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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)
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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

Gaza Administration Committee Meets in Cairo Amid Cautious Optimism

Palestinians salvage belongings from a home after an Israeli military attack west of Deir al Balah in central Gaza (AFP)
Palestinians salvage belongings from a home after an Israeli military attack west of Deir al Balah in central Gaza (AFP)
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Gaza Administration Committee Meets in Cairo Amid Cautious Optimism

Palestinians salvage belongings from a home after an Israeli military attack west of Deir al Balah in central Gaza (AFP)
Palestinians salvage belongings from a home after an Israeli military attack west of Deir al Balah in central Gaza (AFP)

The Gaza ceasefire agreement entered a new phase on Friday with the first meeting in Cairo of a technocrat committee tasked with administering the enclave, following its formation by Palestinian consensus, a welcome from Washington, and the absence of an official Israeli objection after earlier reservations.

The inaugural meeting came hours after Israel killed eight Palestinians, prompting Hamas to accuse it of “sabotaging the agreement,” leaving analysts expressing cautious optimism about the ceasefire’s trajectory in light of these developments and the continued Israeli strikes.

They stressed the need for a decisive US position to complete the requirements of the second phase, which began with the formation of the Gaza administration committee and faces major obstacles, including the entry of aid, an Israeli withdrawal, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Egyptian satellite channel Al-Qahera News reported on Friday that the first meeting of the Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza had begun in the Egyptian capital, with Palestinian Ali Shaath in the chair.

In his first media appearance, Shaath said the committee had officially started its work from Cairo and consists of 15 professional Palestinian national figures. He said the committee had received financial support and had been allocated a two-year budget, which is the duration of its mandate.

He called for the establishment of a World Bank fund for the reconstruction and relief of Gaza, noting that influential countries in the region had promised substantial, tangible financial support.

Shaath said the relief plan is based on the Egyptian plan approved by the Arab League in March 2025, which spans five years and is estimated to cost about $53 billion, and has been welcomed by the European Union.

He added that the first step adopted by the Gaza administration committee was to supply 200,000 prefabricated housing units to the territory.

Hamas said on Friday it was ready to hand over control of Gaza to a technocratic administration.

In a statement, it warned that “massacres” committed by the Israeli army in Gaza, including the killing of nine Palestinians, among them a woman and a child, in air strikes and gunfire targeting displaced people’s tents, underscored Israel’s continued policy of undermining the ceasefire agreement and obstructing declared efforts to entrench calm in the enclave.

Hamas described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation” that coincided with mediators announcing the formation of a technocratic government and the entry into the second phase of the agreement, as stated on Wednesday, as well as US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Thursday of the establishment of a Board of Peace.

It called on mediators and guarantor countries to shoulder their responsibilities by pressuring Israel to halt its violations and comply with what was agreed.

On Thursday, Trump announced the creation of a Gaza-focused Board of Peace, saying the parties had officially entered the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The Gaza government media office said in a statement the same day that Israel had committed 1,244 violations of the ceasefire during its first phase, resulting in the killing, injury, or arrest of 1,760 Palestinians since the deal took effect.

Rakha Ahmed Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and a former assistant foreign minister, said the launch of the committee’s work was extremely important and effectively removed one of Israel’s pretexts regarding the presence of Hamas, particularly since the committee is technocratic and enjoys consensus.

He said that while this undermines those pretexts and marks the end of Hamas’s political authority, developments must be handled cautiously and completed with the deployment of stabilization forces and a Palestinian police presence, provided no new Israeli obstacles emerge.

Palestinian political analyst Ayman al-Raqab also voiced cautious optimism, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that the committee faces major challenges, notably administering a territory that has been completely devastated, as well as Israeli complications related to the weapons of the resistance and opposition to full reconstruction and withdrawal.

Mediator efforts are continuing. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty received a phone call from US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff regarding next steps and procedures following the transition to the second phase of Trump’s plan.

According to an Egyptian foreign ministry statement on Friday, the call emphasized the need to move forward with implementing the second phase’s obligations, including the start of work by the Palestinian technocrats committee following its formation, the deployment of an international stabilization force to monitor the ceasefire, the achievement of an Israeli withdrawal from the Strip and the launch of early recovery and reconstruction.

Hassan said Egypt’s role remains crucial and focused on completing the agreement without Israeli obstruction, particularly as the Rafah crossing was not opened during the first phase, and delays persist in deploying stabilization forces to oversee border crossings.

He stressed that Washington would seek to complete the agreement to preserve its credibility.

Al-Raqab said that any progress in the second phase and avoiding a repeat of the first phase’s stagnation hinges on US support for fully implementing the deal, particularly securing an Israeli withdrawal rather than just addressing disarmament.

Arab World

Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank

Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank
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Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank

Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank

Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian hurling a rock at them in the occupied West Bank, the military said on Friday, and the Palestinian health ministry said the person killed was a 14-year-old boy.

There was no further comment from Palestinian officials about the fatal incident in the village of ⁠Al-Mughayyir. Official Palestinian news agency WAFA said the teen was killed during an Israeli military raid that led to confrontations, Reuters reported.

The Israeli military said its forces were called to the area after ⁠receiving reports that Palestinians were throwing stones at Israelis and blocking a road with burning tires.

The soldiers fired warning shots in an attempt to repel a person who was running at them with a rock, the military said, and then shot and killed him to eliminate the ⁠danger.

Violence has surged over the past year in the West Bank. Attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians have risen sharply, while the military has tightened movement restrictions and carried out sweeping raids in several cities.

Palestinians have also carried out attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians, some of them deadly.

Arab World

Israeli Strikes in South Lebanon Kill Two

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
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Israeli Strikes in South Lebanon Kill Two

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)

An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one person on Friday, the health ministry in Beirut said a day after raids that Israel said had targeted Hezbollah.

Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, usually saying it is targeting members of the group or its infrastructure.

In a statement, the health ministry said an "Israeli enemy strike" on a vehicle in Mansuri in south Lebanon killed one person.

According to AFP, it also said that a strike on Mayfadun in south Lebanon the previous night killed one person.

Israel said Thursday's attack killed a Hezbollah member it alleged "took part in attempts to reestablish Hezbollah's infrastructure in the Zawtar al-Sharqiyah area.”

The attacks come a week after Lebanon's military said it had completed disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River, the first phase of a nationwide plan, although Israel has called those efforts insufficient.

On Thursday, Israel carried out several strikes against eastern Lebanon's Bekaa region, north of the Litani, after issuing warnings to evacuate.

United Nations peacekeepers, deployed in the south to separate Lebanon from Israel, said on Friday that an Israeli drone "dropped a grenade" on its troops.

On Monday, the peacekeeping force said an Israeli tank fired near its troops, and warned that such incidents were becoming "disturbingly common".