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Saudi-led coalition launch fresh offensive in Yemen

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Saudi-led coalition launch fresh offensive in Yemen

Western powers sharing intelligence on targets in Hudaidah

Despite UN warnings for a major catastrophe, the forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition have launched a fresh offensive against Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hudaydahearly Wednesday morning.

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV network announced the beginning of the operation, which the UN has warned could cause up to 250,000 deaths. It said, “The Yemeni army and resistance forces, aided by the Arab coalition, officially launched the battle to liberate the city and port of Hudeidah… on Wednesday at dawn, after the Houthis rejected peaceful solutions.”

The report quoting military source said a large-scale ground operation supported by the Arab coalition’s aerial and naval cover began to march towardsHudeidah in more than one axis.

Quoting local sources, Al-Arabia said “violent explosions were heard in the city’s suburbs. Later in the morning, the army announced it had gained control of the suburb of Nikhailah in southern Hudeidah”.

On the other hand Houthi controlled Al-Masirah TV network reported that “the Naval Force of the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees targeted a naval battleship of the US-Saudi Aggression in the West Coast Wednesday morning, during an attempt to advance towards Hudaidah coast.”Saudi-led coalition launch fresh offensive in YemenQuoting sources in Naval Forces, Am-Masirah said that “the two missiles targeted hostile battleship of Hudaidah coast. Smoke rose from the targeted battleship after being hit directly, which other battleships of aggression retreat away from the coast of Hudaidah.” The battleship was loaded with forces and military equipment planned a landing operation on the coast of Hudaidah.

The source confirmed that the missiles accurately hit the hostile battleship. There are ongoing attempts to save the forces aboard the vessel by warship and helicopters, Almasirah reported.

Read More: Saudi Arabia hits MSF Cholera center in Yemen

It also said that since the beginning of the US-Saudi aggression, the Naval forces have targeted more than 12 warships and naval units of aggression, including the frigate of the Saudi city and the military Swift ship belonging to the invading UAE forces.”

Meanwhile, Arabic-language al-Masdar News, a trans-Arabic network focused in the conflict zones of the region, has reported heavy Saudi-led airstrikes on Hudaydah as the UAE-backed troops stormed the Houthi positions just south of the city’s airport.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a key member of the Saudi-led coalition, had set a Tuesday deadline for the Yemeni HouthiAnsarullah movement to pull out of Hudaydah, which serves as a lifeline for aid delivery to the war-stricken country.

The Saudi-led coalition claims that the HouthiAnsarullah movement is using Hudaydah for weapons delivery, an allegation rejected by the fighters.

Anwar Gargash, Minister of Foreign Affairs of UAE told on Tuesday, “These are the last and final hours to get unconditional guarantees that the Houthis will leave the port.”

Read More: Israeli jets flying over Yemen, alleges Houthi leader

The Houthi movement has pledged strong resistance in the face of the assault, the largest of its kind since March 2015. The Houthi media activists have also reported fierce clashes south of the Hudaydah airport and intense air raids over the entire province.

Shortly after the operation was launched, the Yemeni National Salvation Government’s (Houthi controlled)  spokesman, AbdulsalamJaber, said Yemeni armed forces had targeted a UAE warship off the country’s western coast.

Yemen’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee has also said the warship was destroyed in the counter-attack, adding that Saudi-led helicopters rushed to save the forces aboard the vessel, which is now burning near Yemen’s coastline.

Meanwhile, the pro Saudi Arabia Hadi led government has slammed the Houthis  saying “(We) have exhausted all peaceful and political solutions to get the Houthi militias out from the Port of Hodeidah.  Liberating the port represents the beginning of the Houthis’ collapse. It will secure navigation in Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and it will cut off Iran’s hands that have drowned Yemen with weapons that are used to shed the Yemenis’ blood,” it added.

Read More: Yemen’s Houthi condemn Saudi Arabia for hitting Presidential Office

The ousted government reiterated that it will carry out its national duty towards the people of Hodeidah, with the coalition’s support, after the port is completely liberated and will work to mitigate their suffering and restore life to normal in all districts in the governorate after it’s purged from the Houthis.It also promised the Yemeni people that it will carry the good news “of liberating Hodeidah soon.”

Meanwhile, according to The Wall Street Journal,there are signs that the US military is deepening its role in the assault on Hudaydah, in spite of UN warnings of massive human casualties. Washington, the paper says, is providing its Gulf allies with intelligence on airstrike targets in the port.

It cited American military officials as saying that the US is helping the UAE develop a list of targets meant to be off limits for airstrikes on Hudaydah, with an apparent aim to minimize civilian casualties.

Read More: Yemen: Cracks in anti-Houthi Coalition, fears rise of Iran influence

On Tuesday, the UN, International Red Cross and other aid groups have withdrawn their staff members from the port city in the wake of UAE threats.The UNICEF has also raised alarm over the impact of the attack on children in Hudaydah and beyond.

“There are 11 million children in need of humanitarian aid in this war-torn country. Choking off this lifeline will have devastating consequences for every one of them,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore said in a statement on Tuesday.

Read More: Saudi Arabia attacks Yemeni capital airport, target drones

On Wednesday, the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called on all sides to the Yemen conflict to protect civilians, voicing concerns about the humanitarian situation in Hudaydah.

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Amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, Justin Trudeau shares video of his Diwali celebrations

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

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Amid the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday shared a video of his Diwali celebration on social media platform X.

Sharing a 44-second video of his Diwali celebrations on social media, the Canadian Prime Minister wrote, “Happy Diwali! So many special moments shared celebrating with the community this week.”

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday, while addressing the media over Canada’s serious allegation against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, said it was unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.

In the video, Prime Minister Trudeau showed off some colorful religious threads on his wrists, explaining that he received them during visits to three Hindu temples in Canada recently. He called them symbols of “good luck” and “protection,” adding with a smile, “I’m not taking them off until they fall off”.

Trudeau was also seen interacting warmly with the community, celebrating the festival, and enjoying delicious Indian sweets like jalebis, which he jokingly said he would “save for the team.”

On November 1, Trudeau posted on X, “Happy Diwali! Today, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain families will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with festivities, candles, diyas, and fireworks. Wishing you all joy and prosperity during this special time.”

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Jaiswal said India condemns the recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Shah that he was purportedly involved in the killing of Nijjar and called it “absurd and baseless”.

Jaiswal also said that India had summoned the Canadian High Commissioner on Friday to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.

On Tuesday, Morrison claimed that Shah orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering aimed at Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. He informed members of Canada’s national security committee in Parliament that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not provide details on how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

The Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

In a significant development, India and China have completed the disengagement exercise in the Depsang and Demchok friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The troops of both the countries are now verifying the vacation of positions and removal of infrastructure.

Reportedly, the Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks. The two sides will exchange sweets for Diwali tomorrow.

Earlier, Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced that New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement to disengage in the remaining friction points at LAC in eastern Ladakh. After the agreement, the two countries began troops disengagement at the two friction points at Demchok and Depsang plains on October 23.

India-China relations worsened because of the Chinese troops’ aggression along the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, in April 2020. It further deteriorated on June 15, 2020, after 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty thwarting the Chinese offensive in the Galwan Valley. New Delhi had said India’s bilateral relations with China will normalise only after the situation at the LAC returns to what it was before May 2020.

Reports said that the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints, and have also dismantled temporary structures that had been built during the four-year-long standoff.

The Indian soldiers will resume their patrolling in areas that had been cut off because of the PLA’s presence. Nonetheless, the disengagement in Depsang and Demchok will not lead to the creation of buffer zones.

Both the countries had disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15) areas and created buffer zones. Speaking to a newspaper publication, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations said that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok will facilitate patrolling by both sides in a coordinated manner, and in the agreed upon frequency and strength of the patrolling parties.

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Iran says 2 soldiers killed in Israeli air strikes

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

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The Iranian Army said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were killed in Israeli air strikes that targeted military bases.

Iran stated that its air defenses effectively countered the attack, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of two soldiers and some areas suffering limited damage.

The Israeli military conducted strikes on Iranian military sites after 2 am on Saturday, responding to what they cited as ongoing attacks by Iran and its allies in the region.

Following the strikes, the Israeli military announced they had successfully completed the mission and achieved their objectives.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the precise targeting of military sites in Iran to neutralize immediate threats to Israel.

“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel,” the Israel Defence Force posted on X.

Iran’s air defense headquarters acknowledged the hits on bases in Ilam, Khuzestan, and Tehran but asserted that these attacks were effectively repelled, with investigations ongoing to assess damages. Moreover, Iran indicated its readiness to retaliate against any Israeli aggression, stating that Israel would face proportional consequences for its actions.

Iran expressed its intentions to respond to the Israeli attacks on its military bases, condemning the actions as a violation of international law and the UN Charter’s principles on the use of force.

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

Pakistan strongly condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran, attributing the escalation to Israel and urging the UN Security Council to intervene for peace and security.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised that Iran should refrain from retaliating against Israel, advocating for restraint on all sides to prevent further escalation.

“I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. I’m equally clear that we must avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to restrain. Iran should not respond,” the PM said at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The United States advised Iran to halt its attacks on Israel to cease the ongoing violence and break the cycle of conflict, underlining the importance of de-escalation.

“We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett told reporters.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the Israeli operation throughout its development and execution by his National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.

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