Israel launches attack on Yemeni port city of Hodeida: Live updates

The Israeli navy conducted attacks on docks in Hodeida, a rebel-held port city in Yemen, on Tuesday. The facilities that were likely damaged are crucial for aid shipments to the suffering nation that has been ravaged by war.

It was the first time that Israeli military forces were involved in strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The navy missile ships carried out the attacks as part of this operation.

Tuesday’s attack comes as the Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones targeting Israel during its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis announced the attack via their al-Masirah satellite news channel. They said the attack targeted docks there, without elaborating.

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Here’s the latest:

Israeli military says it intercepted a projectile fired from Gaza Strip

The Israeli military says it intercepted a projectile fired from the northern Gaza Strip that set off air raid sirens in nearby Israeli communities.

There were no reports of casualties or damage.

As a result of Israel’s 20-month military campaign, rocket fire from Gaza has significantly decreased. The military actions have greatly reduced the military capabilities of Hamas, the group that fired thousands of rockets during the initial attack on October 7, 2023, which triggered the ongoing conflict.

Palestinians say Israeli forces fired toward crowd near Gaza aid site, killing 3

Palestinian health officials and witnesses say Israeli forces fired toward crowds making their way to a food distribution point in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing three people.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Awda Hospital in central Gaza, which received the casualties, said two men and a child were killed and at least 130 were wounded. The Associated Press spoke to two witnesses who said Israeli forces fired toward the crowds at around 2 a.m. hundreds of meters (yards) from the aid site.

Experts and humanitarian aid workers say Israel’s blockade and military campaign have pushed Gaza to the brink of famine.

Around 130 people have been killed in a number of shootings near aid sites run by a new Israeli and U.S.-backed organization. The Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions at people who it says approached its forces in a suspicious manner.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs the sites, says there has been no violence in or around the distribution points themselves. But it has warned people to stay on designated access routes and paused delivery last week while it held talks with the military on improving safety.

French foreign minister says 1 detained French activist signed expulsion order and will leave Israel

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday that one of the detained French activists who was on a Gaza-bound ship intercepted by Israel signed an expulsion order and will leave Israel on Tuesday for France.

The other five refused and will await court decisions in the coming days. In a separate post on X, Barrot said the five will face a “forced expulsion.”

All six received consular visits overnight around 3 a.m., he said, as did the other activists aboard the ship.

The French detainees were transferred overnight to a detention center in the Israeli city of Ramle, he said, and may receive another consular visit there.

Israel deports Greta Thunberg after seizing the ship she was on

Activist Greta Thunberg is being deported from Israel, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, after the Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized by the Israeli military.

In a post on X, the Foreign Ministry shared a photo of Thunberg on a plane, saying that she was headed for France.

Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on board the Madleen, a boat carrying aid destined for people in war-torn Gaza.

The activists said they were protesting the ongoing war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel says such ships violate its naval blockade of Gaza.