Houthis threaten to resume attacks on Israeli ships over Gaza supplies

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi terrorists have threatened to once more attack Israeli shipping unless aid supplies to Gaza are allowed to resume, its leader said on Friday. “If the Israeli enemy continues after the first four days to prevent the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip … then we will resume our naval operations against the Israeli enemy,” Abdul-Malik al-Houthi warned in a televised address on Friday. This would mean that #Houthi attacks would restart on Tuesday.

The Houthis previously carried out drone and missile strikes on shipping in the Red Sea during the Gaza war in support of the Hamas terrorist group, halting its attacks following the ceasefire that began on Jan. 19. Al-Houthi on Feb. 28 threatened to restart missile attacks on Israeli territory, warning that Tel Aviv would be in the crosshairs again if Jerusalem resumes combat against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “If war returns to Gaza, we will rain fire upon all areas of the enemy regime [Israel], especially Tel Aviv, which is known as occupied Jaffa,” he said in a statement marking the start of Ramadan.

The Israeli government announced on March 2 that it had suspended all humanitarian aid to Gaza after Hamas rejected the ceasefire extension proposed by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

The U.S. State Department re-designated the Houthis in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization on March 4. The move came a little more than a month after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling on the department to issue the reclassification.

March 5, 2025: France's Macron - Is this a Declaration of War to Russia and... the U.S.A. ?

"The threat is returning from the East" - Macron declared Russia the main threat to Europe and called on all countries to arm themselves
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation, declaring Russia Europe's main enemy. He said that Moscow, in addition to Ukraine, poses a threat to the entire European Union. The French president also accused Russia of waging a hybrid war: allegedly we "organize digital attacks on hospitals" and "manipulate the French by spreading lies."

What else did the French President say:

— Russia cannot be taken at its word. Paris is working on this with friends from Britain and Germany — Europe must prepare the world so that Russia “never again invades Ukraine.” Peace may come from the deployment of European forces. Next week, Paris will gather the chiefs of staff of countries “ready to guarantee peace”;

- Europe must arm itself, given the Russian threat. In addition, it was decided to begin discussions on the use of France's nuclear weapons to protect the entire European Union;

— Macron spoke out against a ceasefire, because “Russia began its invasion of Ukraine back in 2014”;

— No one will believe that Russia will stop at Ukraine. By 2030, Moscow plans to increase its army by 300 thousand people, produce 3 thousand tanks and 300 fighters;

— The threat is returning from the East. Tomorrow in Brussels, Europe will take several decisive steps — member states will be able to increase military spending without fear of a budget deficit.

"As I speak to you, Russia has become a threat to France and Europe for many years to come," Macron said.

Paris, Berlin, London prepared to send troops to Ukraine, says French minister

Some European countries are ready to send troops to Ukraine to secure a ceasefire, but US support will be required, said French Finance Minister Eric Lombard in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

"We are starting a technical discussion. There is general agreement that to guarantee a ceasefire it will be necessary to [have] European troops in Ukraine. UK, Germany and France are already willing to do that, but other member states of the European Union will contribute as well," he said. "Those troops will arrive after the ceasefire in order to guarantee that the ceasefire is respected. But if we want the ceasefire to be respected, we need a US backup and I mean that Americans agreed to do that."

The minister did not elaborate on what Washington could do to ensure that the ceasefire is respected.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says if Hamas maintains control in the Gaza Strip, the group will pose a threat not just to Israel but the entire region.

“The rule of Hamas in Gaza is not only a danger for the security of Israel, but also a nightmare for the Palestinians themselves,” causing 15 months of grueling war in Gaza and the region, Sa’ar tells foreign media outlets during a briefing in Jerusalem. “If [Hamas] will stay in power, the regional instability it causes might continue,” he adds. Sa’ar echoes comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night that what went into effect this morning is a “temporary ceasefire,” and that a more permanent truce will be negotiated only starting on day 16 of the agreement: “I hope we will reach it, but it’s not in our hands yet.”

If a deal suitable to Israel is not reached — including the toppling of Hamas and the return of all the hostages — then fighting will resume, adds Sa’ar.

Hostages Deal - Ceasefire: The government will convene in less than two hours, for a meeting that will last into Shabbat.

Amit Segel reports now that there has been a change in plans and that the government meeting to approve the deal will be today at 3:30 pm local time.

Ukraine to lose third of territory, get no invitation to #NATO, says Slovak PM

Ukraine will lose 30% of its territory due to the conflict with Russia, but will never receive an invitation to NATO from the United States and its allies, #Slovak Prime Minister Robert #Fico said.

"I think #Ukraine will lose a third of its territory, but it will be offered security guarantees, such as the presence of foreign troops. If this is considered the happiness for Ukraine that everyone talks about, I believe that Ukrainians will be betrayed," he said in an interview with Brazil's Folha de S.Paulo newspaper. According to Fico, the solution to the Ukraine conflict lies in achieving a ceasefire and initiating negotiations. "Ukraine <...> has allowed itself to be drawn into a situation that cannot end well for the country. It will lose territory and will not be invited to join NATO," he remarked. The prime minister also emphasized that the conflict's repercussions would significantly impact Ukraine's internal stability.

On December 8, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Moscow was open to talks on Ukraine, while in order to get on the peace track, it would be enough for Ukraine’s Zelensky to cancel his decree banning any talks with Russia and give instructions to resume dialogue based on the Istanbul agreements, while taking into account the actual situation on the ground.

Meanwhile, Zelensky has rejected the #Christmas truce and prisoner exchange proposed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Nevertheless, he continues to express hope that Donald Trump could establish a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine.

Trump announces Ukraine’s readiness for talks with Russia

President Trump has said that #Ukraine would like to conclude an agreement on settlement of the conflict with #Russia and urged an immediate #ceasefire and the beginning of peace negotiations, Trump wrote on his Truth Social page.

"#Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal [with Russia] and stop the madness. <…> There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin," he said, adding that "China can help" in the negotiations process. "If it [conflict] keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse," Trump noted.
#TRUMP2024

Has Hamas left Qatar?
In the last few weeks, we have heard reports that #Qatar is forcing #Hamas out...
Sky News channel in Arabic has just reported: "All senior Hamas officials left Qatar with their families for different places," an unnamed source said.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on November 9 that his country’s authorities had decided to suspend their mediatory efforts toward a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip because they didn’t see a desire to end the conflict on the part of the parties. On November 19, he said that the Hamas leaders representing the movement in the negotiating group on Gaza were no longer in Doha. While the Hamas office in the Qatari capital city was set up to maintain open lines of communication, once Qatar's mediation efforts stalled, it saw no reason to force the movement's representatives to stay in the country.

Ceasefire in Ukraine in Europe's interests, says Orban's adviser

A quick ceasefire and the end of the conflict in #Ukraine is in Europe's interests, said Balazs Orban, political adviser of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor #Orban.

"We (Hungary) are 100% sure of that, everybody is 100% sure on that," he said in an interview with the Euractiv website, referring to the need to end the conflict in Ukraine. "The question is only the time, and we think that for Europe, the sooner it comes, the better," the prime minister's advisor said. The EU, he said, needs to maintain communication with Russia, because if a future peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev is concluded without taking into account the interests of the EU, Europe will suffer. The adviser also pointed out that Viktor Orban did not aim at influencing the parties to the conflict or obtaining any guarantees from them during his visits to Russia and Ukraine. The purpose of the visits was "to collect information and <...> see a possibility of the potential ceasefire," Balazs Orban explained.

The Hungarian prime minister visited Kiev and Moscow on July 2 and 5. He proposed first to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and then to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to consider the prospect of a ceasefire and preparations for peace talks. At a press conference following the meeting, Putin emphasized that Russia was not in favor of a ceasefire, as Kiev could use this to its advantage. Instead, he advocated for a complete end to the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian leader recalled that he had earlier outlined the conditions for this in his speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry.

A day of fighting in Yemen
While the world looks at Yemen and sees "#Houthis" who attack in the Red Sea, a lot more is happening in #Yemen that no one (yet) is reporting on.

- Saudi Arabia continues to fire artillery at the Houthis on the border with Yemen in the Shada region (northwest Yemen). Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Saudis killed a Yemeni citizen and wounded seven others.

- An exchange of fire took place between the Yemeni army and the Houthis in the western region. The Yemeni army reports 19 dead and wounded among its soldiers, but no numbers were available for the Houthi side.

A map done by Eran Malka is attached showing the areas of control in Yemen that will help in understanding the chaos going on there.
'In short, while Saudi Arabia and the UAE fought the Houthis for 7 years, there is now a "ceasefire". How much longer this will last before war breaks out - we will have to wait and see.'