Israeli army says intercepted missile fired from Yemen

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Jerusalem, April 18 (IANS) The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it successfully intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel early Friday morning.

Sirens were activated in central Israel’s Tel Aviv and occupied Jerusalem, prompting millions of residents to seek immediate shelter.

Israel’s national emergency service, Magen David Adom, said no fatalities were reported, adding that several individuals sustained minor injuries while rushing to shelters.

This incident came one day after the IDF introduced a new alert protocol on Thursday.

Under the new protocol, civilians will receive notifications three to five minutes before the activation of air raid sirens, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the IDF, the preliminary alert could allow early preparedness, giving civilians more time to reach shelters and safe rooms amid renewed missile attacks by Houthi forces, following Israel’s resumption of air and ground assaults on Gaza on March 18.

The Times of Israel online news website reported that since March 18, the Houthis in Yemen have launched more than 20 ballistic missiles and several drones toward Israel. It added that half of the Houthi missiles triggered sirens in Israel and were intercepted, while the others fell short.

Earlier on April 17, Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said that his group had launched 26 attacks against Israel and 33 strikes on the US aircraft carrier and warships in the Red Sea since March 15.

In a televised speech aired by the group’s al-Masirah TV, the Houthi leader said the attacks on Israel were carried out using “30 ballistic missiles and drones,” while those targeting the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier and its escorts involved “122 ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones.”

However, the Israeli military has reportedly intercepted many of the Houthi projectiles before they reached targets. The US Central Command dismissed the Houthi claims of daily attacks on the US aircraft carrier as “outlandish” in a post on the social media platform X.

Meanwhile, the Houthi leader noted that the US military had conducted over 900 airstrikes against his group’s positions across northern Yemen during the past 30 days.

Tensions between the Houthi group and the US military have escalated since Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15 to deter the group from attacking Israel and US warships in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, which control much of northern Yemen, said their attacks aim to press US-backed Israel to stop the offensive against the Gaza Strip and allow humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave.

–IANS

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Announcing the decision during his inaugural speech on Monday, Trump stated, “We will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs.”

The executive order was championed by Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who played a key role in the effort to make the name change official.

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The 25th President of the United States, William McKinley, never visited Alaska or had any direct connection to the mountain, which was named in his honour in 1917.

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“The Koyukon people have known this mountain as ‘Denali’ for centuries, and even the state’s elected officials oppose this attempt to rename it. It’s clear that Donald Trump is more interested in culture war stunts than addressing the concerns of the American people,” Manuel said.

In a separate announcement from his inauguration stage, Trump also revealed plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”

“The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America,” Trump’s executive order declared.

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Report highlights grim picture of human rights situation in turmoil-hit Bangladesh

Dhaka, April 10 (IANS) Over 23 people were killed and 733 injured in more than 97 incidents of political violence across Bangladesh last month, according to the latest report released by Dhaka-based Human Rights Support Society (HRSS).

Highlighting the grim picture of the human rights situation in the turmoil-hit nation, the HRSS report revealed that at least 40 incidents of “mob beating” took place across the country, killing 12 people and injuring 44 others in March.

Amid rising incidents of violence against women in the South Asian nation, at least 284 women and girls were also subjected to various forms of torture in the country, last month.

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