Live Updates
This image obtained from the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on March 6, 2024, shows the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier M/V True Confidence after it was hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
AFP
The Israel-Hamas war is now in its 153rd day, and the conflict in the Middle East reached its most contentious point yet since the war started after the owner of a bulk carrier, True Confidence, said that three of the vessel’s crew members were killed after a Houthi missile struck the ship off Aden in Yemen.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) that hit the vessel was launched from Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. It also clarified that the ship was Liberian-owned, following British security firm Ambrey’s report that the vessel was U.S.-owned.
Yahya Sare’e, the Yemeni rebel Houthis’ spokesman, also referred to the ship as “American.” He said naval missiles were fired toward the vessel, leading to a fire.
In Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, Iranian-backed Hezbollah claimed it struck an Israeli army vehicle – the heavily armed Lebanese terror group has been targeting Israeli military assets in recent weeks.
Back in the devastated Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it eliminated the head of Hamas’ Central Camp unit in joint efforts with Israel’s security agency Shin Bet.
Talks for a ceasefire-hostage deal have stalled even as the U.S. and mediators Qatar and Egypt push the warring sides to reach an agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Hamas’ demands “delusional,” but the latter has reiterated that it won’t settle for less than what it demands.
The war in Gaza stems from decades of fighting in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is advocating to resolve through a two-state solution.
