UN Sanctions Committee Team Holds Meetings with Yemeni Officials in Aden

The sanctions committee affiliated with the UN Security Council during a previous visit to Aden, Yemen (Yemeni government media)
The sanctions committee affiliated with the UN Security Council during a previous visit to Aden, Yemen (Yemeni government media)
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UN Sanctions Committee Team Holds Meetings with Yemeni Officials in Aden

The sanctions committee affiliated with the UN Security Council during a previous visit to Aden, Yemen (Yemeni government media)
The sanctions committee affiliated with the UN Security Council during a previous visit to Aden, Yemen (Yemeni government media)

A team from the international sanctions committee concerned with Yemen is holding ongoing meetings in the city of Aden with civilian and military officials, as well as activists, aiming to compile a comprehensive report on the Yemeni situation by the end of 2023.

The team is expected to submit its findings to the UN Security Council.

The report will encompass political, military, security, and economic aspects. This marks the second visit by the team since the beginning of the year.

According to Yemeni government sources, the team, which arrived in Aden a few days ago, has held several meetings with various officials from government, civilian, military, and security entities.

They have also engaged with human rights activists.

These meetings will continue in the coming days to discuss the issues that will be included in the new annual report, covering military and security aspects, human rights, as well as financial, economic, and anti-corruption matters.

Sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the UN team directed a series of inquiries to these entities related to its work and demanded clarifications on a wide range of issues.

It did not suffice to merely send these questions; instead, the team held direct meetings with officials from those entities and requested detailed answers to all the raised concerns.

According to the sources, the team is reviewing the extent to which these entities adhere to the implementation of all agreements concluded by the international bodies with Yemen’s government, as well as previous recommendations included in the reports.

Due to the continuous refusal of Houthi militias to receive the UN team since the formation of the sanctions committee until now, the sources reported that the team relies on activists and confidential sources to gather information about the situation in areas under Houthi control.

Additionally, the team sends written messages to the group; however, Houthis persistently decline to respond to these inquiries and refuse to engage with the committee, especially concerning the ongoing recruitment of underage individuals and the lack of adherence to the agreement made with the UN in this regard.



Iran Parliament Speaker Visits Beirut Site of Deadliest Israeli Strike

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf after visiting the site of an Israeli air strike on Beirut's Basta neighbourhood - AFP
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf after visiting the site of an Israeli air strike on Beirut's Basta neighbourhood - AFP
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Iran Parliament Speaker Visits Beirut Site of Deadliest Israeli Strike

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf after visiting the site of an Israeli air strike on Beirut's Basta neighbourhood - AFP
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf after visiting the site of an Israeli air strike on Beirut's Basta neighbourhood - AFP

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Saturday denounced Israel's "crimes" as he visited the site of the deadliest Israeli strikes on central Beirut in recent weeks, an AFP photographer said.

A source close to Hezbollah had said Thursday night's strikes in the densely populated Basta neighbourhood and the nearby Nweiri district had targeted the Iran-backed Lebanese group's security chief Wafiq Safa.

While neither Israel's military nor Hezbollah confirmed Safa was the target or commented on his fate, Lebanon's health ministry said the strikes killed at least 22 people -- the deadliest inside the capital in weeks of escalation.

"International organizations and the UN Security Council have the capability (to stop Israel) but they are unfortunately keeping silent," he said.

Earlier Saturday, Ghalibaf met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who told him his government's priority was "to work towards a ceasefire", Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said.

Mikati had on Friday urged the United Nations to pass a resolution calling for an "immediate" ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Ghalibaf told reporters after meeting his counterpart Nabih Berri, a key Hezbollah ally, that Iran "will certainly support the decisions of the Lebanese government, the Lebanese people, and the resistance (Hezbollah) in this period".

When Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Lebanon last week, he said Tehran backed efforts for a simultaneous ceasefire with Israel in both Gaza and Lebanon.

Ghalibaf was expected to head to Geneva later Saturday to participate in the Inter-Parliamentary Union, according Iran's state news agency IRNA.