Yemen’s Deputy PLC Chairman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Have Halted Peace Efforts

A photo distributed by the Houthis showing the targeting of a ship in the Red Sea with an explosive-laden drone boat (AFP)
A photo distributed by the Houthis showing the targeting of a ship in the Red Sea with an explosive-laden drone boat (AFP)
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Yemen’s Deputy PLC Chairman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Have Halted Peace Efforts

A photo distributed by the Houthis showing the targeting of a ship in the Red Sea with an explosive-laden drone boat (AFP)
A photo distributed by the Houthis showing the targeting of a ship in the Red Sea with an explosive-laden drone boat (AFP)

A senior Yemeni official affirmed that ongoing peace efforts have stalled due to actions by the Houthis, who continue to dig trenches in the mountains, stockpile weapons, and target international shipping in the Red Sea.

These actions contradict UN-led peace initiatives aimed at ending the war in the country.

Yemen’s Deputy Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman, Othman Mujalli, told Asharq Al-Awsat that peace efforts have stalled because the Houthis have ignored proposals and continue their violations.

“They’re digging trenches, storing weapons, and starting fights across all fronts, including border areas,” he said.

Mujalli stressed that the Yemeni government is acting with restraint, considering the suffering of the Yemeni people caused by the Houthi coup, which has led to widespread destruction, economic collapse, and ongoing crises that the Houthis exploit.

Separately, British maritime security agencies reported several explosions near two commercial ships in the Red Sea off Yemen’s coast, with no injuries or damage.

Mujalli believes only the Yemeni people can defeat the Houthis, who threaten their lives.

He warned that the Houthi militia is a serious threat to Yemen, the region, and global interests through their terrorist activities in the Red Sea, a critical international shipping lane.

Mujalli criticized the Houthis for actions that undermine peace and said: “While our partners work for peace, we in the legitimate government fully support their efforts.”

In a meeting with US Ambassador Steven Fagin, Mujalli highlighted the Houthi attacks on pomegranate farmers in Saada, where attempts to impose taxes and force low-priced sales have sparked unrest.

Some farmers have even left their crops to rot rather than sell under these conditions.

Mujalli welcomed the growing international recognition of the Houthis’ actions as blackmail.

Additionally, Mujalli praised Saudi Arabia for its quick humanitarian response, providing urgent aid to those affected by recent floods in Taiz, Hodeidah, Hajjah, and Marib through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.



Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 17 in Gaza Overnight

Palestinian children stand at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, August 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinian children stand at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, August 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
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Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 17 in Gaza Overnight

Palestinian children stand at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, August 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinian children stand at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, August 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Wednesday killed at least 17 people, including five children and their parents, Palestinian health officials said.

One strike hit a family home late Tuesday in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. It killed five children, ranging in age from 2 to 11, and their parents, according to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

An Associated Press reporter who saw the bodies arrive said they had been dismembered by the blast and that the 2-year-old had been decapitated.

In the nearby Maghazi refugee camp, a strike on a home early Wednesday killed four people and wounded others, the hospital said.

In the southern city of Khan Younis, the Health Ministry’s emergency service said first responders recovered the bodies of four men who were killed in a strike on a residential tower late Tuesday.

Two more people were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, according to the emergency service. The strike also wounded five people.