Middle East crisis highlights: Indian Navy douses fire after British oil tanker hit by Houthi rebels

Responding to the distress call from MV Marlin Luanda PM 26 Jan, INS Visakhapatnam had proceeded to provide assistance. A US and French warship also responded to the distress call. 

Based on a request from the master, fire fighting  team from INS Visakhapatnam comprising ten Indian Naval personnel with specialist fire fighting equipment embarked MV Marlin Luanda on early  hours of 27 Jan 24. 

Washington has asked Beijing to press Iran on Red Sea shipping attacks, said an official.

Italy, following UK, has decided to suspend funding to UNRWA.

"The Italian government has suspended financing UNRWA after the atrocious Hamas attack on October 7.” Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani posted on X

There are reports that Switzerland is also mulling to suspend aid.

"The UK is appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel," the Foreign Office said, adding that the aid would be put on hold while "we review these concerning allegations".
 

Reports in Iranian media have said that gunmen have killed 9 people near the country's border with Pakistan.

"According to witnesses, this morning unknown armed men killed nine non-Iranians in a house in the Sirkan neighbourhood of Saravan city" in Sistan-Baluchistan province, the Mehr news agency reported.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation's Secretary General Hussein al-Sheikh said that the decision by few countries to stop funding of the UN relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) carries some major political and relief risks.

“We call on countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision,” al-Sheikhsaid, adding that it “entails great political and humanitarian relief risks, as at this particular time.”

“We need the maximum support for this international organization and not stopping support and assistance to it,” he said.

Indian Navy's guided-missile destroyer responded to an SOS call issued by a merchant ship, Marlin Launda, after it was struck by a missile and caught fire in the Gulf of Aden, said the Indian Navy in a statement on Saturday (Jan 27). 

There were 22 Indians and a Bangladeshi crew on board. On the basis of the request from MV Merlin Luanda, INS Visakhapatnam sent the Ship's NBCD team along with firefighting equipment to provide assistance to the crew in its firefighting efforts, said the Indian Navy.

"Indian Navy remains steadfast and committed to safeguarding merchant vessels and ensuring safety of life at sea," said the Indian Navy, in the statement.
 

Italy joined other nations in the decision to suspend the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees' (UNRWA) financing, said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

“The Italian government has suspended financing of the UNRWA after the atrocious attack on Israel on October 7,” Tajani posts on social media platform X, adding that some of Italy’s allies had already taken the same decision.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza confirmed that at least 26,257 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the war against Israel started on October 7.

In a statement, a ministry said that at least 174 people have been killed over the past 24 hours, while another 64,797 were injured since the war began.

Palestinian militant group Hamas slammed Israel over the "threats" issued by them against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, after  Tel Aviv accuses many UNRWA staff of being involved in the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas.

"We ask the UN and the international organisations to not cave in to the threats and blackmail" from Israel," said Hamas's press office, in a post on Telegram.

Israel's foreign minister said that they will try to stop the operations of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza after the war, after the country accused several UNRWA staff of being involved in the October 7 attack of Hamas. 

Taking to X, Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the ministry is at ensuring "that UNRWA will not be a part of the day after," adding that he will try to gain support from the US, EU as well as other major donors to the agency. 
 

US forces struck an anti-ship missile in Houthi-held Yemen that they said was ready to fire early Saturday (Jan 27), hours after the Iran-backed rebels caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden with a similar munition.

Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral air raids, but the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks.

The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had carried out another strike early Saturday morning on a Huthi "anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch".

"Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense," it added in a statement on social media platform X.

The previous evening, the British oil tanker the Marlin Luanda was hit by missiles fired by Yemeni naval forces, said the Huthis' military spokesman, Yahya Saree. 

"The strike was direct, and resulted (in) the burning of the vessel," he added.

CENTCOM later confirmed the hit, saying: "The ship issued a distress call and reported damage. USS Carney (DDG 64) and other coalition ships have responded and are rendering assistance. No injuries have been reported at this time."
 

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a total of nine attacks against Israel purportedly committed on Friday (Jan 26). 

The group said it has lost 168 men since the beginning of the war, including four on Friday.

Uganda's representative to the UN says a Ugandan judge who voted against all provisional measures sought by South Africa in its International Court of Justice case against Israel does not represent the country.

Judge Julia Sebutinde was the only one of the international court’s 17 justices to vote against all six provisional measures Israel has been ordered to undertake.

"Justice Sebutinde ruling at the International Court of Justice does not represent the Government of Uganda’s position on the situation in Palestine," Uganda's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Adonia Ayebare said in a post on X.

"She has previously voted against Uganda’s case on DRC. Uganda’s support for the plight of the Palestinian people has been expressed through Uganda’s voting pattern at the United Nations."

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the temporary suspension of funding for the UN's relief agency in Gaza following allegations that staff were involved in Hamas' October 7 attacks on southern Israel that killed around 1200 people.

Wong said in a statement on Saturday that Canberra welcomed the decision by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to open a probe.

"Australia will continue to support the people of Gaza and work to provide humanitarian assistance," Wong said in a post X. "We reiterate our calls for civilians to be protected, and for civilian access."

The United States military said on Friday that a Houthi anti-ship missile damaged an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden but no injuries were reported. The military said that a US Navy ship was providing assistance to the oil tanker. 

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees- the UNRWA- said on Friday it had sacked several employees accused by Israel of involvement in Hamas's Oct 7 attack, prompting the United States to suspend critical funding.

UNRWA's head Philippe Lazzarini vowed to hold "accountable, including through criminal prosecution" any agency employee found to have taken part in acts of terror.

In its ruling, the top UN court said that it is under its jurisdiction to rule over emergency measures as appealed by South Africa in the genocide case filed against Israel, in the wake of its ongoing war in Gaza.

The ICJ that Israel must punish people for committing genocide in Gaza and should immediately stop its attacks. Read more

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold a meeting next week following the ICJ's ruling that called for Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza. The meeting, which will be held on Wednesday (Jan 31), has been called by Algeria.

Algeria's foreign ministry said it would give "binding effect to the pronouncement of the International Court of Justice on the provisional measures imposed on the Israeli occupation."