An Israeli strike killed at least four people in northern Gaza, including two children, hospital officials said Thursday. The Israeli military said the attack killed a militant.
Separately, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels entered Yemen's strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, according to several residents, which could bring the rebels closer to targeting shipping
through a critical waterway to the Red Sea.Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle
East. Full coverage can be found here.
Two children were among the dead after Israel carried out a new strike in the northern Gaza community of Beit Lahiya, according to Shifa Hospital, where the bodies were taken.
The strike killed a husband and wife, alongside their two daughters, aged 8 and 12.
“There is nothing that can justify Israel attacking this home,” said Zuheir al-Heisami, a neighbor of the family, at the hospital. He said the strike happened at around 2 a.m. “These were two children and their parents that were killed while they were asleep.”
The Israeli military in a statement said the strike in Beit Lahiya “eliminated” a militant who had taken part in attacks against its forces. It did not give details.
Israel’s military in the past has said it carries out strikes in response to threats against its forces under the fragile ceasefire that has been in place since October.
Houthi rebels have entered Yemen's strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, two residents and three local doctors told The Associated Press on Thursday.
If confirmed, the development is significant because taking the city would put the Houthis closer to their goal of targeting shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb, a crucial waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Mokha is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the strait.
Mokha long had been held by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
A resident, Amin al-Mohammdi, said the Houthis entered Mokha and fanned out across intersections. All roads from the west coast leading to Mokha have been closed, and shops were shut, he said. Another resident, Mohamed Salem, reported seeing vehicles belonging to Houthi forces in the streets.
Three doctors told the AP they fled a hospital in Mokha after it was seized by the Houthis. The doctors spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fears for their safety. They said other residents were fleeing south, toward the city of Aden, which is controlled by the Saudi-backed forces.
The AP could not independently verify the claims.
— By Ahmed Haj in Aden, Yemen
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Iran of a “powerful response” if Israel is attacked, saying it would “inflict severe damage on Iran of a kind it has not yet suffered, including on its central energy facilities.”
Katz' video statement came after Iran launched missiles at U.S. targets in Israel’s eastern neighbor of Jordan earlier this week in response to U.S. strikes on Iranian oil tankers.
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This story will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
