From the Liveblog of
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Senior Hamas and Houthi figures held rare meeting to coordinate actions against Israel
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Senior figures from Hamas and Yemen’s Houthi rebels held a rare meeting to discuss coordinating their actions against Israel, Palestinian factional sources tell AFP.
Hamas and the Houthis belong to the “axis of resistance,” a collection of Iran-backed movements hostile to Israel and the United States that also includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iraqi militias.
The Houthis have attacked Red Sea shipping for months since the Israel-Hamas war was triggered by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 attack, saying they are targeting Israeli-linked vessels in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
According to sources from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, leaders from the two Palestinian Islamist terror groups, as well as the Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, held an “important meeting” with Houthi representatives last week.
The groups discussed “mechanisms to coordinate their actions of resistance” for the “next stage” of the war in Gaza, the sources say without identifying where the meeting took place.
The Palestinian groups and the Houthis also talked about a possible Israeli ground assault into southern Gaza’s Rafah, say the sources, who requested anonymity.
The Houthis confirmed they would continue their attacks on Red Sea shipping to “support the Palestinian resistance,” according to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad sources.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.