The US State Department said it was closely following the discussions in The Hague. Arguments that Israel is committing genocide are unfounded. The charge of genocide, one of the most serious under the legal code, must be made with great caution.
Ghazi Hamad, member of the Hamas political office in Gaza, on South Africa’s case against “Israel”: “We hoped that the Arab countries would take this responsibility” and the Leader of Islamic Jihad, Haitham Abu Al-Ghazlan: “We salute South Africa for its request to prosecute the Occupation for its crimes.”
Yedioth Ahronoth Israeli newspaper reports that according to data provided by the Israeli army, the direct cost of the war so far amounts to 72 billion shekels, after which the daily cost decreased significantly, initially it was about 1.2 billion shekels, after the demobilization of reserve forces fell to 800 million shekels, and last week the amount reached 200 million shekels, and it is estimated that it has been spent. By 2024, assuming that a global war does not break out in the northern arena, the cost will be around 120 billion shekels, while to understand the problem, the current annual security budget, without American aid, amounts to 68 billion of shekels.
A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson did not rule out the possibility that Seoul would introduce sanctions against Hamas after discovering that the militants were using North Korean weapons. “We continue to closely monitor relevant trends, including arms trade with North Korea, and are evaluating necessary measures,” said Lim Soo-suk, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
But certainly the news that ricocheted around the globe was the night attack against North Yemen. According to Centcom, 60 targets were hit this evening in Yemen at 16 locations, including command and control nodes, ammunition depots, launch systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems. Over 100 precision-guided bombs and missiles launched. According to the Houthis, 73 attacks have led to the death of 5 people and the wounding of six people.
A strange attack compared to the belligerent events given that everyone knew everything even before attacking. The Yemenis themselves moved their weapons before the attack because they knew of an imminent attack. The element of surprise which is usually what guarantees greater success to the operation was missing. Not only did the attacks hit the same sites hit in 2015, as confirmed by the Houthis, but we are sure that some military sites in the Yemeni mountains escaped the attacks.
According to US President Joe Biden’s full January 11 message, “Today, under my direction, US military forces, together with the United Kingdom and with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, led with successful attacks against a series of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation”
The president added: “I will not hesitate to take further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international trade if necessary.” It has all the flavor of an election campaign already underway as well as the goal of bringing shipping back to the Sea Red and Arabian Sea safely.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry is shouting out against what happened: “We strongly condemn the military attacks launched this morning by the United States and the United Kingdom against several Yemeni cities. The military attacks are in line with America and Britain’s continued support for war crimes committed by Israel. These arbitrary attacks will only fuel insecurity and instability in the region.”
The Kremlin through Maria Zakaravova declared: “We condemn the American and British attacks against Houthi targets in Yemen”
In Tunisia the Popular Front declared: “The aggression against Yemen is decisive proof that “Israel” is an advanced base to protect the interests of the colonial West.”
Saudi Arabia has asked in an official note that the escalation be stopped, Oman has closed air traffic.
All militias linked to Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah have expressed solidarity with the Houthis who have already promised retaliation and said they will not stop attacking in the Red Sea. General Abdul Salam Jahaf of the Committee for Defense and Security in Yemen said: “Any hostile action against Yemen will not distract us from the defense of Gaza.” The Houthis posted a video in which they threatened to attack Djibouti.
The US attack on Yemen, now more than ever, and for a currently unclassifiable period, forces 70% of all the world’s oil to divert passage into the sea. The world’s largest tanker industry body has warned members to stop transiting past Yemen, following US and UK attacks on Yemen.
The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko), which represents nearly 70% of all oil, gas and chemical tankers traded internationally, said in a warning to members to “stay away” from the Strait of Bab al Mendab and ships traveling south through the Suez Canal to stop north of Yemen.
The former head of MOSSAD Efraim Halevi defined the fourth phase of Israel’s war, that is, eliminating Hamas’ number one leaders: “Killing Hamas leaders is like mowing the lawn: they always grow back.” In the same vein are the words written by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper: “Senior Israeli army officers say during closed-door talks that if the war ended and we left the Gaza Strip, Hamas would regain control and start building its authority within a few months.” Beilinson Hospital in Tel Aviv stated that: “During the day of January 11, we received 7 Israeli army soldiers, 2 of whom were in serious condition, wounded during the fighting in the Gaza Strip.”
The IDF reported the liquidation of a large number of Hamas militants, including commanders, in the past 24 hours. Thus, in the Al-Muazi camp, in the center of the Gaza Strip, about 20 militants were killed and many weapons were discovered. Among those eliminated was the commander of the Nohwa detachment. In Khan Yunis, a fighter plane attacked a Hamas building and killed seven Palestinians, including the commander involved in the October 7 attack.
According to Channel 13: “Israel” strengthens security measures around the commander of the “Israeli” air force, Tomer Bar.
Channel 12 reported on January 12 that sirens have sounded 934 times in northern settlements since October 7. The area that is currently most sensitive to a possible widening of the conflict.
In southern Lebanon, members of the local council of Kiryat Shmona wrote a letter to the president of the council: “Kiryat Shmona is going through a serious crisis, perhaps the worst crisis in its history, a crisis that cuts off all aspects of life, including security, education, prosperity, infrastructure, and so on.”
In the northern Gaza Strip, the Israelis are still demolishing skyscrapers even after withdrawing some of their forces. They are also working to destroy the Palestinian militias’ underground communications.
Preparations for the assault on al-Breij are underway in the isthmus between the northern and southern parts of the enclave. Currently, the Israel Defense Forces are clearing the surrounding areas and launching massive attacks against Hamas positions.
In the center of the Gaza Strip: During IDF activity in Bureij, IDF troops spotted a terrorist who fired at the forces from a window of one of the compounds in the area. IDF troops operated a drone that hit and killed the armed terrorist.
In the southern Gaza Strip, IDfF said there were “dozens of terrorists killed in Khan Yunis and Maghazi, including commanders of Hamas’ Nukhba forces; in Bureij an IDF drone hit and killed a terrorist who was shooting from a window at the security forces” In Maghazi, last day, IDF troops killed around 20 terrorists, including the commanders of the Nukhba forces of Hamas. Furthermore, numerous weapons were found.
In Khan Yunis, an IDF fighter plane hit a Hamas military compound and killed seven terrorists. One of the killed terrorists was a Nukhba commander who took part in the October 7 massacre. IDF troops in the city area spotted three armed terrorists who had emerged from a Hamas compound and began advancing towards the forces. IDF troops responded by firing at the terrorists. Furthermore, in Khan Yunis, IDF troops also located a number of AK-47 rifles and RPG rocket launchers, and dismantled an arms cache last day. Looking ahead, it can be said that in the southern part of the enclave, Israeli units have made progress in the central area of Khan Younis. Intense fighting is ongoing in the area of the Ahmad Abdul Aziz school, which is still controlled by Palestinian militias.
In the West Bank the situation remains unchanged, with the Israelis who conduct police operations throughout the region. The most significant clashes took place in Jenin, with shootings and IEDs.
South of Lebanon. The Islamic Resistance claims that on January 11 alone it carried out a series of operations against the positions and deployment of the Israeli army on the Lebanese border. “Eastern Sector: 1- At 9:50 am, a group of Israeli enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the Metulla site was targeted with missile weapons and was directly hit. 2- At 11:30, a group of Israeli enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the Al-Baghdadi site was targeted with missile weapons and received a direct hit. 3- At 12:00, groups of Israeli enemy soldiers were targeted in the vicinity of Al-Sayhat Hill and Jabal Nadhar with rocket weapons, causing confirmed casualties, including one dead and one injured. 4- At 3pm, the Ramtha site in the occupied Lebanese farms of Shebaa was targeted with missile weapons and received a direct hit. 5- At 4pm, the settlement of Kiryat Shmona was targeted with dozens of missiles in response to Zionist attacks on civilians, the latest of which was the attack on the Volunteer Civil Defense Center in the southern city of Hanin and the martyrdom of the paramedics, martyr Ali Mahmoud Al-Sheikh Ali and martyr Sajid Ramzi Qasim, while the resistance confirms its readiness to respond immediately to any attack. Aggression against civilians. Western Sector: 1- At 11:30, the spy equipment on Cobra Hill was targeted with appropriate weapons, resulting in its injuries and destruction. 2- At 2.15pm, the Al-Malikiyah site was targeted with appropriate weapons and received a direct hit. 3- At 3.05pm, a group of Israeli enemy soldiers in Tal Shaar were targeted with missile weapons, resulting in direct hits. 4- At 4.30pm, a group of Israeli enemy soldiers were targeted in the vicinity of the Birkat Risha site with rocket weapons, causing confirmed injuries, including one dead and one injured.”
Both sides continue to attack each other’s positions along Israel’s northern border. An Israeli attack on a medical center in Hanina left two dead, sparking further controversy.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
