Filipino soldiers fight off ‘armed’ Chinese coastguard with ‘bare hands’ in disputed South China Sea
Filipino soldiers used their “bare hands” to fight off armed Chinese coastguard in the disputed South China Sea, a Philippine military chief has said.
General Romeo Brawner Jr, head of the Philippine armed forces, accused Chinese personnel of boarding more than eight motorboats and repeatedly ramming, then boarding, two inflatable vessels on Monday.
Comparing the act to piracy, he said the Chinese had bladed weapons and tried to prevent the transfer of food, firearms and other supplies to a Philippine territorial outpost in the disputed area of the Second Thomas Shoal.
Hostilities between the two countries have escalated in and around the shoal – where the Philippines grounded the BRP Sierra Madre ship in 1999 to create the outpost – which is also claimed by Beijing.
Sirens blared constantly as both sides could be heard yelling at each other in video footage. Pic: Armed forces of the Philippines
Damage allegedly caused by the Chinese coastguard. Pic: Armed forces of the Philippines
Footage released by the Philippine military on Wednesday showed the dispute, with Chinese personnel brandishing what appeared to be machetes, knives, axes, hammers and sticks while surrounding two supply boats.
Sirens blared constantly as both sides could be heard yelling at each other. The Chinese appeared to smash the Philippine navy boat with a pole and images showed its side floaters slashed and deflated, and another boat with its windshields and navigational screens shattered.
One Filipino solider lost his right thumb and a number of others were injured as M4 rifles, navigation equipment and other supplies were seized, two Philippine security officials said.
“Only pirates do this. Only pirates board, steal, and destroy ships, equipment, and belongings,” Gen Brawner said.
He demanded the Chinese return all firearms and equipment and “pay for the damage they caused”.
The Philippines has demanded China pays for the alleged damage. Pic: Armed forces of the Philippines
A damaged Philippine navy inflatable boat. Pic: Armed forces of the Philippines
China blamed the Philippines for the confrontation, saying Filipino personnel “trespassed” into the shoal, ignoring its warnings.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Chinese coastguard took “professional law-enforcement measures”, accusing the Philippines of illegally supplying its vessels.
“No direct measures were taken against the Philippine personnel,” he added.
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The incident prompted the US to renew a warning that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, a treaty ally.
In addition to China and the Philippines – Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have conflicting territorial claims in the waterway.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea – a claim invalidated by an international tribunal in 2016.
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Philippines: China is a ‘big concern’
In January, Manila and Beijing agreed to improve maritime communication through talks, especially regarding the shoal.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela described China’s actions as “provocative, unprofessional and inhumane”.
“They serve as a clear indication that humanity has once again allowed barbarism to trample upon compassion, and that what is right is only defined by might,” he wrote on X after the latest clash.
Israel has approved a plan to capture all of the Gaza Strip and remain there for an unspecified length of time, Israeli officials say.
According to Reuters, the plan includes distributing aid, though supplies will not be let in yet.
The Israeli official told the agency that the newly approved offensive plan would move Gaza’s civilian population southward and keep humanitarian aid from falling into Hamas’s hands.
On Sunday, the United Nations rejected what it said was a new plan for aid to be distributed in what it described as Israeli hubs.
Israeli cabinet ministers approved plans for the new offensive on Monday morning, hours after it was announced that tens of thousands of reserve soldiers are being called up.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far failed to achieve his goal of destroying Hamas or returning all the hostages, despite more than a year of brutal war in Gaza.
Palestinian children struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza. Pic: AP
Officials say the plan will help with these war aims but it would also push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.
They said the plan included the “capturing of the strip and the holding of territories”.
It would also try to prevent Hamas from distributing humanitarian aid, which Israel says strengthens the group’s rule in Gaza.
The UN rejected the plan, saying it would leave large parts of the population, including the most vulnerable, without supplies.
It said it “appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy”.
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IDF reservists call for end to war in Gaza
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More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed since the IDF launched its ground offensive in the densely-populated territory, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
It followed the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw around 250 people taken hostage.
A fragile ceasefire that saw a pause in the fighting and the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners collapsed earlier this year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate against the Houthis and their Iranian “masters” after the group launched a missile attack on the country’s main international airport.
A missile fired by the group from Yemen landed near Ben Gurion Airport, causing panic among passengers in the terminal building.
“Attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran,” Mr Netanyahu wrote on X. “Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters.”
Israeli police officers investigate the missile crater. Pic: Reuters
The missile impact left a plume of smoke and briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at the airport. Some international carriers have cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv for several days.
Four people were lightly wounded, paramedic service Magen David Adom said.
Air raid sirens went off across Israel and footage showed passengers yelling and rushing for cover.
The attack came hours before senior Israeli cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify the country’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, and as the army began calling up thousands of reserves in anticipation of a wider operation in the enclave.
Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport.
Iran’s defence minister later told a state TV broadcaster that if the country was attacked by the US or Israel, it would target their bases, interests and forces where necessary.
Israel’s military said several attempts to intercept the missile were unsuccessful.
Air, road and rail traffic were halted after the attack, police said, though it resumed around an hour later.
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Yemen’s Houthis have been firing missiles at Israel since its war with Hamas in Gaza began on 7 October 2023, and while most have been intercepted, some have penetrated the country’s missile defence systems and caused damage.
Israel has previously struck the group in Yemen in retaliation and the US and UK have also launched strikes after the Houthis began attacking international shipping, saying it was in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas.
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