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Yemeni-Iraqi Talks in Baghdad Seek to Bolster Relations

Yemeni Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak (L) attends a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein (R) after their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Baghdad, Iraq, 23 July 2023. (EPA)
Yemeni Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak (L) attends a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein (R) after their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Baghdad, Iraq, 23 July 2023. (EPA)
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Yemeni-Iraqi Talks in Baghdad Seek to Bolster Relations

Yemeni Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak (L) attends a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein (R) after their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Baghdad, Iraq, 23 July 2023. (EPA)
Yemeni Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak (L) attends a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein (R) after their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Baghdad, Iraq, 23 July 2023. (EPA)

Iraq welcomed Saudi efforts to resolve the crisis in Yemen, including the efforts that led to the declaration of the Riyadh Agreement in 2019.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein held talks with his Yemeni counterpart Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak in Baghdad on Sunday.

During a joint press conference, Hussein said Baghdad was keen on reopening its embassy in Yemen as soon as stability is restored in the country.

Iraq backs efforts to achieve calm and kick off dialogue between all Yemeni parties, he added.

Moreover, he hoped that the undeclared nationwide truce in Yemen would be translated into political calm and dialogue, adding that Baghdad was willing to cooperate to that end.

“We enjoy good relations with Yemen that we can utilize to help achieve its stability and security,” stressed the official.

“We can work on the regional level in this regard and if there is a need, we are prepared to be part of the solution,” Hussein stated.

Furthermore, he underlined the need to improve the humanitarian situation in Yemen and facilitate the delivery of food.

For his part, bin Mubarak hailed the positive role Iraq plays in Yemen and its role in achieving the truce.

“We are committed to the truce. Now is the time to end the war in Yemen and we are ready to implement a peace agreement,” he declared.

He said his country was suffering from an economic war due to the destruction of oil export ports and difficulty in delivering relief aid.

He also welcomed any Iraqi consular delegation that would be appointed to Yemen.

The FMs held talks on bolstering bilateral relations between their countries. They covered the latest economic and political developments in Yemen, reported Yemen’s state news agency Saba.

Bin Mubarak cited the Iran-backed Houthi militias’ intransigence in extending the truce and ending the conflict. He criticized them for refusing to seriously deal with United Nations and regional peace efforts.

Rather, they have opted to continue their violations against the Yemeni people, he added.

Bin Mubarak spoke of the economic war the Houthis are waging, including their siege of Taiz city and shelling of oil export ports.

The Iraqi and Yemeni foreign ministries signed a political consultations agreement. The officials agreed to bolster relations through the resumption of the meetings of their joint ministerial committee.

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Arab World

French Boats Set Sail to Join Gaza Aid Flotilla

Activists gather in l'Estaque, part of Marseille's harbor, southern France, on April 4, 2026, during a rally in support of a flotilla carrying activists from “Thousand Madleens to Gaza” movement as they prepare to set sail. (AFP)
Activists gather in l'Estaque, part of Marseille's harbor, southern France, on April 4, 2026, during a rally in support of a flotilla carrying activists from “Thousand Madleens to Gaza” movement as they prepare to set sail. (AFP)
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French Boats Set Sail to Join Gaza Aid Flotilla

Activists gather in l'Estaque, part of Marseille's harbor, southern France, on April 4, 2026, during a rally in support of a flotilla carrying activists from “Thousand Madleens to Gaza” movement as they prepare to set sail. (AFP)
Activists gather in l'Estaque, part of Marseille's harbor, southern France, on April 4, 2026, during a rally in support of a flotilla carrying activists from “Thousand Madleens to Gaza” movement as they prepare to set sail. (AFP)

Some 20 French boats set sail from Marseille on Saturday to join up with an international flotilla making a renewed effort to break an Israeli blockade and deliver aid to Gaza, AFP reporters saw.

"Gaza, Marseille is with you" shouted around a thousand people who had come to the docks to support the initiative.

The ships, mostly sailboats, set off to a round of applause and songs shortly after 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) to join the "Global Sumud Flotilla", named after a Gazan fisherman.

The international flotilla of some 100 boats, mostly setting sail from Barcelona on April 12, will head towards Gaza around April 20, according to the organizers. A week-long stopover is planned in southern Italy for "non-violence training."

"The goal is to give Palestine more visibility. We're not talking about it much right now, because of the international context," said Manon, a crew member who declined to give her full name.

In late 2025, an initial flotilla of about 50 boats, composed of political figures and activists such as Sweden's Greta Thunberg, was boarded by the Israeli navy -- illegally according to the organizers and Amnesty International.

The crew members were arrested and expelled by Israel.

The Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Israel and the Palestinian movement accuse each other of violating a ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, 2025, after two years of war.

Arab World

Tens of Thousands of Sadr Supporters Rally in Baghdad Against War

Followers of Iraq's Moqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi national flags during a protest against the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, as they gather in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, 04 April 2026. (EPA)
Followers of Iraq's Moqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi national flags during a protest against the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, as they gather in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, 04 April 2026. (EPA)
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Tens of Thousands of Sadr Supporters Rally in Baghdad Against War

Followers of Iraq's Moqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi national flags during a protest against the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, as they gather in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, 04 April 2026. (EPA)
Followers of Iraq's Moqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi national flags during a protest against the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, as they gather in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, 04 April 2026. (EPA)

Tens of thousands of supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr rallied in Baghdad and across the country on Saturday, condemning Israel and the United States and demanding an end to the war.

The massive crowds came as the Middle East war was due to enter its sixth week after strikes launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28.

Iraq has been unwillingly drawn into the conflict, with strikes targeting US interests on its soil as well as attacks against pro-Iran groups in the country.

Tens of thousands of men and some women packed into the streets around Baghdad's central Tahrir Square on Saturday, waving the national flag and chanting: "No, no to Israel" and "No, no to America".

"What America and Israel are doing in their aggression against the countries of the region is not a war of a military nature, but a senseless war," Dhirgham Samir, attending the rally, told AFP.

"Today's demonstration is an expression of rejection of aggression, arrogance, and injustice throughout the world, not just in Iraq," he said.

Samir, who was in his forties, added that "this is a senseless war, targeting civilians".

Across the region since the onset of war thousands have been killed.

In a statement, Sadr called for peaceful demonstrations "to condemn the Zionist-American aggression and to establish peace in the region".

Under the giant Freedom Monument, commemorating Iraq's declaration of independence, demonstrators also railed against what they said was US and Israeli meddling in the region.

"They violate the rights of all the peoples of the region first, and then the world," cleric Ali Al-Fartousi told AFP.

"Humanity must speak out against these people and stop them," he said, adding: "The time has come for the entire world to stand united against global Zionist-American arrogance."

Sadr retains a devoted following of millions among Iraq's majority Shiite population, and has previously mobilized huge crowds.

As well as popular support, Sadr also has representatives among Iraqi ministries and official institutions, despite opposing several governments over the years.

Arab World

Israeli Forces Destroy 17 UN Peacekeeper Cameras in South Lebanon

A dog lies an empty road outside a Lebanese army outpost in the area of Naqoura in southern Lebanon on March 27, 2026. (AFP)
A dog lies an empty road outside a Lebanese army outpost in the area of Naqoura in southern Lebanon on March 27, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Forces Destroy 17 UN Peacekeeper Cameras in South Lebanon

A dog lies an empty road outside a Lebanese army outpost in the area of Naqoura in southern Lebanon on March 27, 2026. (AFP)
A dog lies an empty road outside a Lebanese army outpost in the area of Naqoura in southern Lebanon on March 27, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli forces destroyed 17 surveillance cameras linked to the United Nations peacekeepers' main headquarters in southern Lebanon in 24 hours, a UN security official told AFP on Saturday.

Since the start of the Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2, the UN force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been caught in the crossfire in the country's south, with Hezbollah launching attacks on Israel and its troops, and Israeli forces pushing into border towns.

The official, who requested anonymity, said "17 of our headquarters' cameras have been destroyed by the Israeli army" in the coastal town of Naqoura.

On Thursday, UNIFIL spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel told AFP peacekeepers had seen "Israeli soldiers conducting demolitions of large parts" of Naqoura since the start of the week.

"Not only have these demolitions destroyed civilian homes and businesses, but the strength of the blasts have caused damage to UNIFIL's headquarters," she added.

Three Indonesian peacekeepers from the UN force have been killed in two separate incidents over the past week.

UNIFIL also reported Friday an "explosion" in one of its bases near Adaisseh in south Lebanon that wounded three personnel, adding that they "do not yet know the origin of the explosion".

The Israeli army accused Hezbollah of firing " a rocket that landed in a UNIFIL outpost".

The UN office in Jakarta said on Saturday the wounded were Indonesian.

Indonesia condemned the incident as "unacceptable", saying "these events underscore the urgent need to strengthen protection for UN peacekeeping forces amid an increasingly dangerous conflict situation".

According to the UN, 97 force members have been killed in violence since its establishment in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces after they invaded Lebanon.

"This has been a difficult week for peacekeepers working near the central part of UNIFIL's area of operations," Ardiel said in her statement.

She added that UNIFIL "reminds all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers, including by avoiding combat activities nearby that could put them in danger".