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Arab World

Yemeni Naval Forces Ready to Safeguard Red Sea Maritime Security

Patrol boats affiliated with the Yemeni coast guard off the port of Mokha in the southern Red Sea (Saba News Agency)
Patrol boats affiliated with the Yemeni coast guard off the port of Mokha in the southern Red Sea (Saba News Agency)
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Yemeni Naval Forces Ready to Safeguard Red Sea Maritime Security

Patrol boats affiliated with the Yemeni coast guard off the port of Mokha in the southern Red Sea (Saba News Agency)
Patrol boats affiliated with the Yemeni coast guard off the port of Mokha in the southern Red Sea (Saba News Agency)

In the face of mounting Houthi assaults on global maritime traffic in the Red Sea, Yemeni government forces are actively preparing to embark on maritime security missions in the regional waters.
This development unfolds in tandem with global initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges presented by the Iran-backed militant group.
Houthis recently targeted a Norwegian-flagged ship off the coast of Yemen near the port of Mokha, resulting in damage to the vessel.
In another incident, the French military announced intercepting and destroying a Houthi drone, marking the second naval interception operation by the French Navy in the Red Sea.
On his part, Brig. Gen. Tariq Saleh, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), conducted a review on Tuesday of symbolic naval formations from the Coast Guard and the First Marine Brigade in the city of Mokha in the Taiz governorate.
According to official media, the review showcased the high readiness of Yemeni forces to carry out their duties in safeguarding peace and security within maritime borders in the western coastal sector.
Brig. Gen. Saleh, who also leads the National Resistance forces (NRF) in western Yemen, emphasized “the importance of maintaining high vigilance and remaining in constant readiness to confront any aggressive risks that threaten ports, coasts, liberated islands, and regional waters.”
Moreover, he emphasized that achieving stability in Yemen is the primary objective in developing any military force.
Brig.Gen. Saleh asserted that the aggressive actions of Iran’s proxy in Yemen are geared towards harming Yemenis, destabilizing the country, and interfering with regional waters.
These activities, he stated, serve to safeguard Iran's interests and its overarching project, which aims to control international waters in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb.
On Monday, Brig. Gen. Saleh met with a Saudi military delegation led by Brig. Gen. Hussein Awad Al-Harbi.
According to state media, the meeting discussed the readiness of the Yemeni naval forces and coast guard to secure and protect Yemen’s maritime borders within the region’s efforts on both banks of the Red Sea to maintain the security and safety of the region.
The meeting also explored ways to support and enhance the capabilities of the Yemeni Navy.
The aim is to strengthen their role in securing Yemen’s maritime borders and protecting them from terrorist threats along the Red Sea coasts.
This aligns with regional initiatives to uphold the security and peace of the area, preventing conflicts and tensions.
As reported by the Saba News Agency, Brig. Gen. Saleh and Brig. Gen. Al-Harbi also emphasized commitment to ongoing coordination and collaboration between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
They underscored joint efforts to safeguard international shipping routes in the Red Sea, with a shared goal of maintaining the security and safety of the region.

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Arab World

One Dead as Israeli Forces Open Fire on West Bank Stone-Throwers

Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
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One Dead as Israeli Forces Open Fire on West Bank Stone-Throwers

Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)

The Israeli military said its forces killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank in the early hours on Thursday as they opened fire on people who were throwing stones at soldiers.

Two other people were hit on a main ‌road near the ‌village of Luban ‌al-Sharqiya ⁠in Nablus, ‌the military statement added. It described the people as militants and said the stone-throwing was part of an ambush.

Palestinian authorities in the West Bank said ⁠a 26-year-old man they named as ‌Khattab Al Sarhan was ‍killed and ‍another person wounded.

Israeli forces had ‍closed the main entrance to the village of Luban al-Sharqiya, in Nablus, and blocked several secondary roads on Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency WAFA reported.

More ⁠than a thousand Palestinians were killed in the West Bank between October 2023 and October 2025, mostly in operations by security forces and some by settler violence, the UN has said.

Over the same period, 57 Israelis were killed ‌in Palestinian attacks.

Arab World

UN Chief Condemns Israeli Law Blocking Electricity, Water for UNRWA Facilities

A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Chief Condemns Israeli Law Blocking Electricity, Water for UNRWA Facilities

A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned on Wednesday a move by Israel to ban electricity or water to facilities owned by the UN Palestinian refugee agency, a UN spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the move would "further impede" the agency's ability to operate and carry out activities.

"The Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations remains applicable to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), its property and assets, and to its officials and other personnel. Property used ‌by UNRWA ‌is inviolable," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the ‌secretary-general, ⁠said while ‌adding that UNRWA is an "integral" part of the world body.

UNRWA Commissioner General Phillipe Lazzarini also condemned the move, saying that it was part of an ongoing " systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct" the role it plays in providing assistance to Palestinian refugees.

In 2024, the Israeli parliament passed a law banning the agency from operating in ⁠the country and prohibiting officials from having contact with the agency.

As a ‌result, UNRWA operates in East Jerusalem, ‍which the UN considers territory occupied ‍by Israel. Israel considers all Jerusalem to be part ‍of the country.

The agency provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It has long had tense relations with Israel, but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza and Israel has called repeatedly for UNRWA to ⁠be disbanded, with its responsibilities transferred to other UN agencies.

The prohibition of basic utilities to the UN agency came as Israel also suspended of dozens of international non-governmental organizations working in Gaza due to a failure to meet new rules to vet those groups.

In a joint statement, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom said on Tuesday such a move would have a severe impact on the access of essential services, including healthcare. They said one in ‌three healthcare facilities in Gaza would close if international NGO operations stopped.

Arab World

Israel Says It ‘Will Enforce’ Ban on 37 NGOs in Gaza

The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
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Israel Says It ‘Will Enforce’ Ban on 37 NGOs in Gaza

The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)

Israel said on Thursday that 37 international NGOs operating in Gaza had not complied with a deadline to meet "security and transparency standards," in particular disclosing information on their Palestinian staff, and that it "will enforce" a ban on their activities. 

The groups will now be required to cease their operations by March 1, which the United Nations has warned will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. 

"Organizations that have failed to meet required security and transparency standards will have their licenses suspended," the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement on Thursday. 

Several NGOS have said the requirements contravene international humanitarian law or endanger their independence, while Israel has faced international criticism in the run-up to the deadline. 

Israel says the new regulation aims to prevent bodies it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the Palestinian territories. 

"The primary failure identified was the refusal to provide complete and verifiable information regarding their employees, a critical requirement designed to prevent the infiltration of terrorist operatives into humanitarian structures," the ministry said. 

In March, Israel gave a ten-month deadline to NGOs to comply with the new rules, which demand the "full disclosure of personnel, funding sources, and operational structures." 

The deadline expired on Wednesday. 

The 37 NGOs "were formally notified that their licenses would be revoked as of January 1, 2026, and that they must complete the cessation of their activities by March 1, 2026," the ministry said Thursday. 

- 'Weaponization of bureaucracy' - 

Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli said: "The message is clear: humanitarian assistance is welcome - the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not." 

Numerous prominent humanitarian organizations have been hit by the ban, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), World Vision International and Oxfam, according to the list provided by the ministry. 

In the case of MSF, Israel accused it of having two employees who were members of Palestinian groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas. 

MSF said earlier this week that the request to share a list of its staff "may be in violation of Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law" and said it "would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity". 

On Thursday, 18 Israel-based left-wing NGOs denounced the decision to ban their international peers, saying "the new registration framework violates core humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality." 

"This weaponization of bureaucracy institutionalizes barriers to aid and forces vital organizations to suspend operations," they said. 

On Wednesday, United Nations rights chief Volker Turk described Israel's decision as "outrageous", calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course. 

"Such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza," he said. 

UN Palestinian refugee agency chief Philippe Lazzarini said the move sets a "dangerous precedent". 

"Failing to push back against attempts to control the work of aid organizations will further undermine the basic humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence, impartiality and humanity underpinning aid work across the world," he said on X. 

- 'Catastrophic' - 

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of 10 countries, including France and the United Kingdom, urged Israel to "guarantee access" to aid in the Gaza Strip, where they said the humanitarian situation remains "catastrophic". 

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, following a deadly war waged by Israel in response to Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023. 

Conditions for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip remain dire, with nearly 80 percent of buildings destroyed or damaged by the war, according to UN data. 

About 1.5 million of Gaza's more than two million residents have lost their homes, said Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza.