Live blog: Houthis announce attacks on US fleet with missiles, drones

Saturday, June 1, 2024

2055 GMT — Yemen's Houthis have conducted six operations targeting a US aircraft carrier, a US destroyer and three vessels in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, the group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree has said.

The group "targeted the American aircraft carrier, the Eisenhower, north of the Red Sea, with a number of missiles and drones," Saree said, adding it was "the second targeting operation against the carrier during the past 24 hours."

Houthis, which controls the most populous parts of Yemen and is aligned with Iran, has attacked ships off its coast for months, saying it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in Gaza.

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2215 GMT — Egypt backs US proposal to halt Israel's onslaught on Gaza

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has affirmed that Cairo supports “every effort” to end the Israeli onslaught in Gaza, according to a statement.

The remarks came during a telephone call Shoukry received from his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, said the statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The two men discussed “the proposal announced by President Biden regarding a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, the mediation efforts undertaken by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States in this regard.”

2138 GMT — Chile announces joining nations in the genocide case against Israel

Chile has joined a group of nations supporting a genocide case against Israel filed last year at the International Court of Justice.

President Gabriel Boric said in a speech to lawmakers that he was appalled by the humanitarian devastation in Gaza, especially against women and children.

He accused the Israeli army of using "indiscriminate and disproportional" force.

“These acts demand a firm and permanent response of the international community,” the president said.

2043 GMT — Hezbollah downs Israeli drone, fires rockets at Israeli base: group

Hezbollah has said it shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon and fired rockets at an Israeli military base, hours after Israeli drone strikes killed at least one person and wounded several others.

Hezbollah said in a statement that its militants struck the Hermes 900 Kochav drone, saying such aircraft have been targeting the region.

1939 GMT — Israeli ministers threaten to quit over Biden ceasefire plan

Two far-right Israeli ministers have threatened to quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government if he goes ahead with a hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden.

In posts on social media platform X, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said his party would "dissolve the government" while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would "not be part of a government that will agree to the proposed outline".

1933 GMT — Palestinian teen killed by Israeli army gunfire in occupied West Bank

A Palestinian teen was killed by Israeli army gunfire near the city of Jericho in the eastern West Bank, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society has said.

“Our teams received a 15-year-old martyr from the southern checkpoint of Jericho city and are transferring him to Jericho Governmental Hospital,” said the group in a brief statement.

In a previous statement, the Red Crescent said “the occupation forces (Israel) are preventing our teams from reaching two injured individuals in Aqabat Jabr refugee camp (south of Jericho) and are arresting the injured.”

1926 GMT — Mediators urge Israel, Hamas to finalise truce outlined by Biden

Gaza mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt have called on Israel and Hamas to finalise a truce and hostage release deal based on the framework set out by US President Joe Biden.

"As mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees, Qatar, the United States and Egypt jointly call on both Hamas and Israel to finalise the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Joe Biden," said a joint statement released by the Qatari foreign ministry.

The three governments have been engaged in months of talks aimed at securing a truce between Israel and Hamas.

1907 GMT — Washington's Blinken discusses Gaza peace plan with Middle East officials

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with top officials from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt regarding a proposal to end the conflict in Gaza, a State Department spokesperson has said.

Blinken spoke with the foreign ministers of the three countries, the spokesperson said in a series of statements regarding each call.

1905 GMT — 'War criminal' Netanyahu should not be invited to address US Congress: Senator

US Senator Bernie Sanders has slammed congressional leaders who invited “war criminal” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress.

"It is a very sad day for our country that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited – by leaders from both parties – to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress," Sanders said in a statement.

"Netanyahu is a war criminal. He should not be invited to address a joint meeting of Congress. I certainly will not attend," Sanders stressed.

1839 GMT — Turkish, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Gaza war over phone

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has held a phone conversation with acting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani.

According to diplomatic sources, the discussion focused on the latest developments in war-torn Gaza.

1633 GMT — Israeli army reports significant damage following Hezbollah's targeting of Kiryat Shmona

The Israeli army has announced that the Lebanese group Hezbollah launched a Volcano missile toward the Gibor military camp in the northern settlement of Kiryat Shmona, resulting in “significant damage.”

“Hezbollah launched a Volcano missile this morning, hitting the Gibor camp, which is the headquarters of the 769th Brigade in the city of Kiryat Shmona,” the Israeli army radio said.

The radio indicated “significant damage” to the camp, without mentioning any human casualties.

1517 GMT — Hamas' Al Qassam Brigades hit Israeli military vehicles in Rafah

The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, has said they killed a number of Israeli soldiers, injured others, and targeted military vehicles in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.

In a post on Telegram, the armed wing said Qassam fighters “managed to detonate an anti-personnel explosive device in an engineering force consisting of six soldiers, causing them to be killed or injured near the George intersection east of Rafah".

In another post, Qassam added that its fighters “bombarded a gathering of Israeli soldiers and military vehicles with mortar shells in the Tal Zorob area in the Tal Sultan neighborhood west of Rafah".

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli side regarding the Qassam statement.

1339 GMT — 33 Palestinian Red Crescent officials killed in Gaza since Oct, 7: Red Crescent

At least 33 Red Crescent employees have been killed in Gaza since Israel started its deadly war on the besieged enclave nearly eight months ago.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) wrote on X: “Scenes from the funeral of our colleague, Mohammed Jihad Abed, an employee in the Disaster Risk Management Department, who was killed when occupation forces bombed his home last night in Rafah.”

“This brings the total number of PRCS members killed since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza to 33, including 19 who were killed while performing their humanitarian duties,” it added.

1244 GMT — Gaza reduced to rubble, Palestinians struggling to survive: UN

The UN has said that Gaza, under Israeli attacks for eight months, has been reduced to rubble and that Palestinian families are trying to survive in inhumane conditions.

“Gaza has been reduced to rubble, & Palestinian families have to survive in inhumane conditions with scarce water, food & supplies,” the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, or UNRWA, said on X.

The UN agency said it continues to provide flour to people even in the most dire and unimaginable circumstances but the siege on Gaza needs to end immediately.

1207 GMT — French president calls for end to Gaza war, welcomes US proposal on ceasefire

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has called for an end to the Gaza war and expressed his support for US President Joe Biden’s ceasefire proposal “for durable peace.”

“The war in Gaza must end. We support the US proposal for a durable peace. Just as we are working with our partners in the region on peace and security for all,” said Macron on X in Arabic, Hebrew, and English.

“The release of the hostages, a permanent ceasefire to work towards peace and progress on the two-state solution,” he added.

1206 GMT — Israel opposition leader vows to support PM on hostage release deal

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has vowed to support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he goes ahead with a truce and hostage release deal that his far-right coalition partners have previously opposed.

Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have previously threatened to bring down his government if the war ends without the destruction of Hamas.

Lapid said in a post on social media platform X: "I remind Netanyahu that he has our safety nDet for a hostage deal if Ben Gvir and Smotrich leave the government".

"The Israeli government cannot ignore President Biden's important speech," Lapid said.

"There is a deal on the table and it should take it."

1204 GMT — Netanyahu says no Gaza ceasefire until Hamas destroyed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there could be no permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas was destroyed, casting doubt on a key part of a truce proposal that US President Joe Biden said Israel itself had made.

Biden said on Friday that Israel had proposed a deal involving an initial six-week truce with a partial Israeli military withdrawal and the release of some hostages while the two sides negotiated "a permanent end to hostilities".

However, Netanyahu's statement said any notion that Israel would agree on a permanent ceasefire before "the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities" was "a non-starter".

1131 GMT — Egyptian, US and Israeli officials to discuss reopening Rafah crossing, Egypt's Al Qahera says

A meeting between US, Egyptian and Israeli officials is scheduled to take place on Sunday in Cairo to discuss the reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing, a high-level source has told Egypt's state-linked Al Qahera TV.

Egypt is insisting that Israel withdraw its forces from the crossing, Al Qahera reported. Israel seized the crossing on the Gaza side in May during its offensive in the city of Rafah along the enclave's southern edge.

1126 GMT — Hezbollah downs Israeli drone over Lebanon with missile

An Israeli pilotless plane was shot down over Lebanese territory by a surface-to-air missile, Israel's military has said, and Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the interception.

In a statement, Hezbollah said it downed a Hermes 900 drone in solidarity with Gaza, where Israel has been waging an almost eight-month-old war.

Video circulated online appeared to show a plane of a size corresponding to that of a Hermes, aflame and gyring earthward.

1045 GMT — Israel detains 20 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army has detained at least 20 Palestinians from areas across the occupied West Bank.

According to a joint statement by the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the new arrests brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli forces since October 7, 2023, to 8,975.

The arrests mainly took place in the cities of Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jerusalem.

During the Israeli arrest campaigns, the Israeli forces beat and abused Palestinians and damaged their homes and properties, the statement also said.

1003 GMT — Palestinian death toll nears 36,400: health ministry

At least 36,379 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's ongoing offensive on Gaza since last October, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said.

A ministry statement added that 82,407 other people have also been injured in the onslaught. "Israeli attacks killed 95 people and injured 350 others in the last 24 hours," the statement said.

"Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them," it added.

0845 GMT –– Palestinian child starves to death in Gaza as Israel disregards global outcry

A Palestinian child starved to death in central Gaza due to Israel's ongoing blockade of the Rafah crossing, which has prevented humanitarian aid from entering for 26 consecutive days.

"A 13-year-old Palestinian child has died due to starvation in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah in the central Gaza Strip amidst the closure of the Rafah border crossing," the Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported.

So far, malnutrition and dehydration have claimed the lives of 37 people in Gaza due to strict restrictions on humanitarian aid entering the besieged enclave, it added.

0838 GMT –– Israel pounds Gaza after Biden outlines ceasefire plan

Israeli forces hammered Rafah in southern Gaza with tanks and artillery, hours after US President Joe Biden unveiled a new roadmap towards a full ceasefire.

Shortly after Biden's announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted his country would still pursue the war until it had reached all its aims.

Palestinian group Hamas, meanwhile, said it "considers positively" the plan laid out by Biden.

0831 GMT –– Saudi foreign minister receives call from US Secretary State to discuss Gaza ceasefire

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud received a call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during which they discussed the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal, the Saudi state news agency said.

0820 GMT –– Indonesia ready to send peacekeepers, medical staff to Gaza

Indonesia is ready to send "significant peacekeeping forces" as well as medical personnel to Gaza if a new ceasefire proposal is accepted, President-elect Prabowo Subianto said.

Prabowo, who will succeed President Joko Widodo in October after winning the February elections, welcomed the plan, describing it as "an important step" to ending the war.

If requested by the United Nations, Indonesia was prepared to send "significant peacekeeping forces to maintain and monitor this prospective ceasefire," Prabowo told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

"We are also prepared to immediately send medical personnel to operate field hospitals in Gaza with the consent and agreement of all sides."

0323 GMT –– Houthis fire missiles, drones from Yemen: US

The Yemeni Houthis launched a combination of anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones above the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

"At approximately 1:30 am (Sanaa time) on May 31, Iranian-backed Houthis launched one uncrewed aerial system (UAS) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Red Sea," CENTCOM said in a statement.

The UAS crashed into the Red Sea with no injuries or damage reported by the US, coalition, or commercial ships, it said.

0243 GMT –– Canada says it backs Biden's Gaza ceasefire proposal

Canada voiced support for a roadmap for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza announced by US President Joe Biden.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated that Canada has been calling for an immediate ceasefire, an urgent increase in unhindered humanitarian assistance and the release of all hostages.

"The proposal put forward by @POTUS is an opportunity to end the suffering and return to a path to peace. All parties must seize it," the Canadian prime minister wrote X, referring to the President of The United States.

0238 GMT –– Blinken discusses Gaza ceasefire proposal with Turkish, Jordan, Saudi counterparts

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed President Joe Biden's Gaza ceasefire proposal with counterparts from Türkiye, Jordan and Saudi Arabia in separate telephone calls.

The State Department said in a statement that Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke about the proposal to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, secure the release of all hostages and end the war.

"They discussed the deal’s extensive benefits for the people of Gaza, including a massive influx of humanitarian assistance, the return of Palestinians to North Gaza, and the beginning of the reconstruction of Gaza," said the statement.

It said Blinken underscored that the proposal is in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians.

0203 GMT –– Pro-Palestinian protesters occupy parts of Brooklyn Museum

Pro-Palestinian protesters took over parts of the Brooklyn Museum, hanging a banner above the main entrance, occupying much of the lobby and scuffling with police, witnesses said.

The art museum in the New York City borough of Brooklyn said it closed an hour early because of the disruption, including skirmishes between police and protesters that took place inside and outside the building.

Some arrests were made but a New York Police Department spokesperson said there would be no official count until after the protest concluded.

2130 GMT — Hamas reacts to US truce plan

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has said it had a positive view of the contents of a proposal announced by US President Joe Biden for a permanent ceasefire in besieged Gaza.

Biden laid out a three-phase ceasefire plan from Israel to Hamas to end the war in Gaza where Israel has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, wounded over 82,000 and caused a colossal humanitarian crisis.

"Hamas confirms its readiness to deal positively and in a constructive manner with any proposal that is based on the permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal [of Israeli forces] from the Gaza Strip, the reconstruction [of Gaza], and the return of the displaced to their places, along with the fulfillment of a genuine prisoner swap deal if the occupation clearly announces commitment to such deal," the group said in a statement.

2026 GMT — WHO assembly passes draft resolution asking to expand Palestine's rights

The World Health Organization's governing forum has adopted a draft resolution asking to expand Palestine's rights and privileges in the agency in line with its "participation in the United Nations."

The World Health Assembly adopted the draft resolution on "aligning participation of Palestine in the World Health Organization with its participation in the United Nations," after a show of hands with 101 in favour, five against, and 21 abstaining.

The draft measure was proposed by Algeria, Brunei Darussalam, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Somalia, Tunisia, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.

It asks to expand the rights and privileges of Palestine as an observer state "without prejudice to its existing rights and privileges."

2021 GMT — US Congress invites Israel's Netanyahu to address lawmakers

Democratic and Republican leaders in the US Congress have invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver an address to lawmakers, House Speaker Mike Johnson said.

The four party leaders in the House and Senate asked Netanyahu to speak before a joint meeting of Congress at a date yet to be arranged, although US media reported that it is expected to take place just before or soon after the August recess.

A visit from Netanyahu could be an awkward affair for Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called in March for Israel to hold new elections in a rare example of strident criticism from a senior American official of Israel's handling of the war in Gaza.

For our live updates from Friday, May 31, 2024, click here.