Maritime Incidents In The Red Sea From Nov 19 2023 To Jan 9 2024
South Front, Jan 14 2024
Ukrainian Cargo Aircraft Transfer Military Equipment To Djibouti
South Front, Jan 14 2024
Ukrainian AN-124 cargo aircraft was spotted delivering military cargo from the Akrotiri military airbase on Cyprus to the US military base in Djibouti. According to the monitoring sources, numerous military cargo aircraft have been flying to Djibouti for several weeks now, after part of the military assistance from NATO intended for Ukraine was aimed at building up forces in Djibouti amid the ongoing escalation in the Red Sea.
The location of the PLAN base at Obock, Djibouti in relation to US Camp Lemonnier
The Republic of Djibouti is officially recognized as the country with the largest number of foreign military bases on its territory. The USA, China, France, Italy and Japan have established their outposts there. Spanish and German military personnel are also deployed in the country. The ongoing military buildup in Djibouti signals that the US-led coalition, which is operating in the Red Sea, is preparing for further escalation in the region. The reinforcement of Western forces there also likely prevents forces of Yemeni Ansar Allah mouvement from launching attacks on foreign forces on the ground across the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
Another Strike Targets Al-Hudaydah In Yemen
South Front, Jan 14 2024
Another strike hit the western Yemen province of al-Hudaydah, which is controlled by the Houthis (Ansar Allah), late on Jan 14, less than 24 hours after an attack that was blamed on the US and the UK. The Sanaa-based Saba News Agency, which is run by the Houthi-led government, said that the strike targeted Jida mount in the district of Alluhayah on the coast of the Red Sea. No casualties were reported by the news agency. Several drones of the US military were reportedly spotted over different parts of al-Hudayah at the time of the strike. The US and UK, with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, carried out a series of strikes against dozens of Houthis positions in al-Hudaydah and several other parts of Yemen, including the capital, early on Jan 12. Seven fighters of the Houthis were killed in the strikes, which Washington said were carried to ensure the security of shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis, who are considered a part of the Iran-led Axis of Resistance, attacked several Israel-affiliated ships in Waters near Yemen in recent weeks as a response to the Israeli war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip. Later on Jan 12, the US said that it carried out a “follow-on action” on its own, targeting a radar site of the Houthis in an air base near Sanaa. More strikes hit a military position of the Houthis near al-Hudaydah city late on Jan 13. A source close to the group told the Sputnik news agency that the strikes were carried out by the US and the UK. However, the Pentagon later denied any involvement. This led to speculations that Israel was behind the strikes. The Houthis attacked the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat more than once in recent weeks. Israel said that it will respond. Despite inflicting some losses, the recent strikes didn’t deter the Houthis who vowed to respond and said that they will continue to attack Israel-affiliated ships in nearby waters.
Israeli Army Announces More Operations In Gaza Amid Renewed Rocket Attacks
South Front, Jan 14 2024
As of Jan 14, the IOF continue to operate in the Gaza Strip while facing fierce resistance from the Hamas Movement and other Palestinian armed factions. In a morning update on operations over the past day, the IOF released footage showing two Hamas fighters in the town of Maghazi in southern Gaza, before they were targeted in an airstrike. The IOF said that troops from the Golani Brigade identified the fighters moving toward a building they were in, before calling in the strike.
Also in southern Gaza, combat intelligence collection troops operating with the 7th Armored Brigade spotted two Hamas fighters in the city of Khan Younish and called in an airstrike against them, the IOF said. It added that the 7th Brigade killed five more Hamas fighters with tank shelling and located a tunnel shaft in the city. The Givati Brigade also killed, with air support, nine Hamas fighters during separate incidents in Khan Younis over the past day.
Separately, the IOF released footage of the Kfir Brigade operating in Khan Younis. During raids carried out by the brigade, troops located assault rifles, explosives devices, missile warheads, rockets and other military equipment belonging to Hamas and its elite Nukhba force.
Meanwhile, in the northern part of Gaza, the IOF said in its morning update that troops from the 401st Armored Brigade discovered and destroyed several rocket launchers in the al-Atatra neighborhood, which were used in recent attacks against Israel. Despite all recent Israeli operations, Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that its fighters fired a salvo of M75 rockets at the southern Israeli city of Ashdod. Sources close to Hamas said that the rockets were launched from Israeli-occupied areas in northern Gaza. There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Rocket sirens were also sounded at the Israeli settlements of Sa’ad, Zimrat and Shuva which are located right to the east of Gaza. However, there were no reports of impacts. In recent weeks, the IDF shifted focus from northern to southern Gaza and is reportedly preparing to launch an operation to occupy the Strip’s border with Egypt. All previous operations have clearly failed to degrade the capabilities of Hamas and other armed factions, or even to destroy their rocket arsenal.
Two Israelis Killed Near Border With Lebanon As Hezbollah Ramps Up Attacks
South Front, Jan 14 2024
Two Israelis were killed on Jan 14 when Hezbollah attacked a house in the settlement of Kfar Yuval near the border with Lebanon with an anti-tank guided missile. In a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, Hezbollah said that its fighters targeted a unit of the IOF in Kfar Yuval. Hebrew media later identified the casualties as Barak Ayalon, a man in his 40s who served as a member of the Kfar Yuval civilian emergency response team, and his mother, 74-years-old Mira Ayalon. Kfar’s father was also wounded in the attack. Hezbollah announced attacks against two other gatherings of Israeli troops in the military sites of al-Marj and Hadab Yaron. It also said that it had targeted the Birkat Risha and al-Asi military sites. In addition, the group said its fighters destroyed surveillance equipment which were recently installed by the IOF in the Matla military site with sniper rifles and targeted an artillery position near the Khirbet Maar military site using rockets. Hezbollah also announced that an Israeli reconnaissance drone was shot down by its fighters over the southern Lebanon town of Marwahin. It also released video footage showing a missile attack that targeted a gathering of Israeli troops in the settlement of Shtula earlier this month.
Hezbollah was not the only group to launch attacks against Israel from southern Lebanon during the day. A shadowy group calling itself the Islamic al-Ezz Brigades (IEB) claimed responsibility for a cross-border raid that targeted an IDF patrol in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms in the early morning. Hebrew media said that five Israeli soldiers sustained light to moderate wounds in the raid. Meanwhile, the IOF alleged that four of the attackers were killed. The IEB, which is most likely allied with Hezbollah, said in a statement that the raid was carried out in response to the war on Gaza and the recent assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, deputy leader of the Hamas Movement. It also announced that three of its fighters were killed during the raid, while two others managed to withdraw. Three other fighters of the group were killed just a day earlier in an Israeli drone strike while on a reconnaissance mission near the border. In response to the last wave of cross-border attacks, the IDF said that it struck several targets of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese media reported airstrikes on the town of al-Labouneh and said that intense artillery strikes hit the towns of Kafr Kila, Al-Adisa, and Rab al-Thalathine. However, there were no casualties among civilians and Hezbollah didn’t announce any losses.
US Officials Claim Two Navy SEALs Missing Near Somalia ‘Fell Into Water’
South Front, Jan 14 2024
Two US sailors who CENTCOM announced went missing off the coast of Somalia on Jan 11 were members of the Navy’s elite SEALs unit, US officials revealed. The officials told ABC News on Jan 13 that the SEALs went missing after falling into the water during a nighttime boarding mission. The SEALs had fallen into the water one after the other during the boarding of a vessel by boat in the Gulf of Aden, the officials said, without explaining what had prompted them to board the vessel. According to the officials, it is standard protocol for sailors from the elite Navy unit to jump into the water to rescue a fellow SEAL when they fall overboard. A statement from CENTCOM issued on Jan 12 that disclosed that the sailors had gone missing:
On the evening of Jan 11, two US Navy Sailors were reported missing at sea while conducting operations off the coast of Somalia. Search and rescue operations are currently ongoing to locate the two sailors. For operational security purposes, we will not release additional information until the personnel recovery operation is complete.
The SEALs are the primary special operations force of the US Navy and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs’ main functions are conducting small-unit special operation missions in maritime, jungle, urban, arctic, mountainous and desert environments. SEALs are typically ordered to capture or kill high level targets, or to gather intelligence behind enemy lines. The two sailors went missing just hours before the US and UK launched strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen, which is located right next to Somalia. The US recently expanded its naval presence in the Red Sea to counter Houthi attacks on Israel-affiliated ships. SEAL team personnel are hand-selected, highly-trained and possess an especially high degree of proficiency in swimming and diving. This makes the claims of them going missing after falling into the water very questionable.
Four Israeli Troops Wounded In Clashes With Fighters Who Infiltrated From Lebanon
South Front, Jan 14 2024
The IOF said that its troops killed four fighters who infiltrated into Israeli territory from Lebanon early on Jan 14. In a statement, the IDF said that the cell was spotted by troops carrying out a patrol in the Mount Dov region, the Israeli name for the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms, on the border. The four fighters were thought to have managed to cross the border initially undetected due to heavy fog covering the mountain. There is no border fence in the Israeli-occupied region, which houses several military sites of the IDF but no settlements. Israeli troops heard gunfire near them during their patrol and engaged the fighters, the IDF said, adding that artillery and mortars were launched to assist the troops during the fire exchange. The IDF did not report any casualties in the incident. Nevertheless, Hebrew media said that four Israeli troops were wounded. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Hamas and Jihad both launched raids from southern Lebanon after the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah has been also launching attacks against the IDF using rockets, guided missiles and drones since then. So far, the clashes on the Lebanese-Israeli have resulted in four civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of nine IDF soldiers. On the Lebanese side, more than 180 have been killed. The toll includes 150 Hezbollah fighters, 14 of whom were killed in Syria, 25 Palestinians, a Lebanese soldier, and at least 24 civilians.
Strikes Hit Yemen’s Al-Hudaydah, US Denies Involvement
South Front, Jan 14 2024
Late on Jan 13, a wave of strikes targeted the strategic Yemeni Red Sea port city of al-Hudaydah, which is held by the Houthis (Ansar Allah). A military source allied with the Sanaa-based National Salvation Government told the AFP news agency that a site on the outskirts of Hudaydah, which Houthi fighters previously used to launch a missile, was hit. The source added that it was not clear whether the strikes came from the sea or the air. A police source also confirmed the new strike. Another source of the National Salvation Government told the Sputnik news agency that the strikes were carried out by the US and the UK. However, the Pentagon later denied any involvement. The US and UK, with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, carried out a series of strikes against dozens of Houthis positions in Sanaa, al-Hudaydah and several other parts of Yemen early on Jan 12. Seven fighters of the Houthis were killed in the strikes, which Washington said were carried out in response to the group’s recent attacks on Israel-affiliated ships in the Red Sea and nearby waters.
According to the Houthis, the attacks were retaliation to the ongoing Israeli war and siege on the Gaza Strip. The Houthis, who control much of Yemen and possess a large arsenal of missiles and drones, are a part of the so-called Axis of Resistance who is led by Iran and opposes Israel. Later on Jan 12, the US said that it carried out a “follow-on action” on its own, targeting a radar site of the Houthis in an air base near Sanaa. No casualties were reported. After the second wave of strikes, President Biden said that the US has delivered a “private message” to Iran about the Houthis. “We delivered it privately and we’re confident we’re well-prepared,” he said without giving further details. The strikes on al-Hudaydah may have been carried out by Israel, with encouragement from the US in order to escalate against Iran and its allies. The Houthis launched several missile and drone attacks against the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat after the war broke out in Gaza. Israeli officials vowed to respond more than once.
Hamas Fighters Blow Up Israeli Tanks From Point Blank
South Front, Jan 14 2024
On Jan 13, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas Movement, released video footage of recent clashes with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The video shows Hamas fighters targeting several Israeli Merkava main battle tanks, a Namer armored personnel carrier and a Puma engineering vehicle with rocket-propelled grenades and explosive devices from point blank. It also includes footage of clashes with Israeli troops.
Another video released by the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, shows a recent mortar attack on IDF gatherings in Khan Younis which was carried out in cooperation with the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades.
The IDF announced the death of a soldier from the Yiftah Brigade’s 5037th Battalion on Jan 13, and another from the Combat Engineering Corps’ 603rd Battalion on Jan 14. Their death brought the toll of Israeli troops killed since the start of ground operations in Gaza to 188. In addition to the two deaths, at least 15 Israeli troops were wounded in the last 24 hours, according to the IDF. The total number of those wounded during ground operations is around 1k, some of whom remain in a life-threatening condition. In recent weeks, the IDF withdrew from several parts of northern Gaza and shifted focus to the central and southern parts of the Strip. The heaviest clashes are currently taking place in Khan Yunis and the nearby town of Khuza in the south as well as in the al-Buraij and Nuseirat refugee camps in the center. Israel is reportedly planning to further expand its ground operations in southern Gaza with the main target being the area of Philadelphia which covers Gaza’s border with Egypt and includes the Rafah crossing.
Niqnaq 