The Israeli Air Force has begun carrying out a series of strikes on Yemen's Hudayda port.

Another series of apparent Israeli airstrikes rocking Sanaa this afternoon.

If the Israelis are willing to hit Hamas in Doha, it certainly raises the question of if the same is true of the Houthi/AA delegation in Muscat. Just one of many reverberating through the region at the moment…

It Only Tuesday https://theonion.com/it-only-tuesday-1819569397/

APNewsAlert: TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says Houthi drone from Yemen has hit near Israel's southern airport, halting flights.

Houthi/AA-aligned authorities carrying out another crackdown on international organizations operating in areas under their control today, this time storming WFP's office in Sanaa and reportedly arresting a number of WFP and UNICEF staff members.

Houthi authorities confirm the chatter that Houthi-aligned PM, Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi, and several other (unnamed) ministers were killed in a recent Israeli airstrike in Sanaa. althawrah.ye/archives/104...

"Chicago Pope" is like a 1994 SNL sketch. Airs at 12:20am, the only gag is that Chris Farley has a mustache and is doing a big accent. David Spade and the guest host (Joe Mantegna) keep breaking during it.

If youre not burning your battery from refreshing your phone every 30 seconds, are you really a Catholic millennial?

The Al-Sabah Collection’s Ancient South Arabian art holdings are absolutely incredible—a must see for anyone passing through Kuwait.

Rounds of Israeli airstrikes currently targeting Sanaa international airport.

www.vatican.va/content/fran... From Pope Francis' Easter message yesterday, "Urbi et Orbi"

"the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle." www.americamagazine.org/faith/2013/0...

“We suffer from a deficit of internationalism… I can’t help but be fond of the Argentine soccer fan currently inhabiting the biggest house in Rome. This is virtually the only world leader to stand up and insist on human solidarity, the unity of the human species, in almost every speech he makes.”

"For it is by drinking of that same love that we become capable of forging bonds of fraternity, of recognizing the dignity of each human being, and of working together to care for our common home." www.vatican.va/content/fran...

We love you, Francis. www.reuters.com/world/pope-f...

"Losing a Head," a grumly humorous short story by Yemeni writer Abdoo Taj, up at @wasafirimag.bsky.social (my translation) www.wasafiri.org/content/excl...

Some reflections from a week in Yemen. On a wider level, the Trump administration's escalation potentially upsets a relative stalemate in a decades-long conflict. On the ground, it has recentered the war amidst the discordant, resiliency normalcy of the rhythms of Ramadan.

As THAT signal chat was unfolding I was—by sheer coincidence—chewing qat in a diwan overlooking the Gulf of Aden. Some reflections from a Ramadan visit to Yemen that saw the country’s long-simmering conflict suddenly turn into headline news.

Tragic irony: the Atlantic story will end up getting far more attention than Yemen's devastating, decade and a half long conflict, which the US has long been deeply entangled in.

Seeing the line “Nobody knows who the Houthis are” in a text chain preceding the decision to launch a military operation in Yemen really has me questioning my life choices more than usual today.

This is even bigger than that time Yemen was mentioned in House of Cards…

No escape. Tawahi, Aden, Yemen.

The escalation continues: In a fresh statement, Houthi military spox Yahya Saree claims the group launched a combination missile/drone attack on the USS Harry Truman, vowing to confront any further military actions by the US or Israelis.

An apparent Houthis response: appears the group has launched an attack of their own in the Red Sea, targeting--according to some local reports--the USS Truman. Statement from the group expected within the hour.

This is all increasing sounding like a more bombastic repackaging of the previous administration’s anti-Houthi actions…

Al-Hadath reporting a series of airstrikes in Yemen’s Saleef district (north of the the port of Hudayda on the Red Sea coast).

Never a good sign when Yemen is front page news…

In his speech responding to yesterday's spate of US strikes in Yemen, Abdulmalek al-Houthi sounds an expectedly defiant tone, mirroring Trump administration's promise to continue strikes until the Houthis hold fire in the Red Sea by vowing to target American ships until US air strikes stop.

On the one hand, an odd statement coming the day after a series of US strikes against one side in Yemen’s civil war. On the other hand, an indication that the intervention in Yemen will remain dominated by kinetic actions rather than support to the Yemeni government or other Houthi adversaries.

The Biden administration framed its airstrikes against the Houthis as a limited effort to "deter and degrade" the group's capability to stage attacks. While dust hasn't fully settled, the targets of tonight's strikes seem to broadly fit into that pattern--with a few key caveats.

Accidentally lengthy thread largely on framings of the Houthis.

I keep seeing increasing amounts of analysis framing the Houthis as "the new Hezbollah" or "the new leaders of the Axis of Resistance" and, at times, Abdulmalek himself as the "new Nasrallah" and, tbh, that whole line of framing strikes me as overly simplistic at best. (1)

A series of US air strikes in Sanaa as Trump launches his second term’s first round of attacks against the Houthis. Considering the statement accompanying the strikes says they’ll “overwhelming lethal force” until they declare an end to attacks on Red Sea shipping, its unlikely to be the last one.

What is the best reality tv show of the past three decades and why is it Airline.

Following yesterday’s State Department designation, specific OFAC sanctions against a number of key Houthi/AA leaders, including Mohamed Abdulsalem and Abdulmalek al-Ajri, two of the key diplomatic faces of the movement, and Mahdi al-Mashat, the ostensible head of state of Houthi-governed Yemen.

The US Department of State has just designated the Houthis/Ansar Allah an Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Has Trump always used the word "cherished" this much? I feel like it wasn't this much of a heavy hitter in his lexicon until recently.

BREAKING: Critic magazine proprietor Lord Kronsteen announces an important change of direction for the SKETCH.

Google’s AI function truly is a disaster.

The Holy Father is back at work. Incredible.

APNewsAlert: ROME (AP) — Pope Francis shows slight improvement in laboratory tests, resumes work including calling parish in Gaza.

Election coverage in the international media can usually be neatly divided between people trying to explain to you what happened in a foreign country and the people explaining politics in your own country using a foreign country as a dodgy metaphor.

“Let us learn to adore God in his smallness, in his kingship that does not crush but rather sets us free and enables us to serve with dignity." www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262301/...

We love you, Francis.

Truly shaping up to be a dramatic season of Spin City.

Regional escalation watch: In a fresh speech, Abdulmalek al-Houthi reiterates readiness to restart attacks in the Red Sea in the event of the collapse of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire, calling for a united front against the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza.

Seems quite likely that any steps taken to implement the new Trump Gaza policy would lead to an end to the current lull in Yemen and a resumption of Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.

This press conference might be the most insane thing I've ever seen in my entire life. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx1X...