Yemen’s Alimi Calls for Int’l Efforts to Stop Arms Smuggling to Houthis

The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, met Monday with the US Ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, in Riyadh. SABA
The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, met Monday with the US Ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, in Riyadh. SABA
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Yemen’s Alimi Calls for Int’l Efforts to Stop Arms Smuggling to Houthis

The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, met Monday with the US Ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, in Riyadh. SABA
The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, met Monday with the US Ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, in Riyadh. SABA

The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, has said it was important for the international community to counter Iranian attempts so smuggle weapons to the Houthi militias.

Alimi met Monday with the US Ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, in Riyadh.

They discussed bilateral relations, the situation in Yemen and developments in the region and the world.

Alimi’s warning came as the Iran-backed Houthis have said they will continue to strike merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in what they call solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

State news agency SABA quoted Alimi as saying that Houthi attacks on vessels had severe repercussions on the living conditions of Yemenis, the people in the region and their national economies.

Meanwhile, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has returned to Muscat as part of his efforts to support the pace process that is set to end the conflict in Yemen.

Grundberg’s office said on “X” that the envoy met in Muscat with the spokesman of the Houthi militias, Mohammed Abdulsalam.

It said that Grundberg also held talks with senior Omani officials. “They discussed ways to make progress on a UN roadmap for Yemen and the need for broader de-escalation in the Middle East,” said the statement.

In his latest briefing to the UN Security Council last week, the envoy called “on the parties to refrain from unilateral escalatory measures and engage in good faith dialogue under the auspices of the UN to find common solutions through collaboration, and to turn disputes into opportunities to take the path towards common prosperity.”

He also called for separating the Yemeni crisis from other crises in the region, including the Israeli war on Gaza.



Lebanon Joins Middle East Green Initiative

 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)
 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)
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Lebanon Joins Middle East Green Initiative

 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)
 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister announced that the country has joined the Middle East Green Initiative, launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to mitigate the impact of climate change on the region.

“This is an essential step for Lebanon, especially since our southern villages and towns have been exposed to significant environmental and agricultural damage due to Israeli attacks, which requires cooperation with all of Lebanon's friends,” a statement released by the Lebanese Council of Ministers quoted Mikati as saying.

Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan welcomed Lebanon’s participation in the initiative, confirming that a high committee has been established to ensure the project’s sustainability and facilitate relevant cooperation.

He noted that the timing of the announcement “comes in light of the continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and this matter must be drawn to attention, especially since Israel is destroying very large areas, whether agricultural lands, fruit trees or forests.”

Environment Minister Nasser Yassin said that the Middle East Green Initiative has very important goals to plant 40 billion trees across the region and protect the Gulf and the Middle East from climate change, stop land degradation and desertification and find the means to adapt to future challenges.

The Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture estimates that more than 2.8 million square meters of forest and agricultural land were completely burned, while about 6.7 million square meters of agricultural and forest land were partially damaged as a result of Israel’s attacks and its use of internationally-banned incendiary munitions.