Yemen

The United States and Great Britain have executed joint strikes against 36 targets near the Red Sea, where anti-ship missiles were reportedly being prepared. The military action, confirmed by American and British military sources and reported by Reuters, aimed to neutralize the perceived threat posed by Houthi rebels in Yemen who controlled the targeted areas.

Italy will provide the admiral in command of a European Union Red Sea naval mission to protect ships from attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said on Friday.

Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis has called for a renewal of relations between the EU and Southeast Asia regarding maritime commerce security at the 24th EU-Association of Southeast Asian Nations ministerial meeting in Brussels.

Amidst the ongoing plight of the Bulgarian sailors kidnapped by Yemen's Houthi rebels, new information reveals that the captives are no longer aboard the hijacked vessel, "Galaxy Leader." Ahmed Shamar, Charge d'Affairs of the Yemeni Embassy in Sofia, disclosed to "Nova TV" that the ship has been transformed into a tourist attraction by the Houthis.

The European Union plans to launch a naval mission in the Red Sea within three weeks to help defend cargo ships against attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen that are hampering trade and driving up prices , the bloc's top diplomat said Wednesday.

EU member states want to launch a Red Sea naval mission by mid-February to protect ships from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia and could decide its command structure on Wednesday, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

Problems in the Red Sea are estimated to cost an additional $2 billion to Türkiye as personnel costs and prices of certain goods, especially electronic goods, are rising due to the Houthi attacks on ships in the waterway, according to the business associations.

U.S. forces struck an anti-ship missile in Huthi-held Yemen that they said was ready to fire early Saturday, hours after the Iran-backed rebels caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden with a similar munition.

Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the British oil tanker "Marlin Luanda" in the Gulf of Aden, resulting in a confirmed fire on board, according to maritime security firm Ambrey. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among the crew members. The Houthi military spokesman stated that the strike was direct and led to the ship's burning.

The U.N. trade body has sounded an alarm that global trade is being disrupted by attacks in the Red Sea, the war in Ukraine, and low water levels in the Panama Canal.

Jan Hoffmann, a trade expert at UNCTAD, warned that shipping costs have already surged and energy and food costs are being affected, raising inflation risks.