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Jordanian Ministers Resign in Preparation for Cabinet Reshuffle

Jordanian Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh
Jordanian Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh
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Jordanian Ministers Resign in Preparation for Cabinet Reshuffle

Jordanian Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh
Jordanian Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh

Jordanian government ministers, on Monday, tendered their resignations in anticipation of a cabinet reshuffle, marking the seventh such reshuffle since the formation of Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh’s government in October 2020.

Meanwhile, government sources have ruled out any changes affecting sovereign portfolios.

The ministerial shake up comes just days after the announcement of the fourth and final session for the Jordanian parliament, whose constitutional term concludes next summer.

This development occurs amidst active party dynamics aiming to participate in upcoming elections.

The electoral law has allocated 41 seats in the upcoming parliament out of a total of 138 exclusively for the party lists.

While it is almost certain that at least two current members of the House of Representatives will join the new ministerial team, sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the new ministers will take their constitutional oath before Jordan’s monarch, King Abdullah, on Tuesday.

Sources indicate that Khasawneh’s move to introduce at least two current members of the House of Representatives into the reshuffle may set the stage for an impending confrontation between the two branches of government.

This is especially significant given the desire of other parliamentarians to secure ministerial positions.

As the House of Representatives approaches the end of its constitutional term starting in mid-July, the situation is further complicated by the constitutional requirement to hold parliamentary elections within the four months preceding the end of the House’s four-year term.

The final results for the current House of Representatives were declared on November 15, 2020.

Including lawmakers into the ministerial team requires them to first submit their resignations from parliament before they can take the constitutional oath before the King.

This requirement stems from constitutional amendments approved at the beginning of 2022, which expressly prohibit holding both parliamentary and ministerial positions concurrently.

The current House of Representatives marks a historical departure from previous parliamentary bodies, as it underwent changes with the removal of two deputies, the lifting of parliamentary immunity for MP Imad Al-Adwan, who faces charges of smuggling weapons to Israel, and the passing of two other deputies.

Khasawneh’s leadership may pave the way for the continued connection between the government’s term and that of parliament members. This is particularly notable because the past three parliamentary sessions have completed their constitutional terms.

However, it's worth noting that the previous parliament only dealt with two different government heads: Hani Mulki, who resigned in mid-2018 amidst public protests against the income tax law, was replaced for the remaining two years of the eighteenth parliamentary session by then Prime Minister Omar Razzaz.

Regarding the expected ministerial reshuffle, sources have hinted at possible changes.

These include the departure of ministers responsible for information and water resources, the separation of the Ministry of Transport from the Ministry of Public Works, and the separation of the Ministry of Labor from the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply.

However, sources have not definitively confirmed the rumors regarding ministerial reshuffling.

Among the parliamentarians, Omar Al Ayasra from the governorate of Jerash in northern Amman and Khair Abu Saelik from the fourth district in Amman are considered strong contenders for cabinet positions.

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Arab World

Syria Says Northeast Pipeline Damaged in Sabotage Attack

Security forces in Syria. (SANA file)
Security forces in Syria. (SANA file)
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Syria Says Northeast Pipeline Damaged in Sabotage Attack

Security forces in Syria. (SANA file)
Security forces in Syria. (SANA file)

Syria's state petroleum company said on Wednesday that an oil pipeline in the country's northeast was damaged in a "sabotage attack", the third such incident in recent weeks.

Years of civil war before the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in late 2024 devastated Syria's oil, gas and electricity sectors, with the country becoming heavily reliant on imports to meet its needs.

In a statement, the Syrian Petroleum Company said the pipeline near "the Tal Hamis area in Al-Hasakeh Governorate was subjected to a sabotage attack at 6:00 am on Wednesday, October 7, resulting in damage to the pipeline".

It added that maintenance crews were working to "isolate the damaged section and begin repair and maintenance work".

The company said authorities arrested the alleged perpetrators and referred them to the judiciary.

On September 29, sabotage targeting a gas pipeline in eastern Syria caused an explosion, according to state news agency SANA.

In early October, an explosion at a gas pipeline near the capital Damascus took three power stations offline.

The incidents come after demonstrations last month over rising fuel prices, which authorities linked to price hikes caused by the Middle East war.

Arab World

IMF Announces Policy Advisory Program for War-Ravaged Yemen

An internally displaced Yemeni woman cooks a meal for her children at a makeshift camp for the internally displaced who fled their homes due to renewed clashes between Yemen's government forces and the Houthi militants in the northern Hajjah governorate on October 7, 2026. (AFP)
An internally displaced Yemeni woman cooks a meal for her children at a makeshift camp for the internally displaced who fled their homes due to renewed clashes between Yemen's government forces and the Houthi militants in the northern Hajjah governorate on October 7, 2026. (AFP)
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IMF Announces Policy Advisory Program for War-Ravaged Yemen

An internally displaced Yemeni woman cooks a meal for her children at a makeshift camp for the internally displaced who fled their homes due to renewed clashes between Yemen's government forces and the Houthi militants in the northern Hajjah governorate on October 7, 2026. (AFP)
An internally displaced Yemeni woman cooks a meal for her children at a makeshift camp for the internally displaced who fled their homes due to renewed clashes between Yemen's government forces and the Houthi militants in the northern Hajjah governorate on October 7, 2026. (AFP)

The International Monetary Fund said Wednesday it had approved an 18-month program to help war-ravaged Yemen achieve economic stabilization and strengthen its macroeconomic frameworks, even as its war rages on.

The IMF's "Staff-Monitored Program" offers technical assistance but does not have a financial component.

Yemen is among the poorest countries in the world and has been combatting a Houthi coup for years. The war has caused a humanitarian crisis that has left most of the population dependent on aid to survive.

The Iran-backed Houthis, who control most of northwest Yemen, captured swathes of coastal land from Yemen's pro-government forces in September after the war reignited in July.

The new fighting has displaced more than 200,000 people within the country, the United Nations said Wednesday. In total, the country has more than 5.2 million internally displaced people, with nearly two-thirds of the total population in need of humanitarian aid.

Yemen's legitimate government says it is aiming to retake all Houthi-controlled territory.

The IMF noted that Yemen's economic outlook was "challenging," after five straight years of contraction.

Real GDP contracted by 1.5 percent in 2026 "amid deteriorating terms of trade linked to the conflict in the Middle East, persistent energy shortages, and weak domestic demand," the Fund said in its statement.

The IMF noted that the country remained heavily dependent on remittances and donor assistance to finance its humanitarian-driven import bill.

The country's reserves are slated to remain below adequate levels, even with Saudi budgetary support.

The Fund said the new program aims to "strengthen public finances" in the next year, focusing on increasing domestic revenue mobilization and rationalizing government spending.

Even before the latest round of violence and displacement, Yemeni faced one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world, according to the UN.

More than 18 million people nationwide face acute food insecurity, with around 2.2 million children under five classified as acutely malnourished, as per World Food Program figures.

The WFP warned on Friday of an "absolutely devastating" food crisis and said it needed $109 million to provide emergency food and nutrition assistance for up to 1.5 million people affected by the escalation.

Arab World

Houthis Attack Aden’s International Airport

Houthi fighters ride in a pickup truck on a street, in Sanaa, Yemen, 07 October 2026. (EPA)
Houthi fighters ride in a pickup truck on a street, in Sanaa, Yemen, 07 October 2026. (EPA)
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Houthis Attack Aden’s International Airport

Houthi fighters ride in a pickup truck on a street, in Sanaa, Yemen, 07 October 2026. (EPA)
Houthi fighters ride in a pickup truck on a street, in Sanaa, Yemen, 07 October 2026. (EPA)

Yemen's terrorist Houthi militia attacked Aden's international airport with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones on Wednesday, the country's Transport Ministry said, as fighting between the Iran-aligned group and legitimate government forces intensified. 

One missile landed near the runway minutes before a flight from Cairo was due to land, the ministry said. The airport is the main international gateway for parts of Yemen outside Houthi control. 

The ministry said the attack happened while passengers were waiting for a 3:00 AM flight bound for Jeddah. At the time, two aircraft, one belonging to Yemenia Airways and the other to Aden Airways, were stationary on the tarmac, placing passengers, airport staff, and flight crews in immediate danger. 

The risks arising from the attack prompted authorities to cancel the landing of an incoming flight from Cairo and diverting it to Jeddah. The two stationary aircraft were moved away from the danger zone, while Houthi drones were detected in the airspace over Aden. 

The Ministry of Transport said that targeting the airport is a dangerous escalation and a violation of international laws and norms that provide protection for civil aviation, airports, and civilian facilities.  

It warned of the attack's repercussions on the safety of air navigation and the lives of passengers and workers. 

It called on the international community and organizations concerned with civil aviation, led by the International Civil Aviation Organization, to condemn the attack and assume their responsibilities in protecting airports, civilian facilities, and commercial aviation from military targeting. 

The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights condemned the attack, considering the targeting of Aden airport a grave violation of the rules of international humanitarian law, and a threat to civilians' rights to life, security, and freedom of movement. 

It recalled the Houthi attack on Aden airport on December 30, 2020, which coincided with the arrival of the Yemeni government and resulted at the time in casualties, injuries, and damage to the airport and its facilities. 

In the city of Taiz, which is besieged by the Houthis, five civilians were injured following Houthi shelling that struck the Al-Shamasi and Al-Thawra areas in the city center, according to a medical source. 

Battles have focused in recent days on areas around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a shipping route that has become more crucial for energy exports since the conflict between the US and Iran restricted trade through the Strait of Hormuz. 

This week, Yemeni government forces with Saudi-led coalition air support launched a counteroffensive to recapture strategic territory near the strait and around the town of Mokha that the Houthis had captured in September. 

The fighting, a spillover from the wider US-Iran conflict, has revived a complex 12-year war ‌in Yemen that ‌led to one of the worst humanitarian crises globally and fragmented the Arab world's most impoverished country. The ‌number ⁠of people displaced since ⁠the latest round of fighting began has risen to more than 200,000, the International Organization for Migration said on Wednesday. 

"People are running for their lives and finding nowhere safe to go," said IOM Director General Amy Pope, who called for more funding amid rising needs for food and shelter. Both sides allege that hundreds of people have been killed in fighting, without providing details. The UN says three in four families are going hungry in parts of Yemen. 

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted infrastructure including airports, oil refineries and pipelines in Saudi Arabia. 

One person was killed and eight wounded in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh, and two were killed and 28 wounded in an attack on facilities at Abha airport, ⁠Saudi civil aviation authorities said in a statement on Wednesday. 

One of the attacks was on Wednesday ‌and the other on Tuesday, it said. 

On ‌Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of the Saudi capital Riyadh. It said it was tracking the ‌launch platform over Houthi-controlled Sanaa and would destroy it. 

Any Houthi stranglehold on the Strait could threaten shipping or global oil flows.  

Fighting on the western front remains concentrated in the Dhubab district overlooking Bab al-Mandeb, with pro-government forces attempting an advance in the strategic hills to the east of that coastal plain, Yemeni military and government sources said. 

On Monday the Yemeni government said it had reached Mokha, which sits at a junction with a supply route to the critical battleground of Taiz, but the claim had been premature, according to Yemeni military officials on the ground and analysts.