Houthis claim to have targeted three ships
Yemen's Houthi rebels announce three separate operations targeting ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea

Yemen's #Houthi rebels announced on Monday that they launched three separate operations targeting ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, Reuters reported. The group's military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, said the Houthis fired ballistic missiles at the vessel Motaro in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. In addition, Sarea claimed that the Maersk Kowloon was targeted by a missile in the Arabian Sea, while the SC Montreal was struck by two drones.

The claims come a day after the Houthis published footage from a military drill they had carried out, which combined land and naval forces and simulated a large-scale attack against Yemen. According to the Houthis, the drill was carried out on the east coast of Yemen, and is said to have been part of a campaign that the Houthis are waging "for Gaza and for Lebanon".

The Iranian-backed Houthis have upped their attacks in the region since the start of the war in Gaza last October, having launched drones towards Israel and targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region. In the wake of the uptick in Houthi attacks, the US formed a coalition, made up of more than 20 countries, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis. The Houthis have been unfazed by the strikes, saying that the campaign against the "Zionist enemy" will continue and that the attacks against the American and British ships will not stop.

[REPORT] Iran’s so-called ‘supreme leader’ seriously ill...
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's second son is a possible successor.

The 85-year-old supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is gravely ill, adding to the uncertainty of an Iranian response to Israel’s weekend attack on their military installations, a report published Saturday in The New York Times said. According to the report, the most powerful political authority in the Islamic Republic is seriously ill, and there is internal turmoil over the possibility that his second son, Mojtaba, 55, might succeed him. The younger Khamenei served in the Iran–Iraq War from 1987 to 1988, and reportedly took control of the militia that was used to suppress the protests surrounding the result of the 2009 elections, which demonstrators said was rigged.

His prospects for the position rose following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash earlier this year and replacement by President Masoud Pezeshkian. Khamenei’s father has held the life position for the last 35 years since his appointment in 1989, following the death of the first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini with whom he was closely allied, making him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.

Who gave Israel the info about Nasrallah's location and schedule?
In the Arab world, the issue of how Israel obtained the exact information about Hassan Nasrallah's movements that led to his assassination is being intensively dealt with.

According to a "Lebanese defense source", the information was given to Israel by an "Iranian source". According to the report, it was expected that Nasrallah would arrive at the underground Hezbollah headquarters after the funeral of Muhammad Hossein Sarur, the commander of Hezbollah's air force who was also killed by Israel.

At the same time as this information, supporters of Nasrallah are attacking the Lebanese army on social networks. According to the information they publish, Israel's informant on Nasrallah's movements was none other than an officer in the Lebanese army who was considered by the Hezbollah leadership to be their man and who enjoyed access to information about Nasrallah.

The Lebanese army vigorously denies these accusations against the officer.

Looks like IDF CoGS Herzi Halevi approved plans to counter Iranian attacks...

Iranian ship ignores distress call from ship struck by Houthis
"This continued malign and reckless behavior by the #Iranian-backed #Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," said U.S. Central Command.

There are Good Samaritans, and then, as the Iranian warship IRIN Jamaran demonstrated on Saturday, there are Bad Samaritans.

The Iranian frigate was some eight nautical miles from the M/V Verbena—a Ukrainian-owned and Polish-operated cargo carrier flagged in Palau—that was struck with two missiles by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists on June 13. On Saturday, the crew issued a distress call and said it was abandoning ship.

“M/V Anna Meta responded to render assistance. Anna Meta has recovered the mariners and is transporting them to safety. The crew abandoned ship due to continued fires and an inability to control them,” stated U.S. Central Command.

“The Iranian frigate IRIN Jamaran was eight nautical miles from M/V Verbena and did not respond to the distress call,” CENTCOM said. “This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”

“CENTCOM will continue to act with partners to hold the Houthis accountable and degrade their military capabilities,” it added.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran and its terrorist proxies in Yemen, the Houthis, are literally pirates,” wrote Israel Nitzan, former acting consul general of Israel in New York. “They pose a threat to international commerce, peace and security. They must be stopped.”

Iran provides Houthis with anti-ship ballistic missile: IRGC media

Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), reported on Wednesday that Iran has supplied the Houthi rebels in Yemen with the Ghadr ballistic missile.

The missile, described as the first Iranian anti-ship ballistic missile, is now in the hands of Yemeni fighters, enhancing their capability to target maritime vessels. The revelation is significant as it confirms that Tehran has been arming its proxy forces in Yemen with advanced ballistic missiles. This follows a pattern of Iran's military support to its allies in the region, further destabilizing the Middle East.

Tasnim's report also highlighted the history of the anti-ship ballistic missile's development, pointing out that Iran needs to be able to threaten US and other foreign navies in the broader Middle East.

In March, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps accused Iran of supplying ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, highlighting Tehran's expanding role in global conflicts. Since November, the Houthis have been using Iranian-supplied missiles and drones to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea, a critical global trade route. The attacks were initially a response to the Israeli military offensive in Gaza but have since severely disrupted maritime trade in the region.

The Houthi campaign in the Red Sea began after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Muslim nations to blockade Israeli trade.

Iran detains MSC Aries ship over allegedly 'violation of maritime law'

#Iran has decided to detain The MSC Aries ship bound for Israel due to its violation of maritime law, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanani has said. "Iran is constantly working to ensure the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. However, the aforementioned vessel was sent to Iran's territorial waters due to its violation of maritime law and for ignoring the requests of the Iranian authorities," he told a news conference broadcast by Iran's SNN TV channel.

As Kanani noted, Iran monitors "all ships in the strategic strait" and prevents violations of the country's sovereignty. Tehran favors "the freedom of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international norms and will always act in this vein," the Foreign Ministry spokesman added.

All you need to know about the Biden Foreign Policy

Iranian-American journalist Lisa Daftari wrote a short post on X with a very strong message...

"Notice American Democrats called for regime change in Israel instead of calling for regime change in Iran. And that says everything you need to know about our current foreign policy."

https://x.com/LisaDaftari/status/1768646247244763336?s=20

'Why is it that so-called "progressives" are always willing to help their enemies and destroy their friends?'

Possible reasons why the Houthis have reduced the intensity of attacks on ships in the Red Sea

The intensity of Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has decreased slightly. The last large vessel attacked was the tanker MADO, transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG), which was not seriously damaged and continued on its way.

Last week, the Financial Times reported on secret negotiations between Washington and Tehran. According to him, the United States is trying to influence the Yemeni Houthis not only militarily, but also diplomatically. In January, the White House held secret talks with Iran to persuade the Islamic Republic to influence Yemeni rebels to stop attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Iran did not deny the fact of the meeting, but emphasized that the negotiations were about something completely different.

Islamic Republic authorities claim that "resistance groups in the region do not receive instructions" from Tehran. However, the facts suggest that the Iranians still have considerable influence over their proxy forces. The American administration, for its part, allegedly agreed to lift a number of sanctions from Iran, which will allow the release of $10 billion. This is the price to pay for stopping the Houthi attacks.

Whether this information is a hoax with the aim of discrediting the Ansar Allah movement or, conversely, to raise its status, will become clear in the coming days. It is important to monitor the Houthis' actions over time. Since October 2023, they have carried out more than 100 attacks in the Red Sea and surrounding waters, affecting 15 merchant ships, including four American ones.

Iranian spy ships behind the Houthi's deadly attacks on vessels
Over the past few days, the Yemeni Houthis have increased their attacks on ships sailing in the Red Sea.

However, the Houthis' largest attack on an international waterway occurred on Saturday, when the US military revealed the downing of 32 drones launched by the Iran-backed Houthis at targets in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Which put the spotlight back on Iran's indirect role in these attacks.
The Yemeni Minister of Information, Muammar al-Ariani, confirmed yesterday evening that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) established a sea and land bridge to provide the Houthis with precision weapons that it uses in its attacks in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden, through special smuggling networks that use ships.

A former U.S. Army officer said the precision strikes by the Houthis indicated a possible Iranian role.

David de Roches, a former U.S. Army colonel and also a lecturer at the Center for Strategic Studies for the Near East and South Asia at the National Defense University in Washington, hinted at a possible role of The Iranian ship "Bashad" in an attack a few days ago on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, according to the Arab World News Agency. "In my estimation and everyone's estimation, the Iranian intelligence ship - "Bahshad" provides attack data to the Houthi missiles and this is what makes them accurate and deadly" - he added.