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US, UK carry out more air raids on Yemen

US UK Attack Yemen

According to a Yemeni military source, American and British aircraft carried out as many as 15 strikes against the western province of Hudaydah as well as Sa’ada province in the country’s northwest, Yemen’s al-Masirah television network reported Sunday evening.

According to the military source, the attacks included eight raids on Ras Issa district and three strikes on al-Zaydiyah district in al-Hudaydah province.

Four more raids were also conducted by American and British aircraft in the eastern part of Sa’ada province.

Over the past several weeks, the US and the UK have conducted scores of aerial assaults against various parts of Yemen in response to the country’s missile and drone strikes on vessels owned by Israel or heading to ports in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have announced that they are staging the strikes in support of the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip, who have been under Israel’s US- and UK-backed war of genocide for four months now. The Israeli military aggression has so far claimed the lives of over 27,300 people, mostly women and children, while injuring more than 66,600 others.

The new strikes came after spokesman of the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said earlier on Sunday that the aggressor countries had conducted 48 air raids on the Yemeni provinces of Sana’a, Hudaydah, Sa’ada, al-Bayda, Ta’izz and Lahij.

“Such attacks will not deter the Yemeni forces and nation from keeping up their support for Palestinians in the face of the Zionists’ occupation and crimes,” he stated, warning, “The raids by the aggressors will not go unanswered.”

The Yemeni Armed Forces have vowed to keep up their strikes in support of Gaza as long as the Israeli regime continues its genocidal war and a concomitant siege on the Palestinian territory.

US Senate unveils $118bn funding bill for Ukraine, Israel

US Senate

US President Joe Biden and Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate have been pushing to resupply Ukraine with wartime aid but have faced resistance from conservative Republicans who have insisted on measures to tackle illegal immigration at the border with Mexico.

The bill announced on Sunday would provide $60bn in aid to Ukraine, whose efforts to push back Russia’s invasion have been hampered by a halt in US shipments of ammunition and missiles.

The deal would also provide $14.1bn in military aid to Israel: $2.44bn to address security in the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched dozens of attacks on commercial shipping, and $4.83bn to support partners in Asia where tensions have spiked between China and Taiwan.

Under the deal, the president would be granted new powers to immediately expel migrants if authorities become overwhelmed with asylum claims and applications at the border would be subject to quicker and tougher enforcement.

Illegal immigration is expected to be a key issue during the presidential election in November, with Republican frontrunner Donald Trump campaigning heavily on claims of an “invasion” from the southern border.

Biden on Sunday urged Congress to “swiftly pass” the deal so he could sign it into law, warning Republicans who have expressed alarm about the security of the border that “doing nothing is not an option”.

“Now we’ve reached an agreement on a bipartisan national security deal that includes the toughest and fairest set of border reforms in decades. I strongly support it,” Biden said in a statement.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated he would aim to hold a vote on the bill on Wednesday, describing the package as a “monumental step towards strengthening America’s national security abroad and along our borders”.

“This is one of the most necessary and important pieces of legislation Congress has put forward in years to ensure America’s future prosperity and security,” Schumer added in a statement.

Despite the backing of top Democrats, the bill faces uncertain prospects in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a majority.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday that the Senate deal would be “dead on arrival” if it reaches his Republican-controlled chamber.

“I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe the President has created,” Johnson wrote on X.

“As the lead Democrat negotiator proclaimed: Under this legislation, ‘the border never closes’.”

The bill could also face resistance from some Democrats over its provision of more military aid for Israel, which is under mounting international pressure over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, has called for the removal of $10bn earmarked for offensive weaponry while keeping funds for defensive systems.

US refuses to rule out “attacks on Iran”

Joe Biden

Speaking to NBC, Sullivan was asked repeatedly if the US was considering attacks inside Iran.

“Well, sitting here today on a national news programme, I’m not going to get into what we’ve ruled in and ruled out from the point of view of military action,” he said.

“What I will say is that the president is determined to respond forcefully to attacks on our people. The president also is not looking for a wider war in the Middle East.”

Pressed again on the question, he continued to avoid a direct answer.

“I’m not going to get into what’s on the table and off the table when it comes to the American response,” he added.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has stressed that Tehran will not start a war but will give a decisive and strong response to any adventurism seeking to bully the Islamic Republic.

“We have said many times that we will not be the initiator of any war, but if a country or a cruel force wants to bully the Islamic Republic of Iran, it will respond firmly,” Raisi said on Friday.

He added Iran’s military power does not pose any threat to the countries in West Asia but it is a source of security and stability that the regional states can rely on.

The US, along with the UK, launched strikes on Yemen’s Houthis overnight, hitting dozens of targets, just a day after they hit a number of groups in Syria and Iraq.

The attacks came in response to a drone strike on an American outpost in Jordan that killed three soldiers, which the US blamed on Iran-backed groups. Tehran has stressed that regional resistance groups do not take orders from Iran, nor does the Islamic Republic have a role in their decisions to carry out retaliatory operations in defense of Palestine.

Iran on Sunday warned that the strikes across the region appeared to “contradict” the stated desire by the leaders of the US and UK that the fighting in Gaza not expand into a regional war.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani, said in a statement that the attacks were “in clear contradiction with the repeated claims of Washington and London that they do not want the expansion of war and conflict in the region”.

He stressed the two countries were “fuelling chaos, disorder, insecurity and instability” by supporting Israel in its war in Gaza, which has so far left at least 27,300 people dead, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

Defunding UNRWA ‘disproportionate and dangerous’: EU

UNRWA

Borrell, said on Sunday that defunding UNRWA would be “both disproportionate and dangerous”.

A string of countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy, have paused funding to the aid agency, which has opened an investigation into several of its thousands of employees and severed ties with those people.

UNRWA on Thursday announced its entire operations in the Middle East, not only in Gaza, would likely be forced to shut down by the end of February if its funding remains suspended.

Writing on the European Union’s diplomatic service website, Borrell wrote that “while the emotions prompting suspensions of funding are understandable, political responsibility has to look beyond emotions and consider the consequences of such a step. Defunding UNRWA would be both disproportionate and dangerous… [it is] an irreplaceable supplier of lifesaving aid to the Palestinians”.

While acknowledging the need for a full investigation into Israel’s claims that some of the UN Palestinian refugee agency’s staff took part in the 7 October attack by Hamas, Borrell said that it was inconceivable other organisations would be defunded entirely based on the alleged behaviour of individuals.

“Such a disproportionate response would be difficult to conceive elsewhere. If some doctors in a European hospital were involved in criminal activities, there would be a thorough investigation and all appropriate actions would be taken,” he said.

“However, no government would ever stop funding the health service, as this would primarily punish the people who receive these services. The wrongdoing of individuals should never lead to the collective punishment of an entire population.”

He added: “Advocating for the end of UNRWA often confuses cause with consequence. The agency’s continued existence, since it was established in 1949, is the direct consequence of the fact that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has never been resolved.

“We should concentrate all our efforts on addressing this deeper cause and finally implementing the two-state solution advocated by the international community and all EU member states. UNRWA’s mission will automatically end once a sovereign Palestinian state, living peacefully side-by-side with Israel, has been established.”

AFC Asian cup: Iran’s semi-finalist Team Melli training after defeating Japan

Iran Football Team

As the nation celebrated, the players wasted no time and hit the training ground with unwavering determination. The echoes of cheers from the previous triumph still resonating, the Iranian squad displayed a united front, sweating it out in a collective pursuit of glory.

With eyes fixed on the horizon, they have to play Qatar, gearing up for the next chapter in their quest for Asian football supremacy. Captured in candid snapshots, the images tell a story of resilience and preparation.

The training ground becomes a canvas where dedication paints the path to potential triumph, each drill a brushstroke, and every strategic move a stroke of genius.

As the world watches, the Iranian football team weaves a narrative of passion, skill, and a relentless pursuit of greatness on the pitch.

Don’t miss the pictures:

Russia says EU citizens’ taxes going to terrorists

Maria Zakharova

Following the attack, the acting head of the Lugansk People’s Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, accused the Ukrainian military of deliberately targeting the building on a weekend to maximize civilian casualties. In a post on his Telegram channel, he added that “emergency services have managed to rescue ten people from under the rubble”, with doctors doing their best to save their lives.

In a statement on Saturday, Zakharova said that “according to preliminary information, the strike was conducted using Western weaponry”. She described the shelling as a “terrorist attack” meant to convey Kiev’s “gratefulness for the ‘generous’ financial support by EU countries”.

The foreign ministry spokeswoman added that the EU nations’ citizens should be cognizant of what their taxes are being spent on, namely “deadly weapons systems” used by the Ukrainian military to “kill civilians”.

“We suggest that Parisians imagine how they go in the morning for a baguette, and Rome’s residents – to have a cup of coffee with cornetto – but instead of freshly-baked pastry return home with relatives wounded or killed by Ukrainian terrorists,” Zakharova charged.

Echoing Pasechnik, the diplomat alleged that Kiev’s forces had been well aware that civilians, including families with children and the elderly, would typically flock to the bakery on Saturdays.

She added that the building had been razed to the ground as a result of the shelling.

According to Zakharova, the deadly incident is “further proof of the criminal nature of the Kiev regime”. She went on to quote Russian President Vladimir Putin, who on Friday characterized the Ukrainian military as a “terrorist organization that attacks ambulances”. He was referring to several attacks on paramedics working in Donbass last month.

The foreign ministry spokeswoman concluded by saying that Moscow will inform “international organizations of yet another terrorist attack on the part of Zelensky’s gang”. The official noted that Russia expects a swift and unequivocal condemnation of Kiev’s actions.

Authorities in the LPR declared Sunday a day of mourning for the 28 victims of the attack on the bakery, which include one child.

Pasechnik vowed that those responsible would eventually be brought to justice “for this horrible tragedy, for every death”.

Yemen’s Houthis warn US-UK aerial assaults ‘won’t remain unanswered’

Houthi Fighter Yemen

Speaking on Sunday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that the aggressor countries conducted 48 air raids on the Yemeni provinces of Sana’a, Hudaydah, Sa’ada, al-Bayda, Ta’izz and Lahij.

“Such attacks will not deter the Yemeni forces and nation from keeping up their support for Palestinians in the face of the Zionists’ occupation and crimes,” he added.

“The raids by the aggressors will not go unanswered.”

Late on Saturday, the US and UK carried out fresh strikes on Yemen from air and surface platforms, including fighter jets, with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

In a statement, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed that the aerial assaults had targeted “multiple underground storage facilities, command and control, missile systems, UAV storage and operations sites, radars, and helicopters”.

It also alleged that the strikes are intended to “degrade” Yemen’s capabilities to conduct naval pro-Palestine operations.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron also said Sunday that the UK and US carried out strikes on Houthi military targets after “repeated warnings” to the group.

“The UK and the US have carried out further strikes on Houthi military targets,” Cameron said in a statement posted on X, adding: “We have issued repeated warnings to the Houthis.”

“Their reckless actions are putting innocent lives at risk, threatening the freedom of navigation and destabilising the region,” Cameron continued.

“The Houthi attacks must stop,” he wrote.

Israel waged a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 7 following a historic operation by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group against the occupying regime.

The US has offered untrammeled support for Israel during the aggression that has so far killed at least 27,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 66,500 others.

In solidarity with the Palestinians in besieged Gaza, Yemeni forces have targeted ships going to and from ports in the occupied territories, or whose owners are linked to Israel, in the southern Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Gulf of Aden, and even in the Arabian Sea.

In response to the pro-Palestine maritime campaign, the US and its allies have bombed Yemen in violation of the country’s sovereignty and international law.

The illegal attacks prompted Yemen to declare American and British vessels as legitimate targets for its armed forces.

Spokesman: Iran’s oversight body approves 750 candidates for parliamentary elections

Iran Parliament

Tahan Nazif said on Sunday the names of the approved candidates are set to be sent to the Ministry of Interior, marking a crucial development in the electoral process.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, the Secretary-General of the Moderation and Development Party, disclosed that his party is eagerly anticipating the final opinion of the Guardian Council before unveiling its official candidates list.

He emphasized that the Moderation and Development Party is holding off on any announcements until 8 February, expressing hope that the Guardian Council and relevant institutions will address previous concerns.

Nobakht stressed that his party, close to the reformist camp, is advocating for a transparent and inclusive electoral process, aiming to facilitate the participation of all political currents in the upcoming elections.

The developments come as the Guardian Council has already banned former President Hassan Rouhani and former Minister of Intelligence, Seyyed Mahmoud Alavi, from standing in an election in March for the Assembly of Experts.

Iranians hold funeral procession for assassinated IRGC member

IRGC Member Israel Attack

They chanted slogans against the Israeli regime while carrying the body of the IRGC member.

Assassinated by the Israeli regime earlier this week, Alidadi was a senior military advisor who was on a mission supporting the Syrian Army in its anti-terrorism efforts near Damascus.

Tehran says the regime’s deliberate actions have specifically targeted Iranian military advisors who are legally present at the formal request of the Syrian Arab Republic, supporting and assisting it in the fight against terrorism.

Iran has also vowed revenge.

Iran sends 3rd shipment of humanitarian aid to Gaza

Iran Humanitarian Aid

“One shipment had already been sent to Gaza by air and another one via sea, and this is the third consignment of humanitarian aid all of which has been donated by Iranian people to the oppressed Palestinian nation,” said Pirhassan Koolivand, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

“This batch contains medicines, medical equipment, food and survival items such as tents and blankets,” he added.

So far, over 10,000 tonnes of different types of aid needed by people of Gaza have been dispatched via the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is holding talks to send more aid to Gaza.

More than 27,000 people have been killed and 80 percent of the residents of Gaza with the population of 2.3 million, have been displaced in Israel’s war on the enclave since early October last year.