JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said Friday it had intercepted an incoming UAV while a military source in Jordan said another drone had crashed there, as Iran-backed Houthis claimed the attacks.
“A short while ago, a UAV (drone) that was on its way to Israeli territory from the east was intercepted by the IAF (Israeli air force),” the Israeli military said in a statement, without elaborating.
Since the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas erupted in October 2023, the Houthis have repeatedly launched drone and missile attacks at Israel, many of which have been intercepted before entering Israeli airspace.
The Houthi militia in Yemen, claiming to be acting in solidarity with the Palestinians, stated on their official website that they had launched two drones “targeting two Israeli military targets in the occupied Jaffa area” south of Tel Aviv.
The Houthis “assure to the oppressed Palestinian people that they are committed to their pledge of support and assistance, will not retreat, and will not stop,” the statement said.
In Israel’s eastern neighbor Jordan, several media outlets reported that Israel’s military had intercepted a Yemeni drone over the Dead Sea.
A Jordanian military source said an unidentified drone breached the country’s airspace and crashed in the Ma’in area of Madaba Governorate, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of the capital Amman.
No casualties were reported, but falling debris ignited a fire in the wooded area where it came down.
Jordanian military personnel and civil defense teams extinguished the blaze.
Besides the Houthis, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, another pro-Iran group, has also claimed being behind a number of attacks targeting Israel since the Gaza war began.
Israel says intercepts drone claimed by Houthis
https://arab.news/mbbhj
Israel says intercepts drone claimed by Houthis
- Since the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas erupted in October 2023, the Houthis have repeatedly launched drone and missile attacks at Israel
WHO alarmed by health workers, civilians ‘forcibly detained’ in Sudan
- The WHO counts and verifies attacks on health care, though it does not attribute blame as it is not an investigation agency
GENEVA: The World Health Organization voiced alarm Tuesday at reports that more than 70 health workers and around 5,000 civilians were being detained in Nyala in southwestern Sudan.
Since April 2023, Sudan’s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a brutal conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 12 million more and devastated infrastructure.
“We are concerned by reports from Nyala, the capital of Sudan’s South Darfur state, that more than 70 health care workers are being forcibly detained along with about 5,000 civilians,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
“According to the Sudan Doctors Network, the detainees are being held in cramped and unhealthy conditions, and there are reports of disease outbreaks,” the UN health agency chief said.
The RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction allied earlier this year, forming a coalition based in Nyala.
“WHO is gathering more information on the detentions and conditions of those being held. The situation is complicated by the ongoing insecurity,” said Tedros.
“The reported detentions of health workers and thousands more people is deeply concerning. Health workers and civilians should be protected at all times and we call for their safe and unconditional release.”
The WHO counts and verifies attacks on health care, though it does not attribute blame as it is not an investigation agency.
In total, the WHO has recorded 65 attacks on health care in Sudan this year, resulting in 1,620 deaths and 276 injuries. Of those attacks, 54 impacted personnel, 46 impacted facilities and 33 impacted patients.
Earlier Tuesday, UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was “alarmed by the further intensification in hostilities” in the Kordofan region in southern Sudan.
“I urge all parties to the conflict and states with influence to ensure an immediate ceasefire and to prevent atrocities,” he said.
“Medical facilities and personnel have specific protection against attack under international humanitarian law,” Turk added.
