Israel blames Hezbollah for escalating tensions, Houthi attacks US ship, Washington accuses Iran of ignoring ship in distress

On June 16, the tense situation in the Israel-Lebanon border and Red Sea area continued to develop complicatedly, with warnings of the risk of causing devastating consequences for the entire Middle East.

The Houthi movement claimed to have launched a missile attack on the civilian ship Captain Paris on June 16. (Source: RT)

The Times of Israel quoted Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari as warning about the increased cross-border firepower of Hezbollah in Lebanon aimed at Israel, stating: "Hezbollah's increasingly aggressive attitude is pushing us to the brink of an escalation that could spread further, with devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region."

According to Mr. Hagari, Israel will take “necessary measures to protect civilians – until security along our border with Lebanon is restored.”

Last week, Hezbollah carried out its largest missile and drone attack in eight months of fighting with the Israeli military since the war in the Gaza Strip began.

The United States and France are currently seeking a negotiating opportunity to end hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border. However, Hezbollah has said it will not cease fire unless Israel ends its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

According to observers, the Hezbollah-Israel conflict is currently showing signs of serious escalation as both sides continue to carry out cross-border attacks.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Reuters quoted an announcement from the Houthi movement in Yemen saying that this force attacked US ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea with ballistic missiles.

In a statement, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the targets included a destroyer and two civilian ships named Captain Paris and Happy Condor, but it was unclear whether they hit their targets.

Also on June 16, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) accused an Iranian warship of ignoring a distress signal from a civilian ship on fire in the Red Sea.

Specifically, the MV Verbena, owned by Ukraine and operated by Poland, has been on fire since June 13 when it was attacked by Houthi forces in Yemen with missiles.

According to CENTCOM, the Iranian warship IRIN Jamaran did not respond to a distress call from MV Verbena from a distance of 14 km. On June 15, the crew abandoned MV Verbena after being rescued by another civilian vessel due to the fire they could not control.

“The Houthis’ reckless actions threaten regional stability and endanger the lives of seafarers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” CENTCOM said. “CENTCOM will continue to act with our partners to hold the Houthis accountable and degrade their military capabilities.”

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/chao-lua-trung-dong-israel-do-cho-hezbollah-gay-leo-thang-cang-thang-houthi-tan-cong-tau-my-washington-to-iran-phot-lo-tau-gap-nan-275259.html