LONDON/WASHINGTON: Britain and the United States on Thursday said they had sanctioned four senior Houthi officials for their roles in supporting or directing attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping and stoked fears of global inflation. They have also deepened concern that fallout from the Israel-Hamas war could destabilize the Middle East.
Those sanctioned were Houthi Defense Minister Mohamed Nasser Al-Atifi, Commander of Houthi Naval Forces Muhammad Fadl Abd Al-Nabi, coastal defense forces chief Muhammad Ali Al-Qadiri and Muhammed Ahmad Al-Talibi, who the two governments described as the Houthi forces director of procurement.
“The Houthis’ persistent terrorist attacks on merchant vessels and their civilian crews ... threaten to disrupt international supply chains and the freedom of navigation, which is critical to global security, stability, and prosperity,” the US Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in a statement.
“Today’s joint action with the United Kingdom demonstrates our collective action to leverage all authorities to stop these attacks.”
Britain said the four men were involved in acts which “threaten the peace, security and stability of Yemen.”
The US action freezes any US-based assets of those targeted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.
On Monday, US and British forces carried out a new round of strikes in Yemen, targeting a Houthi underground storage site as well as missile and surveillance capabilities used by the Iran-aligned group against Red Sea shipping.
UK and US sanction senior Houthis over Red Sea shipping attacks
https://arab.news/bafwf
UK and US sanction senior Houthis over Red Sea shipping attacks
- The Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping and stoked fears of global inflation
- They have also deepened concern that fallout from the Israel-Hamas war could destabilize the Middle East
Two babies dead after incident forces evacuation of Israel nursery
- Police said three caregivers present at the centre had been detained for questioning
JERUSALEM: Israeli doctors declared two babies dead after medics evacuated 55 children from a daycare centre in Jerusalem on Monday, with local media reporting the incident may have been linked to the facility's heating system.
A baby girl was pronounced dead after being brought to hospital in "critical condition", Gal Pachis, head of the emergency centre at Shaare Zedek Hospital, told journalists in a statement broadcast live on television.
A baby boy, approximately six months old, was declared dead despite resuscitation efforts, the Hadassah Medical Centre said in a statement.
Medics did not specify the cause of the deaths.
Earlier, Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said paramedics were "providing medical treatment and evacuating 55 casualties to hospitals in the city, including two infants in critical condition".
"Resuscitation efforts are ongoing, and 53 infants are undergoing further medical examinations and treatment," it said in a statement.
Police said three caregivers present at the centre had been detained for questioning.
The Times of Israel reported that the daycare centre in Jerusalem was operating without a licence and that investigators were examining whether the incident was connected to its heating system.
The centre is located in an apartment on Hamem Gimel Street, in an area predominantly inhabited by members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.
"Forensic experts are on site conducting all necessary investigative measures to locate evidence and clarify the circumstances that led to the injuries of the infants," police said in a separate statement.
The nursery is on the second floor of the building, an AFP correspondent reported.
There were no signs of fire or any physical damage to the building, the correspondent said, adding that several medics and police officers were deployed in the area.
Zalmi Neufeld, 22, told AFP at the scene that he saw "emergency personnel pulling kids out of the building".
"I saw parents crying, a lot of kids crying, kids all over the place," he added.
"It was like a war zone."
Police earlier said the incident was suspected to have involved hazardous materials, but later ruled this out.
In a post on X, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he shared the "deep sorrow" of the families involved.
"The loss of the lives of very young children is an immense, unspeakable tragedy, and my heart goes out to all the parents and children who have been affected," he wrote, calling for an investigation and accountability.
