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Yemeni Prime Minister: Houthi Economic War Hits Harder Than Military Conflict

Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak called the new political alliance “a fresh voice and a renewed vision,” supporting national efforts to unite and free Yemen from Houthi control (Saba News Agency)
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak called the new political alliance “a fresh voice and a renewed vision,” supporting national efforts to unite and free Yemen from Houthi control (Saba News Agency)
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Yemeni Prime Minister: Houthi Economic War Hits Harder Than Military Conflict

Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak called the new political alliance “a fresh voice and a renewed vision,” supporting national efforts to unite and free Yemen from Houthi control (Saba News Agency)
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak called the new political alliance “a fresh voice and a renewed vision,” supporting national efforts to unite and free Yemen from Houthi control (Saba News Agency)

Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak said his government is eager to engage with a new political alliance of Yemeni forces launched in Aden.

He noted that the Houthis’ economic war is now hitting the Yemeni people’s daily lives harder than the military conflict.

On Tuesday, Yemeni parties and factions formed a coalition in Aden aimed at restoring the state, ending the Houthi takeover, and preserving the republic under a federal system.

Mubarak called the new political alliance “a fresh voice and a renewed vision,” supporting national efforts to unite and free Yemen from Houthi control.

He said his government is “fully open” to working with the coalition to restore the state, defeat the Houthi takeover, and achieve peace.

Mubarak stressed the need for unity under a national vision focused on stability, sovereignty, and building a strong, unified Yemen.

“We know the challenges ahead, but with our belief in our cause and the will of our people, we can make a difference,” he said.

The premier said the Houthi economic war has caused more damage than the military conflict, harming citizens’ lives, draining resources, and leading to higher poverty and unemployment rates, as well as a collapse in basic services.

He stressed the need for unity and support for state institutions to tackle the economic crisis, protect the national economy, and ease the burdens on citizens.

Mubarak said the Houthi militia’s ongoing economic war and attacks on oil facilities have severely hurt Yemen's economy. This has led to a sharp decline in the value of the rial, rising prices for basic goods, and worsened the humanitarian crisis affecting millions.

Mubarak stressed that the right to export oil and strengthen the national treasury is vital for the people, and the government is determined to stop the Houthis from blocking this crucial resource.

He also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to fighting corruption, improving transparency, and strengthening accountability in state institutions.

Steps will be taken to improve oversight and accountability, reiterated the prime minister.

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Arab World

Lebanese State Not Seeking Confrontation with Hezbollah but Won’t Be Intimidated, PM Says

France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam shake hands after a joint declaration press event following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam shake hands after a joint declaration press event following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)
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Lebanese State Not Seeking Confrontation with Hezbollah but Won’t Be Intimidated, PM Says

France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam shake hands after a joint declaration press event following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam shake hands after a joint declaration press event following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Tuesday his government was not seeking confrontation with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but would not allow itself to be intimidated as it prepares direct talks with Israel to end the conflict.

Salam and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris to see how to strengthen Lebanon's hand in possible direct future negotiations with Israel, as Beirut turns to a trusted European ally.

The US will host ambassador-level talks with Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, although it remains unclear whether the objective is to extend a fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah or pave the way for deeper negotiations.

'NOT INTIMIDATED BY HEZBOLLAH'

"We are continuing along this path, convinced that diplomacy is not a sign of weakness, but a responsible act to leave no avenue unexplored in restoring my country's sovereignty and protecting ‌its people," Salam ‌said.

Israeli troops occupy territory deep in the south, aiming to create a buffer ‌zone ⁠to shield northern ⁠Israel from Hezbollah attack, while the group says it maintains the "right to resist" Israeli occupation.

Lebanon in 2025 said it would disarm Hezbollah, but its army treaded carefully, wary of igniting internal tensions. The United States and Israel criticized Lebanon for not moving fast enough.

"We are not seeking confrontation with Hezbollah. On the contrary, I wanted to avoid confrontation with Hezbollah, but believe me, we will not be intimidated by Hezbollah," Salam said when asked about the state's ability to disarm the group.

Salam said the country would need 500 million euros ($587 million) over the next six months to deal with the humanitarian crisis ⁠that has seen 1.2 million people displaced from Lebanon's south, east and the ‌southern suburbs of Beirut.

FRANCO-LEBANESE HISTORICAL TIES

France, which has deep historical ties ‌with Lebanon, has sought alongside Washington to mediate in the conflict, brokering the ceasefire in 2024 and helping establish a mechanism to ‌monitor it.

But relations with Israel have soured over France’s stance on Gaza and the West Bank, its ‌accusations that Israel’s actions in Lebanon are disproportionate, and its contacts with Hezbollah’s political wing.

Israel’s ambassador to Washington said last week that France should be excluded from any talks, describing Paris as having "no positive influence."

The US, while maintaining contact with France on the issue, has also sought to marginalize its role.

European and Lebanese diplomats say they fear that if direct negotiations begin, Lebanon’s government ‌could be too weak to resist unrealistic demands, potentially fueling domestic tensions given Hezbollah’s refusal to negotiate with Israel.

"We are trying our best to get them ⁠back in the discussions, but ⁠the US and Israel are adamant not to include them," said a Lebanese diplomat. France has pushed initiatives only to be rebuffed by the US and Israel.

Macron said the priority was to end the war and ensure stability for the future, promising to help Lebanese authorities prepare negotiations.

"France does not need to be at any negotiating table, wherever it may be, in order to stand by Lebanon," he said.

Echoing the need for French support, Salam said negotiations with Israel would be demanding, and as a result, Lebanon would need the "active" support of all its partners.

Paris argues that unlike Washington it has a significant presence on the ground in Lebanon with some 700 UN peacekeepers, and that any peace deal would still need a significant international presence to implement it. A French soldier was killed in southern Lebanon this week in an attack the French government said was carried out by Hezbollah.

In a sign of the ceasefire's fragility, Israeli troops have continued demolitions of homes in the southern Lebanese border strip they now occupy and the Israeli military said Hezbollah had fired rockets at Israeli troops in that zone on Tuesday. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.

Arab World

Lebanon Raises Israel-Hezbollah War Death Toll to 2,454

This picture shows the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
This picture shows the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
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Lebanon Raises Israel-Hezbollah War Death Toll to 2,454

This picture shows the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
This picture shows the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (AFP)

Lebanon on Tuesday raised the toll from six weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah to 2,454 dead as a fragile 10-day ceasefire holds.

The government's disaster risk management unit in a statement also said 7,658 people had been wounded in the conflict, which began on March 2, days after the broader Middle East war erupted.

Authorities and rescuers in Lebanon have been continuing to recover and identify bodies in areas that were subjected to heavy Israeli strikes.

Arab World

Macron to Reaffirm Commitment to Lebanese Ceasefire and Sovereignty in Paris Talks

France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during an award ceremony to honor the police officers who intervened to the Bataclan concert hall during the terrorist attacks on Nov. 13, 2015, at the Elysee Palace in Paris Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during an award ceremony to honor the police officers who intervened to the Bataclan concert hall during the terrorist attacks on Nov. 13, 2015, at the Elysee Palace in Paris Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)
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Macron to Reaffirm Commitment to Lebanese Ceasefire and Sovereignty in Paris Talks

France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during an award ceremony to honor the police officers who intervened to the Bataclan concert hall during the terrorist attacks on Nov. 13, 2015, at the Elysee Palace in Paris Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during an award ceremony to honor the police officers who intervened to the Bataclan concert hall during the terrorist attacks on Nov. 13, 2015, at the Elysee Palace in Paris Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron is to reaffirm France’s full commitment to the ceasefire in Lebanon and support for the country’s territorial integrity at a meeting Tuesday in Paris with Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Macron’s office said.

Pakistan is preparing for a new round of talks between the US and Iran as the ceasefire is set to expire Wednesday, while Lebanon and Israel are set to hold a new meeting in Washington later this week.

Macron and Salam "will also address humanitarian support for displaced populations and the continuation of the economic and financial reforms essential to strengthening Lebanon’s sovereignty, its reconstruction and the restoration of its prosperity,” Macron's office said.

The meeting at the Elysee presidential palace comes after the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, came under attack from small arms fire Saturday, leaving one French peacekeeper dead and three others wounded, two of them seriously.

Both Macron and the UNIFIL force blamed Hezbollah, but the Iran-backed group denied involvement.

Macron has called on Lebanese authorities to “shed full light on the incident” and to “identify and prosecute those responsible without delay.” UNIFIL soldiers “must under no circumstances be targeted,” Macron’s office said.

Earlier Tuesday, Salam made a stop in Luxembourg for a meeting of EU foreign ministers that was to address the situation in the Middle East.

On March 2, two days after the US and Israel launched their war on Iran, Hezbollah entered the fray by firing missiles across the border. Israel responded with an intense bombing campaign and ground invasion.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun offered direct negotiations with Israel — the first in decades — in exchange for a cessation of hostilities, an offer that was initially rebuffed.

That changed after the announcement of a truce between Iran and the United States and talks between the two brokered by Pakistan.

Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades last week in Washington following more than a month of war between Israel and Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Iran continued to insist that its own ceasefire agreement must extend to Lebanon and said it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz otherwise.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon was announced by the US on Thursday. The US portrayed the deal as the result of the Israel-Lebanon talks.

Hezbollah, which was opposed to Lebanon holding direct talks with Israel and was not part of those negotiations, insisted that the ceasefire was a result of Iranian pressure and not of the Israel-Lebanon meeting.