Yemen’s Presidential Council Calls for Comprehensive Strategy to Deter the Houthis

Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, met in Riyadh with the US Ambassador. (Saba)
Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, met in Riyadh with the US Ambassador. (Saba)
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Yemen’s Presidential Council Calls for Comprehensive Strategy to Deter the Houthis

Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, met in Riyadh with the US Ambassador. (Saba)
Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, met in Riyadh with the US Ambassador. (Saba)

In light of mounting Houthi threats, the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council stressed that deterring the pro-Iranian group requires a comprehensive local, regional and international strategy.
For his part, US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin affirmed Washington’s support for the Yemeni government to strengthen its legal powers. This came during separate meetings and communications he held with the Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, and members of the Council, Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi, Tariq Saleh, and Othman Majli.
The official media reported that Al-Alimi met in Riyadh with the US Ambassador, and emphasized the need to support the government’s efforts to deter any threat to the state legitimacy, impose control over the entire Yemeni territory, and secure international shipping lines and vital national infrastructure.
According to the agency, the Yemeni official called on the donor community to fulfill its pledges to the humanitarian response plan through the Central Bank of Yemen, accelerate procedures for transferring the headquarters of international organizations and their local partners to the temporary capital, Aden, and strictly adhere to the legal status of the United Nations member state.
Al-Zubaidi, during a video call with Fagin on Wednesday, expressed the readiness of the Presidential Leadership Council to engage in any regional and international efforts aimed at putting an end to the terrorism practiced by the Houthi militias in Yemen and the region, whether by peace or war, while stressing that eliminating the Houthi threat requires cooperation between regional and foreign countries.
Saba quoted the US Ambassador as affirming the US government’s “support for all the measures taken by the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council to strengthen the state’s authority.”
He also stressed that his country was following with great concern the growing Houthi escalation in the international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden, and is working side by side with local, regional and international partners to put an end to these threats, according to Saba.
Also, the US embassy’s account on X platform stated that Fagin discussed with member of the Presidential Leadership Council, Tariq Saleh, the continued US support to the Yemeni government, including strengthening cooperation with the Yemeni Coast Guard to enhance maritime security.

 



Syria: Sweida Tensions Rise After Assassination of Armed Faction Leader

Syria: Sweida Tensions Rise After Assassination of Armed Faction Leader
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Syria: Sweida Tensions Rise After Assassination of Armed Faction Leader

Syria: Sweida Tensions Rise After Assassination of Armed Faction Leader

Residents of Sweida province in southern Syria were shocked on Wednesday morning by the assassination of Merhej al-Jarmani, leader of the local “Liwa al-Jabal” armed faction.

He was found dead in his home, shot by unknown assailants, triggering widespread anger in the community.

Local media reported that al-Jarmani was killed by a single bullet fired at close range. Details of the killing are still unclear. According to the local news network, al-Jarmani’s wife discovered him dead with a gunshot wound to the head.

Sweida has seen weekly peaceful anti-regime protests that intensified in February when authorities resumed security settlements for those wanted for military service.

Protests in Sweida province, the heartland of the country’s Druze minority, also follow President Bashar Assad’s government ending fuel subsidies last month.

Al-Jarmani, a key figure in these protests and a participant in the “defense of the mountain” battles, reportedly detained dozens of security officers last month after a young woman from Sweida was arrested in Damascus.

Locals credit al-Jarmani with helping to repel extremist groups that have attacked Sweida since 2014 and confronting government-backed groups. A local news outlet reported that no one heard gunshots when al-Jarmani was killed, suggesting a silencer was used.

“Suwayda 24,” the local news network, noted that pro-government supporters had been inciting against al-Jarmani on social media recently.

Al-Jarmani’s death and his Thursday burial in Umm al-Zaytun have shocked the protest movement in Sweida. Protesters have called him the “martyr of dignity” and held vigils in his honor.

Local sources in Sweida told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Jarmani played a significant role in the protests, with his faction protecting the demonstrators.

Although the details of the assassination remain unclear, the protesters suspect “government security agencies” were involved.

The sources warned that if these accusations are confirmed, it could be a dangerous development.