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Yemen: Alimi Warns Int’l Community of Laxity towards Houthis, UN Envoy Calls for United Efforts

The Houthis threaten military escalation and use their weapons of Iranian origin (Reuters)
The Houthis threaten military escalation and use their weapons of Iranian origin (Reuters)
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Yemen: Alimi Warns Int’l Community of Laxity towards Houthis, UN Envoy Calls for United Efforts

The Houthis threaten military escalation and use their weapons of Iranian origin (Reuters)
The Houthis threaten military escalation and use their weapons of Iranian origin (Reuters)

Head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, issued a stern warning on Thursday to the international community against any laxity towards the Houthi's “approach” and refusal of renewing a humanitarian truce in Yemen.

Alimi accused the Houthis of obstinacy and warned against "any laxity on the part of the international community towards Houthi militias”. He said it would encourage them to continue with their threats to international peace and security.

The Yemeni official’s remarks came during a meeting with US Ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, in Riyadh. The talks between the two officials touched on bilateral relations, the developments in Yemen, and the mediation efforts led by Saudi Arabia and Oman to renew the truce.

Yemen’s Saba news agency reported that Alimi praised the distinguished bilateral relations between Yemen and the United States, highly appreciating the US humanitarian aid that aims to alleviate the Yemeni people's suffering, exacerbated by the Houthi militia attacks on oil facilities and international navigation lines.

Yemeni sources mentioned that Alimi reiterated the Council and government's openness to all initiatives aiming for a comprehensive and sustainable peace based on nationally, regionally, and internationally agreed references.

Alimi pointed out that Houthis reject all peace efforts to alleviate Yemeni suffering while they continue their military escalation, cross-border hostile operations, and threats to target navigation lines in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden.

He also mentioned their "arbitrary measures" against Yemenia Airways and the significant human rights violations against thousands celebrating the anniversary of the September 26 revolution.

- US support

Ambassador Fagin affirmed Washington's support for the Presidential Leadership Council, the government, and their economic and institutional reforms in various fields.

He praised the positive engagement at the presidential and government levels with efforts aimed at alleviating humanitarian suffering and reviving the peace process in Yemen.

- Call for uniting efforts

The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, continues his regional tours to garner support for his initiatives to restore peace in Yemen, visiting Qatar and Oman.

Grundberg visited Muscat and met Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi and other officials to discuss developments and progress in the UN peace mediation efforts in Yemen.

The Office of the Special Envoy (OSESGY) expressed gratitude for Oman's support.

It stressed the importance of concerted regional and international actions to help the parties agree on measures to improve living conditions in Yemen, a sustainable nationwide ceasefire, and the resumption of an inclusive political process under UN auspices.

Earlier, Grundberg visited Qatar and met the Minister of State for International Cooperation, Lolwah Al Khater, and other Qatari officials to discuss further consolidating regional and international support to UN mediation efforts in Yemen.

According to the office, they discussed the progress to support the parties to agree on measures to improve living conditions in Yemen, commit and implement a nationwide ceasefire, and resume an inclusive political process under UN auspices.

"While the solution to the conflict must be negotiated by Yemenis, greater regional cohesion undoubtedly gives greater hope of resolving the situation in Yemen. The region will have a great role in accompanying Yemen on a path for peace, reconstruction, and recovery," Grundberg said.

He lauded the support of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, for a peaceful resolution to the conflict during his General Assembly speech.

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Arab World

Aoun: Lebanon Appreciates Saudi Crown Prince’s Efforts to Promote Regional Stability

FILE - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun gestures to journalists at the Presidential Palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
FILE - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun gestures to journalists at the Presidential Palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
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Aoun: Lebanon Appreciates Saudi Crown Prince’s Efforts to Promote Regional Stability

FILE - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun gestures to journalists at the Presidential Palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
FILE - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun gestures to journalists at the Presidential Palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun hailed on Wednesday the “balanced and wise” efforts made by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, saying his endeavors have created an “atmosphere to support stability, which Lebanon appreciates as a source of pride”.

In a post on media platform X, Aoun added: “We hope that Lebanon will be an integral part of this effort. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the sponsor of the Taif Agreement, is trusted by the Lebanese, the countries of the region and the world”.

Arab World

Syria's Kurds Register for Citizenship after Decades of Marginalization

"Unregistered" Kurds, who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census, have been flocking to registration centers across Syria. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP
"Unregistered" Kurds, who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census, have been flocking to registration centers across Syria. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP
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Syria's Kurds Register for Citizenship after Decades of Marginalization

"Unregistered" Kurds, who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census, have been flocking to registration centers across Syria. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP
"Unregistered" Kurds, who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census, have been flocking to registration centers across Syria. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP

In a packed hall in Qamishli's sports stadium in northeast Syria, Firas Ahmad is one of dozens of Kurds waiting to apply for citizenship after many in the minority were barred from doing so for decades.

Since last week, "unregistered" Kurds, who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census, have been flocking to registration centers across Syria to apply for citizenship, based on the interior ministry's instructions.

"A person without citizenship is considered as good as dead," Ahmad, 49, told AFP.

"Imagine not being able to register my children or our homes in our names," he said, adding that "my grandfather never had citizenship, and we have been living without official documents ever since".

On the tables facing long queues of people, registration forms were scattered along with personal photos and old documents, while government employees were recording the data.

The new measure follows Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's January decree granting citizenship to Kurds residing in the country, including those who have been unregistered for decades.

It also enshrines the Kurds' cultural and language rights, and recognizes Kurdish as a national language.

The decree came during weeks of clashes between Kurdish fighters, who once controlled swathes of northeastern Syria, and government forces after which an agreement was reached to integrate the Kurdish administration into the central state.

The integration included government forces entering the previously Kurdish-controlled cities of Hasakeh and Qamishli in February, and the appointment in March of senior Kurdish military leader Sipan Hamo as assistant defense minister for the eastern region, among other steps.

- 'We suffered greatly' -

The lack of citizenship affected many aspects of daily life, from the inability to register births and property ownership to difficulties in studying, moving around, travelling and working, leaving many without full legal recognition of their existence.

"We suffered greatly," says Galya Kalash, a mother of five, speaking in Kurdish.

"My five children could not complete their education, and we could not travel at all. Even now, our house is not registered in our name."

Around 20 percent of Syria's Kurds were stripped of their Syrian nationality in a controversial 1962 census in the northeastern Hasakeh province.

Ali Mussa, a member of Hasakeh's Network of Statelessness Victims, told AFP that there are around 150,000 unregistered people in Syria today.

There are around two million Kurds in Syria, most of them in the northeast.

Mussa called on authorities to show "flexibility in implementing the decision and to provide facilities for residents outside Syria" who may not be able to travel due to their refugee status in Europe or fear of flight disruptions due to the Middle East war.

Authorities are expected to keep registration centers open for a month.

Abdallah al-Abdallah, a civil affairs official in the Syrian government, told AFP the period could be extended.

"The most important compensation for these people is gaining citizenship after being deprived of it for all these years," he said.

In the registration center, Mohammed Ayo, 56, said not having citizenship made him feel "helpless", including being unable to get a driver's license or book a hotel room in capital Damascus as it required prior security clearance.

"You study for many years, and in the end they say you have no certificate," he said, adding that, after finishing high school, he was unable to obtain an official document to study at university.

"We did not even have the right to run for office or vote."

Arab World

Trump Says Lebanese and Israeli Leaders to Speak, Pakistan Says Lebanon Peace Essential

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
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Trump Says Lebanese and Israeli Leaders to Speak, Pakistan Says Lebanon Peace Essential

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Lebanese and Israeli leaders will speak for the first time in decades on Thursday, while Pakistan said peace in Lebanon was essential for talks it is mediating between Washington and Tehran on ending the Iran war. 

The Lebanon conflict spiraled out of the US-Israeli war with Iran, with the Iran-backed Hezbollah opening fire in support of Tehran on March 2, prompting an Israeli offensive in Lebanon just 15 months after the last major conflict. 

The Israeli security cabinet convened late on Wednesday to discuss a possible ceasefire in Lebanon. 

"Peace in Lebanon is essential for (Iran) peace talks," Tahir Andrabi, spokesperson for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, said. 

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was "trying to get a little breathing room" between Israel and Lebanon. 

"It has been a long time since the ‌two leaders have ‌spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice!" Trump wrote in the post published ‌before ⁠midnight on Wednesday, ⁠Washington time. The post did not give any further details. 

Gila Gamliel, a member of Israel's security cabinet, told Israel's Army Radio that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would "speak for the first time with the president of Lebanon after so many years of no contact between the two countries". 

A senior Lebanese official told Reuters Lebanon had no information about a call between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Netanyahu. 

BEIRUT AT ODDS WITH HEZBOLLAH 

The Lebanese government has been sharply at odds with Hezbollah over its decision to enter the war, having spent the last year seeking to secure the peaceful disarmament of the group founded by ⁠Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982. 

Beirut banned Hezbollah's military activities on March 2. 

The Israeli ‌Prime Minister’s office and Aoun's office did not immediately respond to requests ‌for comment. The office of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also told Reuters it had no information about contact between Lebanese and Israeli ‌leaders. 

Washington on Wednesday expressed optimism about reaching a deal to end the war with Iran. The sides agreed ‌a two-week ceasefire in the Iran war on April 8, following mediation by Pakistan. 

Israel and the US have said the campaign against Hezbollah was not part of that ceasefire, though Pakistan's prime minister had said the truce would include Lebanon, as demanded by Iran. 

FIGHTING IN KEY LEBANESE TOWN 

A senior Israeli official and a senior Lebanese official said on Wednesday Netanyahu's government was under heavy pressure from Washington ‌to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon. 

A senior US administration official said on Wednesday the Trump administration had not asked for a ceasefire, but the US president "would welcome ⁠the end of hostilities ⁠in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon". 

Netanyahu, in a video statement released late on Wednesday, said the Israeli military continued to strike at Hezbollah and was about to "overcome" the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, located at the border. 

The senior Lebanese official said that Lebanon’s assessment was that Israel wanted to secure a victory in Bint Jbeil before diplomatic progress could be made. 

The Israeli military said its troops were continuing "targeted ground operations in southern Lebanon". 

In Israel, sirens rang out warning of incoming rocket fire, sending residents of several Israeli northern towns running to bomb shelters. There were no immediate reports of injuries. 

Hezbollah kept up its attacks, firing rockets at two towns in Israel, the group's al-Manar television reported. 

Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors held rare talks in Washington on Tuesday. 

Iran has said Lebanon must be included in any agreement to end the wider war in the Middle East, while Washington has pushed back, saying there is no link between the two sets of talks. 

Hezbollah on Wednesday condemned Tuesday's meeting in Washington, saying it would deepen the rift among Lebanese.