Middle East

World News

Israel rejects genocide charges at International Court of Justice

6:01pm January 12, 2024

by Rob Schmitz

Israel had its day in the International Court of Justice, defending against genocide charges, calling the case a "deliberately curated, decontextualized and manipulative description of hostilities."

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What Houthis are saying about retaliation for Thursday's U.S. attacks

5:53pm January 12, 2024

by Jane Arraf

In Yemen, the Houthi are responding to the U.S.-U.K. air strikes, vowing their actions will not go without "punishment or retaliation." All of this is raising fears of a wider regional war.

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Newly recruited fighters who joined a Houthi military force intended to be sent to fight in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, march during a parade in Sanaa, Yemen

Houthis promise to respond to U.S. and U.K. strike in the Red Sea

2:59pm January 12, 2024

by Mansee Khurana

The Iranian backed group has ignored previous warnings from the U.S. to stop disrupting trade in the Red Sea.

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Image taken from the bridge of HMS Diamond, seen here firing Sea Viper missiles in the Red Sea on Oct. 1. The HMS Diamond along with U.S. warships successfully repelled a large attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea.

U.S. and U.K. strike Houthi targets in Yemen

11:12am January 12, 2024

by Tom Bowman

The airstrikes on multiple Houthi targets in Yemen follow more than two months of attacks by the Iran-backed militants against cargo ships and U.S. warships in the Red Sea.

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Judges and parties stand up during a hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday. The United Nations' court opened hearings Thursday into South Africa's allegation that Israel's war with Hamas amounts to genocide against Palestinians, a claim that Israel strongly denies.

World News

3 things to know about the genocide case against Israel in The Hague

8:55am January 12, 2024

by Rob Schmitz

Legal teams from South Africa, the plaintiff, and Israel, the defendant, presented their arguments in two days of hearings before the International Court of Justice.

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U.S., Britain launched military strikes against Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen

7:19am January 12, 2024

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein about the operation, which is aimed at securing one of the world's crucial waterways for shipping.

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Economy

Red Sea shipping attacks have economic implications for the entire world

6:58am January 12, 2024

How do Red Sea shipping disruptions and the military response to rebels in Yemen affect global economies? NPR's Leila Fadel asks Marco Forgione of the Institute of Export and International Trade.

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British jurist Malcolm Shaw, right, legal adviser to Israel's Foreign Ministry Tal Becker, left, look on during the opening of the hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024.

World News

Israel defends itself at the U.N.'s top court against allegations of genocide

5:39am January 12, 2024

by The Associated Press

Accused of committing genocide against Palestinians, Israel defended its war in Gaza at the United Nations' highest court Friday.

The U.S. and U.K. launched strikes in Houthi-controlled territories of Yemen

5:10am January 12, 2024

President Biden says he ordered a series of airstrikes on Houthi forces in Yemen because of what he called "reckless attacks" by the Houthis on commercial ships in the Red Sea.

South Africa charges Israel with genocide in Gaza. Israel defends itself at The Hague

5:10am January 12, 2024

Israel presents its rebuttal to the charge of genocide it faces in Gaza at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.