Yemen

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is set to engage in crucial talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Türkiye before heading to Egypt for discussions with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, according to local reports.

US Central Command Forces executed targeted strikes on an Iranian-backed Houthi UAV ground control station and 10 Houthi one-way UAVs in Yemen, emphasizing a proactive response to an imminent threat. The operation, conducted at 1:30 am (Sanaa Time), aimed to neutralize the Houthi rebels' potential danger to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region.

American forces carried out strikes in Yemen against 10 attack drones and a ground control station belonging to the Iran-backed Huthi rebels, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

A U.S. warship also shot down an anti-ship missile fired by the Huthis and later downed three Iranian drones, Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

The European Union plans to launch a naval mission in the Red Sea within three weeks to help defend cargo ships against attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen that are hampering trade and driving up prices , the bloc's top diplomat said Wednesday.

Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said on Wednesday that Greece will propose taking command of a forthcoming EU naval mission in the Red Sea aimed at safeguarding ships from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia. He further mentioned that the military base in Larissa, located in central Greece, could serve as the operational headquarters for this mission.

EU member states want to launch a Red Sea naval mission by mid-February to protect ships from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia and could decide its command structure on Wednesday, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he had decided on a response to a drone strike that killed three American troops in Jordan, while insisting he did not want a wider war in the Middle East.

Facing growing pressure in a U.S. election year, Biden said he held Iran responsible for supplying the weapons to the people who carried out the deadly attack on a military base.

Problems in the Red Sea are estimated to cost an additional $2 billion to Türkiye as personnel costs and prices of certain goods, especially electronic goods, are rising due to the Houthi attacks on ships in the waterway, according to the business associations.

U.S. forces struck an anti-ship missile in Huthi-held Yemen that they said was ready to fire early Saturday, hours after the Iran-backed rebels caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden with a similar munition.

Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the British oil tanker "Marlin Luanda" in the Gulf of Aden, resulting in a confirmed fire on board, according to maritime security firm Ambrey. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among the crew members. The Houthi military spokesman stated that the strike was direct and led to the ship's burning.