BLINKEN HEADS TO THE MIDDLE EAST AGAIN AFTER LATEST US STRIKES ON THE HOUTHIS

 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making another visit to the Middle East - his fifth trip to the region since 7 October. His visit comes after the US said it carried out more strikes against Houthi missiles in Yemen on Sunday

1. The military said it had struck a land-attack cruise missile and four anti-ship missiles that "were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea"
2. That development followed joint US-UK strikes on Houthi targets - which the UK says were intended to stop the Houthis' attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea
3. It follows continued attacks by the Iran-backed group in the Red Sea on military and commercial ships which it says are linked to Israel
4. The US also says it is planning more strikes on Iran-linked targets, in response to the drone attack in Jordan which killed three US troops more than a week ago
5. But Iran says the accusations it was involved are "baseless". The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed militia, claimed responsibility.

6. The latest from Gaza

   

   EPACopyright: EPA

   Palestinians searching through the rubble of a destroyed mosque in Deir al-Balah yesterdayImage caption: Palestinians searching through the rubble of a destroyed mosque in Deir al-Balah yesterday

   As we explained in our latest post, the Houthis say their attacks in the Red Sea are to support the Palestinians amid Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

   Here's the latest from the besieged Palestinian enclave:

   • Officials from the Hamas-run health ministry say dozens of people have been killed in recent days by Israeli forces in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip - where battles between Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters continue to be reported
   • The Red Cross has told the BBC that more humanitarian aid is desperately needed in the Gaza Strip. It says more than 1.8 million people are displaced inside the enclave
   • EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has warned that moves to suspend the funding of UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA are "disproportionate and dangerous". A number of countries have suspended funding over allegations that some UNRWA employees were involved in the 7 October attacks
   • Top US diplomat Antony Blinken - who is on the way to the Middle East - is expected to discuss boosting aid to Gaza, a possible ceasefire, and a hostage deal
   • Israel's bombardment has killed more than 27,000 people in Gaza since their operation began in early October, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry which are recognised by the UN
   • It began its campaign in the Palestinian enclave after an assault on southern Israel by Hamas gunmen on 7 October, in which about 1,300 were killed and more than 240 kidnapped

   • What does this all have to do with the war in Gaza?

     

     ReutersCopyright: Reuters

     The Houthis again displayed their support for Palestinians in Gaza over the weekendImage caption: The Houthis again displayed their support for Palestinians in Gaza over the weekend

     The tensions between the Houthis and the US are directly linked to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

     The Houthis say they have attacked ships in the Red Sea to show solidarity with the Palestinians.

     The group says it targets ships which are owned or operated by Israel - or heading to Israeli ports. However, many of the vessels which have been attacked have no connection with Israel.

     The Yemen-based Shia group declare themselves to be part of the Iranian-led "axis of resistance" against Israel, the US and the wider West - along with other armed groups such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

     The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, recently reiterated that the group felt it had a "moral, religious and humanitarian stance in support of the resilient people in the Gaza Strip."

   • Houthi deputy foreign minister accuses US of 'lying'

     We have another line from the Houthi side to bring you.

     The deputy foreign minister of the Houthi-run government in north-western Yemen has accused the US of “lying” about the situation in the Red Sea and the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

     “Navigation is safe across the Red Sea”, Hussein al-Ezzi insists, as quoted by Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV.

     At a news conference in Sanaa, he says the aim of Iran-backed group’s attacks on merchant and naval vessels is to “prevent Israeli ships heading to the occupied Palestinian ports until the aggression stops”.

     He also claims that the “militarisation of the Red Sea by the US and UK” poses a threat to maritime security.

     The US and UK say the Houthis have carried out more than 30 “reckless and destabilising” attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since mid-November, and that their strikes in recent weeks have been intended to “disrupt and degrade” the group’s military capabilities.

   • THIS AND MANY MORE UPDATES AND REPORTS AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-68201169