Yemen Govt Warns Houthis Against Holding Country Hostage to Iran’s Agenda

The government meets in Aden on Tuesday. (Saba news agency)
The government meets in Aden on Tuesday. (Saba news agency)
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Yemen Govt Warns Houthis Against Holding Country Hostage to Iran’s Agenda

The government meets in Aden on Tuesday. (Saba news agency)
The government meets in Aden on Tuesday. (Saba news agency)

The legitimate Yemeni government warned on Tuesday the Iran-backed Houthi militias against holding the country hostage to their reckless battles that serve Tehran’s agenda.

It called on them to positively approach peace efforts to stop the unrest in Yemen.

Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in the interim capital Aden.

The government reiterated its strong condemnation of the Israeli attack on Hodeidah port and its violation of Yemen’s sovereignty. The strikes were in retaliation to Houthi attacks on Israel.

The ministers stressed their support for United Nations, regional and international efforts to launch a comprehensive political process that meets the aspirations of all Yemenis and leads to just comprehensive peace based on the three references and UN Security Council resolution 2216.

The cabinet called on the Houthis to return to reason, prioritize the interests of the people above all else, stop avoiding local and popular pressure, cease threats to carry out “catastrophic adventures” and stop exploiting the Palestinian conflict to further their agenda.

The cabinet approved a number of measures, including allowing the Aden Refinery Company to operate in Aden’s Free Zone.

It tasked the ministers of oil and minerals, finance, legal affairs and transportation, the governor of Aden and head of the Aden Free Zone with implementing the decision.

The cabinet reviewed various political, military, security and economic developments, stressing its commitment to serving the people.



WHO Chief Tedros Says Polio Detected in Gaza, Appeals for Action

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during an event about expanding health coverage for all during the IMF and World Bank’s 2024 annual Spring Meetings in Washington, US, April 18, 2024. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during an event about expanding health coverage for all during the IMF and World Bank’s 2024 annual Spring Meetings in Washington, US, April 18, 2024. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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WHO Chief Tedros Says Polio Detected in Gaza, Appeals for Action

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during an event about expanding health coverage for all during the IMF and World Bank’s 2024 annual Spring Meetings in Washington, US, April 18, 2024. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during an event about expanding health coverage for all during the IMF and World Bank’s 2024 annual Spring Meetings in Washington, US, April 18, 2024. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that polio had been detected in Gaza and warned that children in the war-ravaged enclave would soon be infected by the disease if preventative measures were not quickly taken, Reuters reported.

A day after the WHO said there were "very likely" polio cases among Gaza's population, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took to social media platform X to flag concern about the human cost of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

"The detection of polio in Gaza is another reminder of the dire conditions the population is facing," Tedros wrote on X. "The persistence of the conflict hampers efforts to identify and respond to preventable threats such as polio."

Tedros linked his post to an article he had written in French newspaper Le Monde, published late on Tuesday, in which he said poliovirus has been detected in sewage samples in Gaza.

In the article, the WHO chief wrote that although no cases of polio had yet been recorded, "unless immediate action is taken, it is only a matter of time before the disease reaches the thousands of unprotected children" there.

Poliomyelitis, which is spread mainly through the faecal-oral route, is a highly infectious virus that can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis and death in young children.

Polio cases have declined by 99% worldwide since 1988 thanks to mass vaccination campaigns and efforts to eradicate it.

The WHO is sending more than a million polio vaccines to Gaza to be administered in the coming weeks to prevent children from becoming infected with the disease, Tedros said.