Israeli military says it has struck several Houthi targets in Yemen in response to attacks
Sanaa (Yemen), Jul 20: The Israeli army said on Saturday it has struck several Houthi targets in western Yemen following a fatal drone attack by the Houthi group in Tel Aviv the previous day. The Israeli strikes appeared to be the first on Yemeni soil since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.
A number of “military targets” were hit in the western port city of Hodeidah, a Houthi stronghold, the Israeli army said, adding that its attack was “in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the state of Israel in recent months”.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam wrote on social media platform X that Yemen was subjected to a “blatant Israeli aggression” that targeted fuel storage facilities and the province's power station. He said the attacks aim “to increase the suffering of the people and to pressure Yemen to stop supporting Gaza”.
Abdulsalam said the attacks will only make the people of Yemen and its armed forces more determined to support Gaza. Mohamed Ali al-Houthi of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen wrote on X that "there will be impactful strikes”.
A media outlet controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen, Al-Masirah TV, said the strikes on storage facilities for oil and diesel at the port and on the local electricity company caused deaths and injuries, and several people suffered severe burns. It said there was a large fire at the port and power cuts were widespread.
Health officials in Yemen said the strikes killed a number of people and injured others, but did not elaborate.
The drone attack by Houthi rebels killed one person in the centre of Tel Aviv and wounded at least 10 others near the United States Embassy early Friday.
Virtually all projectiles fired from the southern Arabian country toward Israel have so far been intercepted. Israel said air defences detected the drone on Friday but an “error” occurred and “there was no interception".
Since January, the US and British forces have been striking targets in Yemen, in response to the Houthis' attacks on commercial shipping that the rebels have described as retaliation for Israel's actions in the war in Gaza.
The joint force airstrikes have so far done little to deter the Iran-backed force.
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Maharashtra excise dept cancels liquor permit for Diljit Dosanjh's Pune concert
Pune, Nov 24: The Maharashtra excise department on Sunday cancelled the permit for serving alcohol at actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh's concert in the Kothrud area of Pune later in the evening, an official said.
The department cancelled the permit after people from different quarters, including Kothrud's newly elected BJP MLA Chandrakant Patil, objected to plans to serve liquor at the programme.
State excise commissioner C Rajput said, "The state excise department has cancelled the permission to serve liquor during the programme."
MLA Patil raised an objection against the concert scheduled at Kakade Farm in Kothrud later in the evening.
The BJP leader, in a statement, said, "Such shows are not part of the city's culture. This will create a major disturbance for residents of the area. The event will also cause traffic jams. Hence, I have urged the city police commissioner to cancel the programme."
