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A Portuguese-flagged container ship was hit by a drone in the far reaches of the Arabian Sea, corresponding with a claim by Yemen's Houthi rebels that they assaulted the ship there, authorities said on Tuesday.
The attack on the ship, MSC Orion, occurred some 600 kilometres off the coast of Yemen and appeared to be the first confirmed deep-sea assault claimed by the Houthis since they began targeting ships in November.
It suggests the Houthis — or potentially their main benefactor, Iran — might be able to strike deep into the Indian Ocean.
The attack happened last Friday, according to the Joint Maritime Information Centre, which operates as part of the US-led Combined Maritime Forces in the Mideast. After the attack, the crew discovered debris apparently from a drone on board, the centre said.
The ship, which was bound for Oman, “sustained only minor damage and all crew on board are safe,” the centre said.
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MSC Orion has been associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime, which is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group.
It was operating on behalf of the Mediterranean Shipping Co, an Italy-based firm. The Joint Maritime Information Centre reported the ship was likely targeted due to its perceived Israeli affiliation.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for Yemen's Houthi rebels, claimed the attack on the Orion early on Tuesday. He did not explain why it took the rebels days to acknowledge the attack.
Uncertainty over Houthi's means
The attack immediately raised questions about how the Houthis could have carried out an assault hundreds of kilometres from the shores of Yemen on a moving target.
Their primary area of attack so far has been in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the two waterways key for international trade. Those are close to Yemen's shoreline — unlike the site of the MSC Orion attack.
The Houthis are not known to operate an expeditionary naval fleet, nor do they have access to satellites or other sophisticated means of controlling long-distance drones.
Iran, which has been supplying the Shiite rebels in their years-long war in Yemen, has been assessed by the West and experts to have been behind at least one complex attack claimed by the Houthis — the 2019 attack on Saudi Arabia's oil fields that temporarily halved the kingdom's energy production.
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Tehran also routinely operates military vessels in the Arabian Sea and just seized the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries and its crew just before its unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel on 13 April.
Iranian state media uniformly reported the Houthis' claim of carrying out the attack on the Orion. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.
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Warsaw's main synagogue was attacked with firebombs early on Wednesday by an unknown perpetrator, but sustained minimal damage and nobody was hurt, Poland's chief rabbi said.
The incident was strongly condemned by political leaders.
The attack on the No？yk Synagogue happened around 1 am, Rabbi Michael Schudrich told The Associated Press.
He said the synagogue was hit with three firebombs or Molotov cocktails and only sustained minimal damage "by tremendous luck or miracle".
A blackened area that appeared to be the result of flames could be seen at one spot on the building.
Polish police are working on identifying the perpetrators. "This is our priority at the moment," Deputy Commissioner Jacek Wi？niewski from the Warsaw Police Headquarters told the local media.
Climate of fear
Poland's President Andrzej Duda wrote on X that he condemned "the shameful attack," saying, "There is no place for antisemitism in Poland! There is no place for hatred in Poland!"
Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski noted that the incident fell on the 20th anniversary of Poland joining the European Union along with nine other countries, most of them Central European nations that had been under the Soviet sphere of influence for decades.
"Thank God no one was hurt. I wonder who is trying to disrupt the anniversary of our accession to the EU," Sikorski wrote on X. "Maybe the same ones who scribbled Stars of David in Paris?"
France said last year that it had been the target of a Russian online destabilisation campaign that used automated social media accounts to whip up controversy and confusion about spray-painted Stars of David that appeared on Paris streets and fed alarm about surging antisemitism in France during the Israel-Hamas war.
Poland, which until the Holocaust was the home of Europe's largest Jewish population, numbering some 3.3 million, is now home to a mere few thousand Jewish residents.
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The performing arts scene in Qatar is ever-evolving. This episode of Qatar 365 gives you a glimpse of the live entertainment options on offer, from traditional dances to modern theatre. First, Aadel Haleem followed the crowds to the Darb Al Saai festival, highlighting the importance of retaining Qatari heritage, like the art of 'Ardha', a traditional sword dance.
When Qatar was populated by Bedouins and tribes, the folk dance of 'Ardha' was performed to lift the spirits of returning soldiers or fighters. Nowadays, elders preserve this art by teaching the younger generation during cultural celebrations. Um Mubarak Al-Mohannadi, head of The Al Khor Traditional Art Band, performs songs that used to be part of their ancestors' daily lives and explained the importance of sharing the knowledge of times gone by.
Alongside traditional arts, Qatar has a thriving modern arts scene. Amateur performing group, "The Doha Players", was established in 1954 and has put together more than 200 productions from various authors and genres. The community welcomes everyone from actors to technicians. The volunteers use their free time to share their passion for drama. Laila Humairah went behind the scenes to meet the cast of their latest show, a musical production of the children's fantasy book series, The Lightning Thief.