Sanaa, March 11: Yemen’s Houthi leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, announced that his group is preparing military operations against Israeli-linked vessels if humanitarian aid does not reach Gaza within a four-day deadline he set last week.

“We stand by our deadline for the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, and our armed forces are ready to execute operations,” al-Houthi declared in a televised speech on the group’s Al-Masirah TV channel on Monday.

The Houthi leader had previously issued a four-day ultimatum to mediators between Israel and Hamas to facilitate the resumption of aid deliveries to Gaza. This deadline is set to expire on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Houthi group, who control much of northern Yemen including the capital Sanaa, has launched drone and rocket attacks against Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea and Israeli cities since November 2023, expressing support for Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

In response, Israel has conducted retaliatory strikes targeting Houthi military sites in Sanaa and the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

The Houthi attacks ceased following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. However, the group now threatens to resume operations if the blockade on Gaza is not lifted.

The Houthi group, which controls large swathes of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, has previously targeted vessels they say are linked to Israel in the Red Sea as support for Palestinians during the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Israel has targeted the Houthis in Yemen five times during the ongoing conflict. The most recent strike occurred on January 10. The initial attack took place on July 20, 2023, followed by additional strikes on September 29, December 19 and December 26. The port of Hodeidah was repeatedly hit in these airstrikes.

Since November last year, the Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, has been conducting missile and drone attacks on what it said were “Israeli-linked” ships in regional waters and beyond, as well as targets in Israel, to show solidarity with Palestinians amid their conflict with Israelis in Gaza.

Beirut, March 10: Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem reaffirmed that the group will not permit any Israeli presence in southern Lebanon, emphasising Hezbollah’s enduring strength and commitment to Lebanon’s defence.

In a televised interview with al-Manar TV, Qassem disclosed that during the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah ceased operations but maintained full military readiness.

“Over the past 60 days, Israel has committed numerous violations. The agreement clearly stipulates that Israel must retreat beyond the Litani River,” he added.

On domestic matters, Qassem reiterated Hezbollah’s dedication to national stability and governance, endorsing the exclusive authority of security forces over internal security, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, he maintained that Hezbollah’s arms are crucial for confronting Israel. “Israel poses an existential threat, and resistance is Lebanon’s right,” he declared.

Qassem also addressed Lebanon’s reconstruction, affirming that rebuilding war-torn areas is a state responsibility. He emphasised Hezbollah’s continued role in political and military affairs, asserting that “resistance” will persist as long as Israeli threats remain.

A truce agreement, reached on November 27, 2024, largely halted over a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, including a two-month full-scale war that saw Israeli ground troop deployments.

The agreement mandated the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon within 60 days; however, Israel has maintained a presence in five strategic positions along the border, citing ongoing threats from Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, a Lebanese soldier and a civilian were wounded on Sunday by Israeli gunfire near the northern entrance of Kafr Kila village in southern Lebanon, according to official Lebanese sources.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli forces opened fire near the Fatima Gate in Kafr Kila, injuring a Lebanese army soldier.

The Public Health Emergency Operations Center, affiliated with the Health Ministry, confirmed that a citizen was critically injured by Israeli gunfire in Kafr Kila.

According to the NNA, another incident took place in the border village of Blida, where a small explosive device detonated, injuring a citizen who was collecting scrap metal. It added that the injured had been transported to a hospital in Nabatieh and his condition was stable.

Since November 27, 2024, a US- and French-brokered ceasefire agreement has been in effect, putting an end to over a year of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which were triggered by the war in the Gaza Strip.

Although the agreement mandates a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, Israeli forces remain stationed in five key positions along the Lebanese border well past the February 18 deadline and continue strikes in Lebanon, claiming they are aimed at neutralising “threats” posed by Hezbollah.

New Delhi, March 7: The US Supreme Court has rejected a plea by 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana, seeking a stay on his extradition to India to face trial

Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, had filed an “Emergency Application For Stay” with the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the US and Circuit Justice for the Ninth Circuit.

He argued in his plea that his extradition to India violated the US law and the United Nations Convention Against Torture “because there are substantial grounds for believing that, if extradited to India, petitioner will be in danger of being subjected to torture.”

“The likelihood of torture in this case is even higher though as petitioner faces acute risk as a Muslim of Pakistani origin charged in the Mumbai attacks,” the application said.

The application also said that his “severe medical conditions” render extradition to Indian detention facilities a “de facto” death sentence in this case.

The plea cited medical records from July 2024 showing that he has multiple “acute and life-threatening diagnoses”, including multiple documented heart attacks, Parkinson’s disease with cognitive decline, a mass suggestive of bladder cancer, stage 3 chronic kidney disease, a history of chronic asthma, and multiple Covid-19 infections.

Rana’s extradition was cleared by US President Donald Trump last month. In a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump announced that Rana’s extradition had been approved. “We are giving a very violent man back to India immediately. There is more to follow because we have quite a few requests. We work with India on crime, and we want to make things better for India,” Trump stated.

He is wanted in India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists. Eight locations in Mumbai were targeted by terrorists on November 26, 2008, which claimed the lives of over 174 people.

Rana, 64, faces charges in India for providing logistical support to LeT. He was found guilty in the US for assisting the group, and India has long sought his extradition. He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.