US defence secretary speaks with Egyptian counterpart on Red Sea security
The Pentagon says Pete Hegseth called Egyptian Minister of Defence General Abd-al-Majid Ahmad Saqr to discuss the importance of security in the Red Sea as well as the actions of Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The call comes as Houthi-affiliated media reported that US forces had bombed the Amin Muqbil neighbourhood in Yemen’s Hodeidah, killing at least six people, including three children and two women.
The US has been carrying out near-daily attacks on Yemen since March 15. The campaign began after the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, threatened to resume attacks on Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea over its punishing blockade on Gaza.
At least 79 people have been killed in the US attacks.
The New York Times reported on Monday that US commanders planning for a possible conflict with China are increasingly concerned that the Pentagon will soon need to move long-range precision weapons from stockpiles in the Asia Pacific region to the Middle East.
That’s because of the large amount of munitions that the US has been using in Yemen.
Yemen’s Houthis claim shooting down another US drone
Yemen’s Houthis claim to have shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the northern al-Jawf governorate.
The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV satellite news channel said it was the third such drone shot down in 10 days. The advanced drones – which can fly at altitudes up to 15,240 metres (50,000 feet) and for up to 24 hours – have been flown by US military and intelligence agencies over Yemen for years.
The purported attack occurred after US air strikes pounded an area in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, killing at least six people, according to the Houthis.
Since March 15, an intense campaign of US air strikes targeting the rebels over their attacks on shipping in Middle East waters has killed at least 79 people, according to figures released by the armed group.
Hezbollah ready to discuss surrendering weapons if Israel withdraws: Report
A senior Hezbollah official says the Lebanese group is ready for talks with Lebanon’s president on surrendering its weapons if Israel fully withdraws from the south and stops its air strikes.
“Hezbollah is ready to discuss the matter of its arms if Israel withdraws from the five points and halts its aggression against Lebanese,” the unnamed Hezbollah official told Reuters news agency.
Despite a ceasefire since November, Israel continues to launch air strikes while the US has demanded Hezbollah disarm. Hezbollah has long rejected the calls from its critics in Lebanon, describing its weapons as vital to defending the country from Israel.
Reuters reported on Monday that several Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq are prepared to disarm for the first time to avert the threat of an escalating conflict with the Trump administration.
