Deadly attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi airports highlight widening fallout from Yemen conflict

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By AFP | Posted by TOE Saudi authorities said Wednesday three people were killed in attacks on two of the kingdom’s international airports, including in the capital Riyadh, after Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have fired on both transport hubs. The Iran-backed Houthis have claimed a wave of attacks on Saudi civilian infrastructure in recent weeks, which came as Riyadh-backed forces pressed a counter-offensive against the group’s territorial gains. Since Yemen’s civil war reignited in July, more than 200,000 people have been displaced within the country, the United Nations said Wednesday. The Houthis claimed an attack on Riyadh’s main airport, while the Saudi-led coalition — which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government in its fight against the group — vowed retaliation. The Houthis later claimed another attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Thursday and repeated a warning — “...
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China sends naval, air forces to shadow US plane over Taiwan Strait

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China’s military said on Tuesday it deployed naval and air forces to monitor and warn a U.S. Navy patrol aircraft that flew through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, denouncing the United States for trying to “mislead” the international community.

Around once a month, U.S. military ships or aircraft pass through or above the waterway that separates democratically governed Taiwan from China – missions that always anger Beijing.

China claims sovereignty over the island of Taiwan and says it has jurisdiction over the strait. Taiwan and the United States dispute that, saying the strait is an international waterway.

The U.S. Navy’s 7th fleet said a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft had flown through the strait “in international airspace”, adding that the flight demonstrated the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,” it said in a statement.

China’s military criticised the flight as “public hype”, adding that it monitored the U.S. aircraft throughout its transit and “effectively” responded to the situation.

“The relevant remarks by the U.S. distort legal principles, confuse public opinion and mislead international perceptions,” the military’s Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement.

“We urge the U.S. side to stop distorting and hyping up and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.”

Taiwan’s defence ministry said the P-8A flew in a northerly direction through the strait and that the Taiwanese military monitored it, adding the “situation was as normal”.

In April, China’s military said it sent fighter jets to monitor and warn a U.S. Navy Poseidon in the Taiwan Strait, a mission that took place just hours after a call between the Chinese and U.S. defence chiefs.

SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/oql8a5O

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