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3 Killed, 4 Hurt in Houthi Strike on Commercial Ship
pentagon — An anti-ship ballistic missile launched Wednesday from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen killed three crew members on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
It was the first fatal strike by Iran-backed Houthi militants since the onslaught on international shipping lanes began in mid-November. It was the fifth such missile fired by the Houthis in two days, CENTCOM said.
The Houthi missile hit the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk...
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Iran Subjects Women to 'Draconian' Hijab Surveillance, Rights Group Says
Paris — Iranian authorities are subjecting women to widespread surveillance to enforce the obligatory headscarf, even inside cars, and then imposing punishments including the confiscation of vehicles, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
The Islamic republic's leadership was shaken in 2022 by mass protests that saw women denounce the dress code but has made clear it has no plan to abandon the obligatory hijab imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Amnesty said in a report,...
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In Photos: Economic, Regional Instability Pose Challenges for Egypt’s Tourism Industry
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US Urges Iran to Dilute All Its Near-Weapons-Grade Uranium
vienna — The United States on Wednesday called on Iran to dilute all of the uranium it has enriched to up to 60% purity, close to the weapons-grade level of roughly 90%, in a statement denouncing many of Tehran's recent nuclear moves.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a confidential report to member states last week that Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% had fallen slightly in the past quarter as it had diluted, or "downblended," more of its most...
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US Targets Houthi Revenue With New Sanctions
WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday issued sanctions targeting two companies and two vessels that the Treasury Department said had facilitated commodities shipments on behalf of a network of an Iranian-backed Houthi financial facilitator.
The action targets two Hong Kong- and Marshall Islands-based ship owners and two vessels for their role in shipping commodities on behalf of Sa'id al-Jamal, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
The revenue from the commodity sales...
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IS Militants Kill at Least 18 in Attack on Villagers Collecting Truffles in Eastern Syria
BEIRUT — Islamic State militants attacked villagers collecting truffles in eastern Syria on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people and leaving dozens injured and missing, opposition activists and pro-government media said.
It was one of the deadliest attacks by the Islamic State group in the area in more than a year, they said. The attack occurred in a desert area near the town of Kobajeb, in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq.
Despite the militant group's defeat...
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Inside America’s Shadow War With Iran
There’s another Middle East conflict going on, and U.S. soldiers are on the front lines of it.
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Violence Concerns Rise at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa during Ramadan
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins next week, is a time of fasting and prayer for Muslims. This year, it is being held in the shadow of the war in Gaza, and emotions on all sides are running high, especially at East Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem.
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US Destroyer Shoots Down Missile, Drones Launched by Houthis
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A U.S. destroyer shot down drones and a missile launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels toward it in the Red Sea, officials said early Wednesday, as the Indian navy released images of it fighting a fire aboard a container ship earlier targeted by the Houthis.
The assault Tuesday apparently targeted the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that has been involved in the American campaign against the rebels who have launched attacks over Israel's war...
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Why is China Not Protecting Red Sea Shipping?
Another commercial ship was hit by a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, causing damage. As Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen continue attacks on international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, a coalition of about two dozen countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, has been working to secure the waters. But noticeably absent from the coalition is China, even though about 40% of trade between Europe and Asia goes through the area. VOA’s...
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UN: Death Stalks Children in Gaza as Famine Looms, Life-saving Aid Denied
Geneva — More than a dozen children in Gaza have starved to death, and many more are at risk as malnutrition soars, infectious diseases spread, and urgently needed life-saving humanitarian aid is blocked from entering the Palestinian enclave, U.N. aid agencies warn.
“As of 3 March, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that 15 children have died of malnutrition and dehydration at Kamal Adwan Hospital, the only pediatric hospital in northern Gaza, and expressed fear for the lives of six...
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Biden: Gaza Cease-Fire Up to Hamas
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White House Raises Hopes for Gaza 6-Week Cease-Fire Deal
Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated Monday support for an “immediate” six-week cease-fire in Gaza, meeting with a top member of Israel’s war Cabinet as the conflict teeters on the five-month mark. But analysts and protesters note that stopping the conflict hinges on negotiations the Biden administration won’t discuss, and that may not yield a deal before the White House’s stated deadline – the start of Ramadan. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House.
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UNRWA Chief: Israel Conducting Campaign to Eliminate Palestinian Aid Agency
UNITED NATIONS — The head of the embattled United Nations agency that assists Palestinian refugees accused Israel on Monday of conducting a campaign to eliminate it, when more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are counting on their services to survive.
“UNRWA is facing a deliberate and concerted campaign to undermine its operations, and ultimately end them,” Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini told a special meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.
UNRWA is the acronym for the United...
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US: Low Iran Election Turnout Another Sign of 'Discontent'
Washington — The United States said Monday that the low turnout in Iran's election came as no surprise and was a new sign of discontent in the cleric-run state.
"I don't think there's any doubt that there's discontent about the regime's rule," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
"We did not assess that these elections would be free and fair, and I believe that many Iranian voters would assess that the elections would not be...
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UN Mission Says It Has ‘Clear and Convincing’ Information That Hamas Sexually Violated Women
united nations — A U.N. mission that visited Israel to look into reports that Hamas raped and sexually abused women during the October 7 terror attacks said Monday that it had received “clear and convincing information” that such violence occurred and could be continuing in captivity.
“We found clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, has been committed against captives,” Pramila Patten, special...
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Analysts: Iran Using Gaza War to Consolidate Regional Influence
Amman, Jordan — Iran has tried to use the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to consolidate its influence in the Middle East through its sway over proxy militias in the region, say analysts. The analysts, however, question what, if anything, Tehran would stand to gain by helping the nearly five-month-old conflict to spread and intensify.
Lebanese analyst Patricia Karam says Iran sees the conflict as an opportunity to exert more of its influence over its Shiite proxies in the Middle East. Iran is part...
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