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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Fresh strikes launched in Yemen

An aircraft takes off to conduct air strikes in Yemen
An aircraft takes off to conduct air strikes in Yemen
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Sanaa - The United States carried out a fresh strike Saturday on targets in Yemen, US Central Command said.


The strike comes a day after scores of attacks across the country heightened fears that Israel's war with Hamas could engulf the wider region.


UN chief Antonio Guterres called on all sides "not to escalate" in the interest of regional peace and stability, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.


The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the strikes Friday, days after adopting a resolution demanding an immediate stop to attacks on ships.


Russian ambassador Vassili Nebenzia denounced the "blatant armed aggression" against the entire population of the country.


The United States and Britain launched strikes on Friday that targeted nearly 30 locations using more than 150 munitions, US General Douglas Sims said, updating earlier figures, and President Joe Biden said he did not believe there were civilian casualties.


Biden called the strikes a successful "defensive action" after the "unprecedented" Red Sea attacks


Middle Eastern leaders voiced concern at the violence, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan describing the strikes on Yemen as disproportionate and saying: "It is as if they aspire to turn the Red Sea into a bloodbath."


Saudi Arabia said it "is following with great concern the military operations" and called for "self-restraint and avoiding escalation". The kingdom is trying to extricate itself from a nine-year war, though fighting has largely been on hold since a truce in early 2022.


Hamas said it would hold Britain and the United States "responsible for the repercussions on regional security".


- Economic cost - Oil prices rose four percent on fears of an escalation before falling back. Major shipping firms have rerouted cargo around the tip of Africa, hitting trade flows at a time when supply strains are putting upward pressure on inflation worldwide. Since mid-November, the volume of shipping containers transiting through the Red Sea has dropped by 70 percent, according to maritime experts. Denmark's Torm on Friday became the latest tanker firm to halt transit through the southern Red Sea.


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