DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Drones believed to have been launched by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are said to have struck fuel depot causing huge fire: Reports

Multiple explosions have been heard and a huge fire seen in Port Sudan, though the exact locations and causes were unclear, as Sudan’s civil war rocks the previously quiet city for the third day.

Dark plumes of smoke could be seen emerging from the vicinity of the country’s main maritime port in the city, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have sought refuge.

Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, said residents in the port city reported that attack drones launched by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) hit a fuel depot and other targets.

“According to the residents, they believe that it was drone strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces – once again. They targeted a fuel depot in the city but also around the port and the air base,” Morgan said.

The conflict between Sudan’s army and the RSF has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, one likely to be worsened by these latest attacks on Port Sudan, where the United Nations and aid agencies, as well as army-aligned government ministries, have set up headquarters.

Attacks on the Red Sea coastal city, which began on Sunday, represent a sharp escalation in fighting, as Port Sudan had remained untouched by ground or air attacks until this week.

On Sunday, a military base in the city, near the country’s only functioning international airport, was struck by drones, which was followed by the targeting on Monday of fuel depots in the city. In both cases, military sources blamed the RSF.

The attacks came after a military source said the army had destroyed an aircraft and weapons depots in the RSF-controlled Nyala airport. The RSF did not claim responsibility for the attacks.

The attacks this week drew condemnation from neighbours Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as expressions of concern from the UN.

The war between the army and RSF began in April 2023, triggered by a dispute over a transition to civilian government.

The conflict has displaced more than 12 million people in Sudan and pushed half the population into acute hunger, according to the UN.

Air strikes come a day after the Iran-aligned Houthis fired a missile that struck near Israel’s main airport.

The Israeli military says it has carried out air strikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port and a cement factory, claiming the sites were used to support Houthi operations against Israel.

The strikes on Monday injured at least 21 people, the Houthi-run health ministry spokesman Anees al-Asbahi said.

According to the Israeli army, fighter jets struck infrastructure linked to the Houthis, including a cement factory east of Hodeidah that it described as “an important economic resource” used in building tunnels and military infrastructure.

“The Hodeidah seaport serves as a hub for the transfer of Iranian weapons and equipment for military needs,” the Israeli army said in a statement. The claim could not be independently verified.

Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that six Israeli strikes hit Hodeidah’s port and blamed both Israel and the United States.

Axios journalist Barak Ravid quoted a senior US official who said the air raids were coordinated between Israel and the US.

A US defence source told Al Jazeera that “US forces did not participate in the Israeli strikes on Yemen today” but did not deny nonlethal support may have been provided.

The attack was carried out after a ballistic missile fired from Yemen on Sunday struck close to Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pledged retaliation for the Houthi attack, the first known missile to avoid interception since the Yemeni group began targeting Israel in November 2023.

‘New phase’ in Israeli attacks on Yemen

Al Jazeera correspondent Ali Hashem reported that about 30 Israeli warplanes took part in Monday’s operation, which was overseen by Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz from a command centre in Tel Aviv.

Hashem said the strikes mark a “new phase” in Israeli attacks on Yemen.

Since US President Donald Trump returned to power in January, the US has embarked on a more aggressive assault on Yemen “which is related directly to Israeli interests”, Hashem added.

This is not the first time Israel has bombed targets in Yemen. In December, air raids struck the Ras Isa oil terminal and other sites in Hodeidah province, killing at least nine people.

While most Houthi-launched projectiles have been intercepted, Sunday’s attack was the “most significant strike”, Hashem said, since the group launched its campaign in November 2023, which it said is in response to Israel’s war on Gaza and to show solidarity with Palestinians. A drone had previously hit a building in Tel Aviv last year.

Since November 2023, the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks targeting vessels they said are linked to Israel in the Red Sea.

Although the Houthis paused attacks during a ceasefire in Gaza this year, they resumed their operations in March after Israel cut off humanitarian aid to Gaza and resumed its offensive.

US President Donald Trump says he wants to work with his Turkish counterpart to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

United States President Donald Trump says he has had a “very good and productive” telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and they have discussed a wide range of topics, including how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, Syria and Israel’s war on Gaza.

During the call on Monday, Trump said Erdogan had invited him to visit Turkiye and he had extended an invitation for the Turkish leader to visit Washington, DC. No dates were announced.

A readout of the call from the Turkish presidency confirmed Erdogan invited Trump for a visit.

The Republican president, who described his relationship with Erdogan as “excellent” during his first tenure at the White House, said the two countries would cooperate on ending the war in Ukraine.

“I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous but deadly, War between Russia and Ukraine ended – NOW!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform.

NATO member Turkiye has sought to maintain good relations with both of its Black Sea neighbours since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has twice hosted talks aimed at ending the war.

“Noting that he supports President Trump’s approach toward ending wars, President Erdogan expressed appreciation for the efforts exerted to maintain the negotiation process with Iran and stop the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Turkiye’s Directorate of Communications said in a statement posted on X.

Erdogan also raised the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza, warning that its humanitarian crisis had reached a “grave level”, the directorate said.

The Turkish president also stressed the importance of the “uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid and the urgent end to this tragic situation”.

On neighbouring Syria, Erdogan reaffirmed Turkiye’s commitment to preserving its territorial integrity and restoring lasting stability.

He said US efforts to ease sanctions on Syria and its new government would help move that process forward and contribute to regional peace.

Regarding bilateral ties, Erdogan said Ankara remained committed to strengthening cooperation with Washington, particularly in the defence sector.

Trump is due to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week.