralized the weapons.
The IDF stressed that Hamas endangers both Israeli and Palestinian civilian lives by indiscriminately firing rockets at Israelis from rocket launchers located inside Gazan civilian buildings, including schools, mosques and residences. In past occasions, rockets launched by Hamas within the Strip have landed on civilian Palestinian populations.
In October, a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group landed on a hospital in Gaza, endangering the lives of Palestinian healthcare workers and patients. Similar misfires occurred in August when a PIJ rocket fell next to a clinic in Jabalya, killing two Palestinians.
Numerous groups, including Human Rights Watch and B'Tselem, have also in the past stated that Hamas's firing of rockets aimed indiscriminately at Israeli civilian populations is a war crime.
In a 2021 report, HRW said, "The rockets and mortars that Palestinian armed groups fired lack guidance systems and are prone to misfire, making them extremely inaccurate and thus inherently indiscriminate when directed toward areas with civilians. Launching such rockets to attack civilian areas is a war crime.
"Hamas authorities should stop trying to justify unlawful rocket attacks that indiscriminately kill and injure civilians by pointing to Israel's violations," Eric Goldstein, HRW acting Middle East and North Africa director, said at the time, according to the BBC. "The laws of war are meant to protect all civilians from harm."
Reuters and Tzvi Joffree contributed to this report.
Go to the full article >>US strikes Houthi radar site in Yemen, US military says
US forces conducted a strike against a Houthi radar site in Yemen, the American military said late on Friday, adding the latest action aimed at degrading the Houthi movement's ability to attack maritime vessels.
"This strike was conducted by the USS Carney (DDG 64) using Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and was a follow-on action on a specific military target associated with strikes taken on Jan. 12 designed to degrade the Houthi's ability to attack maritime vessels, including commercial vessels," the US Central Command said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
The latest strike occurred early on Saturday local time in Yemen.
Go to the full article >>US and Britain strike Yemen in reprisal for Houthi attacks on shipping
The United States and Britain on Thursday defended as legal under international law military strikes carried out against the Houthis in retaliation for the Yemeni group's attacks on ships.
US and British warplanes, ships, and submarines launched dozens of air strikes across Yemen against Houthi forces in retaliation for months of attacks on Red Sea shipping that the Iran-backed fighters cast as a response to the war in Gaza.
Witnesses confirmed explosions at military bases near airports in the capital Sanaa and Yemen's third city Taiz, a naval base at Yemen's 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," US President Joe Biden said.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said the strikes in the early hours of Friday had targeted the Houthis' ability to store, launch, and guide missiles or drones.
The Pentagon said the US-British assault reduced the Houthis' capacity to launch attacks, especially complex operations such as those they carried out earlier in the week.
The US military said 60 targets in 28 locations had been hit, using more than 150 munitions.
"I know we have degraded (their) capability," US Lieutenant General Douglas Sims told a media briefing. "I don't believe that they would be able to execute the same way they did the other day. But we will see."
The Houthis, who have controlled most of Yemen for nearly a decade, said five fighters were killed in 73 air strikes. They vowed to retaliate and continue their attacks on shipping, which they say are intended to support Palestinians against Israel.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations information hub said it had received reports of a missile landing in the sea around 500 meters (1,600 feet) from a ship about 90 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni port of Aden.
The shipping security firm Ambrey identified it as a Panama-flagged tanker carrying Russian oil.
In Yemen, crowds gathered in cities. Drone footage on the Houthis' al-Masirah TV showed hundreds of thousands of people in Sanaa chanting slogans denouncing Israel and the United States.
"Your strikes on Yemen are terrorism," said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council. "The United States is the Devil."
Biden, whose administration removed the Houthis from a State Department list of "foreign terrorist organizations" in 2021, was asked by reporters if he felt the term "terrorist" described the movement now. "I think they are," he said.
At the United Nations, the Security Council was due to meet late on Friday about the Red Sea crisis. Sparked by Israel's onslaught on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, which is ruled by another Iran-backed Islamist group, Hamas, it has raised concerns about the potential for a larger Middle East conflict.
Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the US and Britain "singlehandedly triggered a spillover of the conflict (in Gaza) to the entire region."
In Washington, Kirby said, "We're not interested in ... a war with Yemen."
In Yemen, a poor country only just emerging from nearly a decade of war that brought millions to the brink of famine, people fearing an extended new conflict queued at gas stations.
"We are rushing to fuel our car and we bought flour and rice in case of any emergency because we are expecting the Houthis to respond and an escalation to take place," said Ali Ahmad, 52.
Oil price jumps
The price of Brent crude oil rose more than $2 on concern that supplies could be disrupted, before later giving up half its gain. Biden expressed concern about the impact of the Middle East conflict on oil prices.
Commercial ship tracking data showed at least nine oil tankers stopping or diverting from the Red Sea.
INTERTANKO, an oil tanker industry body, sent a note to members saying the US-led Combined Maritime Forces had advised ships to "stay well away from Bab al-Mandab," the mouth of the Red Sea where 15% of global seaborne trade passes, for several days.
Houthi attacks have forced commercial ships to take a longer, costlier route around Africa, creating fears of a new bout of inflation and supply chain disruption. Container shipping rates for key global routes have soared this week.
Carmakers Tesla and Volvo, owned by China's Geely, said delays to parts shipments from Asia had forced them to suspend some production in Germany and Belgium respectively, the first big manufacturers to make such announcements.
Months of raids
The strikes follow months of raids by Houthi fighters, who have boarded ships they claimed were Israeli or heading for Israel.
The United States and some allies sent a naval task force in December, and recent days saw increasing escalation. On Tuesday, the United States and Britain shot down 21 missiles and drones.
However, not all major US allies chose to back the strikes.
The Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and Bahrain provided logistical and intelligence support, while Germany, Denmark, New Zealand, and South Korea signed a joint statement defending the attacks and warning of further action.
But Italy, Spain, and France chose not to sign or participate, fearing a wider escalation.
Egypt, which controls the Suez Canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, expressed deep concern.
A senior US official accused Tehran of providing the Yemeni group with military capabilities and intelligence to carry out their attacks.
Iran condemned the strikes. In a posting on the X platform, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the White House could "restore security across the region" by stopping its "all-out military and security cooperation" with Israel against the people of Gaza and the West Bank.
Iran-backed groups have increased attacks on US targets in several countries since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and precipitating the war in Gaza, which has so far killed more than 23,000.
Attacks on Houthis comply with international law
The United States and Britain on Thursday defended as legal under international law military strikes carried out against the Houthis in retaliation for the Yemeni group's attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The strikes launched overnight were "to disrupt and degrade the Houthis' ability to continue the reckless attacks against vessels and commercial shipping," US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the UN Security Council.
She said more than 2,000 ships had been forced by the attacks to divert from the Red Sea since November.
Go to the full article >>Terrorists eliminated after shooting attack on Israeli West Bank settlement
One resident of the community reportedly received a gunshot wound to the leg.
Terrorists carried out a shooting attack in the West Bank Israel settlement of Adora on Friday evening, Israeli sources reported. The report followed an alert regarding a possible terrorist infiltration into the community.
The Home Front Command subsequently issued orders that residents of the community take shelter in buildings, lock the doors, and close the windows.
Residents were warned not to exit any buildings until the event had concluded. Traffic in the area has been prohibited until further notice.
Resident shot in the leg
According to the Israeli media outlet Maariv, reports indicated that after a terrorist squad entered the community, one resident received a gunshot wound to the leg.
Israeli security personnel reportedly quickly arrived on the scene thereafter, and the Judea and Samaria Update Center stated that a large force was on its way to the site.
Israel's emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, confirmed that the wounded individual, a 34-year-old male, was suffering from light to moderate wounds and was fully conscious after being shot in the leg
The man was evacuated to a hospital for further treatment.
A subsequent statement from the IDF reported that after the terrorists infiltrated the community, they fired at IDF troops on patrol at the scene.
Three terrorists eliminated
The IDF immediately launched a pursuit and conducted thorough searches of the area. Over the course of the searches, three terrorists were identified and eliminated by the Israeli security personnel.
The IDF added that continued searches for additional terrorists are underway.
Go to the full article >>Palestinian Health Ministry welcomes $2 million in medical supplies
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed on Friday the arrival of $2 million worth of medical supplies, which were sent by the World Bank's project allocations to Gaza. The arrival was orchestrated alongside the children's charity UNICEF.
Health Minister Mai Al-Kila said the arrival of the new batch of vaccines for children arrived via Egypt.
Kila added that polio vaccines and other quantities of medicines and medical consumables that arrived as part of the medical package will enter the health sector.
Go to the full article >>Denmark confirms arrested terror suspects have Hamas links
Danish police arrested three suspects in December, with four further detained in Germany and the Netherlands.
Seven suspects were arrested for alleged plans to conduct a terror attack had links to Hamas, European officials confirmed, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) and the Associated Press (AP) reported on Friday.
Little information on the case was made public knowledge until prosecutor Anders Larsson broke the silence.
”The investigation has provided information that, according to the police, the case has links to Hamas,” Larsson said during a custody hearing before an appeals court, according to broadcaster TV2, cited by AP. “That information is no longer necessary to keep secret.”
Denmark’s police also confirmed on Friday that three suspects, along with four others arrested throughout Europe, have been connected to Hamas, AFP reported.
Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said Friday, according to AFP, that the alleged connection to Hamas "confirms that the threat against Denmark is serious, but luckily we have a strong police and intelligence service doing their best to protect us every day."
Three of the suspects held in connection to the case were arrested on December 14, and a fourth was arrested in the Netherlands. At the same time, three more Hamas-linked suspects were arrested in Germany.
Dutch national Nazih R was arrested by police in Rotterdam, while Lebanon-born Abdelhamid Al A and Ibrahim El-R, as well as Egyptian national Mohamed B, were arrested in the German capital, Reuters reported.
Abdelhamid Al A had been tasked by Hamas leaders in Lebanon with sourcing weapons. The weapons were due to be taken to Berlin and kept at the ready for potential terrorist attacks against Jewish institutions, said prosecutors.
Denmark currently has its terror threat level set to "serious," the second-highest out of five.
In response to increased antisemitic threats, Denmark had ordered its military to protect Jewish and Israeli sites in early December, deploying soldiers to guard both Israel's embassy and Copenhagen's synagogue.
"The terrorist threat against Denmark is serious," the country's justice minister, Peter Hummelgaard, said at the time. "And the conflict in the Middle East has led to a completely unacceptable rise in antisemitism and more uncertainty among Jews in Denmark."
Hamas involvement was suspected
In December, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the attacks had been orchestrated by Hamas, stating that Denmark's security forces had "thwarted an attack, the goal of which was to kill innocent civilians on European soil.
"The Hamas terrorist organization has been working relentlessly and exhaustively to expand its lethal operations to Europe, and thereby constitute a threat to the domestic security of these countries."
"In recent years, and even more so after the murderous attack on October 7, Hamas strives to expand its operational capabilities around the world, and in Europe in particular," Israeli authorities said, "to realize its ambitions to strike Israeli, Jewish, and Western targets at any cost."
More information can be anticipated in the coming weeks.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Go to the full article >>Missile fired toward vessel near Yemen coast - UKMTO
Houthi terrorists mistakenly targeted a tanker carrying Russian oil in a missile attack on Friday off Yemen, British maritime security firm Ambrey said.
A maritime incident was reported off the southeast coast of Aden, Yemen, on Friday by the United Kingdom's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). A later update revealed that the incident involved a missile being fired towards a vessel.
The Master of the vessel confirmed that the missile landed in the water, 400-500 metres away from the ship. While there were no injuries or damage was incurred during the attack, the Mater also stated that 3 small crafts tailed the ship.
UKMTO WARNING 008/JAN/2024https://t.co/zHGNgQp1UB#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/KVYPsUT81Q
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) January 12, 2024
Houthi terrorists mistakenly targeted a tanker carrying Russian oil in a missile attack on Friday off Yemen, British maritime security firm Ambrey said.
Escalation in the region
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi militants, who control much of Yemen, have launched wave after wave of exploding drones and missiles at Western commercial vessels in the Red Sea since Nov. 19, in what they say is a protest against Israel's military operations in Gaza.
The United States and Britain carried out strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen overnight. Russia, an ally of Iran and a partner of key Arab powers, denounced the strikes and called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.
"A Panama-flagged tanker sighted three skiffs while transiting eastbound through the International Recommended Transit Corridor," the Ambrey report said, adding that the vessel reported a missile hitting the water.
Ambrey assessed that the vessel was mistakenly targeted based on outdated publicly available information linking the vessel to the United Kingdom.
"This appeared to be five months old but was still listed as UK-affiliated on a public maritime database,"the report said.
This is a developing story.
Go to the full article >>UAE voices concern over consequences of attacks on Red Sea shipping
The United Arab Emirates has expressed grave concern over the consequences of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf state's official news agency said on Friday.
It added that the UAE stressed the importance of maintaining security in the region and the interests of its countries.
Go to the full article >>Hezbollah fires missiles at Israel, IDF responds with artillery, air force
The IDF stated that air force jets struck targets in the area of the Lebanese towns of Labbouneh, Ramyeh, and Ayta ash Shab, destroying several Hezbollah infrastructure facilities.
After two anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel on Friday, the IDF responded with artillery fire directed at the sources of the missile launches, Israeli media reported.
The anti-tank missiles were reportedly fired at the area of Malkiya in the Upper Galilee. A rocket alarm sounded in Hanita, an Israeli community directly adjacent to the Lebanon border.
The Lebanon-based, Iranian-backed terror organization Hezbollah subsequently claimed responsibility for the attack on Telegram, naming Hanita as one of several Israeli targets under fire.
Shortly thereafter, the Israeli media outlet Walla, reported that Israeli air force aircraft struck targets in southern Lebanon.
IDF confirms strikes
Later on Friday evening, the IDF stated that air force jets struck targets in the area of the Lebanese towns of Labbouneh, Ramyeh, and Ayta ash Shab, destroying several Hezbollah infrastructure facilities.
The IDF also confirmed the earlier reports of missiles launched at northern Israel as well as the Israeli responses to the attacks.
Go to the full article >>IDF responds with artillery to missiles fired from Lebanon into Israel
After two anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel on Friday, the IDF responded with artillery fire directed at the sources of the missile launches, Israeli media reported.
The anti-tank missiles were reportedly fired at the area of Malkiya in the Upper Galilee.
Go to the full article >>Israel-Hamas War: What you need to know
- Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza
- Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 in the Re'im music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities