#Russia says its forces struck #warehouse storing sea #drones in #Odessa’s port area

Russian forces have delivered a high-precision missile strike on a warehouse in a port district of Odessa that was used by Ukraine to prepare attacks by sea drones, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"At 11:40 Moscow time today, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation delivered a high-precision missile strike on a hangar in the industrial port district of the city of Odessa, which was used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to prepare uncrewed boats for combat. The goal of the strike has been accomplished. The facility has been hit," the ministry said.

The Greek newspaper Proto Thema reported earlier on Wednesday that no member of the Greek delegation led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was hurt as they visited Odessa. According to the report, Ukraine's Zelensky's motorcade, which was 150 meters away from the Greek delegation, was attacked by a drone.

The newspaper also said a powerful explosion went off in Odessa shortly before the Greek prime minister met with Zelensky. An air alert was issued in the area.

The U.S. and its allies have weighed striking Yemen’s Houthi militants after telling them to either halt their attacks on ships in the Red Sea or face unspecified action

If diplomacy fails, the US and its allies will have to carefully “choose options that are clearly defensible” and which target the Houthis’ ability to continue disrupting Red Sea navigation while “avoiding getting involved in a regional conflict,” says Nick Childs, senior fellow for naval forces and maritime security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Targeted Strikes
🔶️ These would be focused on eliminating or degrading the Houthis’ ability to fire ballistic missiles at ships and shipping lanes by striking launch sites, radars, missile warehouses and other supporting infrastructure and logistics. Since mid-November, the Houthis have fired more than 100 drones and ballistic missiles in two dozen separate attacks, according to the Pentagon. More than 15 vessels have been targeted.

Major Offensive
🔶️ Most Yemeni factions that have been fighting the Houthis since they captured the capital Sanaa nearly a decade ago, alongside some regional backers such as the United Arab Emirates, favor strong retaliation. That includes re-designating the Houthis as terrorists, targeting their finances and launching broader military action if necessary. Some say ousting the Houthis from the port city of Al-Hudaydah is the only way to restore calm to the Red Sea.

🔶️ Many blame the Houthis’ coastal presence on the pressure exerted by the US and other Western powers on anti-Houthi forces, as well as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to halt a major offensive in 2018 to recapture Al-Hudaydah on humanitarian grounds.