Yemeni FM: Houthi Immoral Aggression Continues

A Houthi boat in the Red Sea, where the group controls Hodeidah ports (EPA)
A Houthi boat in the Red Sea, where the group controls Hodeidah ports (EPA)
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Yemeni FM: Houthi Immoral Aggression Continues

A Houthi boat in the Red Sea, where the group controls Hodeidah ports (EPA)
A Houthi boat in the Red Sea, where the group controls Hodeidah ports (EPA)

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak affirmed on Thursday that the Houthi aggression in Yemen continues "using immoral methods," accusing the group of thwarting peace efforts.

Bin Mubarak referred to the economic war the group was waging by targeting financial capabilities, facilities, and oil tankers with Iranian drones, which halted oil exports.

The Yemeni government seeks diplomatic support for its legitimate position.

Speaking to diplomats at the Hungarian Academy on the sidelines of his visit to Budapest, the Yemeni minister said that the ongoing conflict in Yemen runs between a group represented by a legitimate government seeking to preserve their freedom and basic rights and liberate their land and an aggressive sectarian Iran-backed militia seeking to establish a repressive, tyrannical regime.

Saba reported that bin Mubarak met Arab ambassadors and discussed with them the recent political developments in his country and the negative attitude of the Houthi militia towards efforts to achieve peace.

Official media reported that bin Mubarak touched on Iranian interference in Yemen affairs, Tehran's establishment of sectarian militias, and its attempts to replace sects with states and militias instead of armies to achieve its expansionist ambitions.

He indicated that the group is pressuring businessmen in areas under its control to stop importing through Aden Port.

They want to prevent the distribution of subsidized gas extracted from Maerib in areas still under militia control and replace it with Iranian gas, to be sold for Houthis' benefit.

The FM discussed the negative and non-constructive position of the Houthi militia towards the peace process, accusing it of thwarting efforts aimed at stopping the war and ending its disastrous humanitarian repercussions.

- Economic decline

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government suffers from severe economic conditions due to the cessation of oil exports because of Houthi attacks, amid fears of a resumption of battles.

The Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Waed Bathib, said before The UN High-Level Political Forum in New York City that the crisis is worsening in Yemen.

He explained that 60 percent of the population suffers from food insecurity and 80 percent needs humanitarian assistance, adding that about 4.3 million people have been displaced.

Bathib pointed to the high external indebtedness in his country and the economy's contraction by more than 50 percent of the GDP, pointing to the decline in public revenues, the rise in poverty to about 80 percent, and the worsening financial situation as a result of the Houthi militia's targeting of oil export ports by drones.

Furthermore, the head of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, confirmed that progress had yet to be made to renew the truce and launch peace talks, despite the UN, international, and regional efforts.

Alimi accused Houthis of seeking to perpetuate chaos and starve Yemenis in all regions.

The Houthis have threatened to attack oil export ports and target cargo ships if the legitimate government resumes exports.

The militias rejected international and regional proposals to renew and expand the truce and agree on coordinated steps to pay the salaries of public employees.



Israeli Officials Say They Want to Avoid All-Out War in Lebanon Retaliation

FILED - 14 June 2024, Lebanon, Janta: A view of destroyed cars in front of a Hezbollah three-story building that was demolished in an Israeli overnight air raid in the southern Lebanese village of Janata. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 14 June 2024, Lebanon, Janta: A view of destroyed cars in front of a Hezbollah three-story building that was demolished in an Israeli overnight air raid in the southern Lebanese village of Janata. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
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Israeli Officials Say They Want to Avoid All-Out War in Lebanon Retaliation

FILED - 14 June 2024, Lebanon, Janta: A view of destroyed cars in front of a Hezbollah three-story building that was demolished in an Israeli overnight air raid in the southern Lebanese village of Janata. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 14 June 2024, Lebanon, Janta: A view of destroyed cars in front of a Hezbollah three-story building that was demolished in an Israeli overnight air raid in the southern Lebanese village of Janata. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa

Israel wants to hurt Hezbollah but not drag the Middle East into all-out war, two Israeli officials said on Monday, as Lebanon braced for retaliation after a rocket strike that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Two other Israeli officials said Israel was preparing for the possibility of a few days of fighting following Saturday's rocket strike at a sports field in a Druze town that it blamed on the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has denied any connection with the incident.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said any Israeli attack on Lebanon would have "serious consequences" for Israel, Iranian state media quoted him on Monday as telling French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call. Pezeshkian did not elaborate.

All four Israeli officials, who included a senior defense official and a diplomatic source, spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity and gave no further information about Israel's plans for retaliation.

"The estimation is that the response will not lead to an all-out war," said the diplomatic source. "That would not be in our interest at this point."

The incident has increased concerns that months of cross-border hostilities between Israel and the heavily armed Hezbollah could spiral into a broader, more destructive war.

An Israeli drone strike killed two Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon on Monday, security sources said. They were the first fatalities in Lebanon since Saturday's incident. Three other people including an infant were wounded in that strike, according to an official in the Lebanese civil defense.

The Israeli military said its air defenses downed a drone that crossed from Lebanon into the Western Galilee area on Monday.

'LIMITED' RESPONSE FLAGGED

Israel's security cabinet has authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to decide on the manner and timing of a response to Saturday's strike in the Golan town of Majdal Shams.

Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted unidentified officials as saying the response would be "limited but significant".

The report said options ranged from a limited attack on infrastructure, including bridges, power plants and ports, to hitting Hezbollah arms depots or targeting Hezbollah commanders.

In a statement issued by his office on Monday after he visited Majdal Shams, Netanyahu said: "The state of Israel will not and cannot let this pass. Our response will come and it will be harsh."

Prompted by the Gaza war, the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have been their worst since they went to war in 2006.

Hezbollah, an ally of Palestinian armed group Hamas, has said its campaign of rocket and drone attacks on Israel has aimed to support the Palestinians, and indicated it will only cease fire when Israel's offensive on Gaza stops.

The conflict at the Israel-Lebanon border has forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes on both sides.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday, emphasized the importance of preventing escalation of the conflict, the US State Department said.

They discussed efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to allow citizens on both sides of the border to return home.

Washington has also blamed Hezbollah for the rocket strike.

The White House later reiterated its stance that Israel has every right to respond to Hezbollah following Saturday's attack.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby also said the Golan incident should not affect ongoing negotiations to clinch a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held there by Hamas.

The UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon said it had intensified contacts with Israel and Lebanese authorities to dial down tensions. "Nobody wants to start a wider conflict, but a miscalculation could trigger one. There is still space for a diplomatic solution," UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said.

Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib stressed the need for "self-restraint to avoid a regional war" during talks with the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

Flights at Beirut's international airport have been cancelled or delayed. Jordan's flag carrier Royal Jordanian has suspended flights to Beirut on Monday and Tuesday, Jordanian TV reported, citing a statement from the airline.

Both Israel and Hezbollah have appeared at pains to avoid a full-scale war since they began trading blows in October.

Hezbollah has denied firing the rocket that killed the youngsters. It said on Saturday it had fired a missile against a military target on the Golan, a border region Israel seized from Syria after the 1967 Middle East war and has since annexed in a move not generally recognized internationally.

Israeli strikes have killed around 350 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and more than 100 civilians, including medics, children and journalists, according to security and medical sources and a Reuters tally of Hezbollah death notifications.

Israel says 23 civilians have been killed in Hezbollah attacks since October, along with at least 17 soldiers.