Eritrea severs diplomatic ties with Ethiopia after 10 diplomats expelled
Eritrea's foreign ministry announced on Thursday that it was cutting all diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, in response to Addis Ababa's decision to expel ten Eritrean diplomats. The move coincides with renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia, and Al Jazeera reports that Ethiopia had closed its embassy in Asmara. Separately, Egypt expelled an Ethiopian diplomat on Thursday on a reciprocal basis, after Ethiopia had expelled an Egyptian diplomat, according to RT Arabic.
Why it matters The break raises the risk of further tension in the Horn of Africa, which borders the Red Sea, a waterway vital to Arab shipping and trade. The expulsions exchanged with Egypt also point to a widening circle of diplomatic disputes involving Ethiopia in the region.
Yemeni forces say they hit Sanaa targets as coalition intercepts Houthi drones and missiles
Yemen's government forces announced air strikes on Sanaa, Saada and Taiz, saying they targeted sites in the capital that they described as high value. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted Houthi drones and missiles launched toward southern Saudi Arabia. It also accused the Ansar Allah group of attacking the Taiba power station in Medina.
Houthis deny striking Medina power station as UAE condemns reported attack
A Houthi military source told the Saba news agency that reports of an attack on a power station in Medina, Saudi Arabia, are false, calling them a fabrication with no basis. The UAE, however, condemned in the strongest terms what it described as a Houthi drone strike on the Taiba electricity distribution station in the city, according to Sky News Arabia. The available material includes no independent confirmation of either account.
