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UN Chief Says Israeli Strikes in Yemen, Including at Airport, are Alarming

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a joint statement with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro (not pictured), in Sao Bento Palace, Lisbon, Portugal, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a joint statement with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro (not pictured), in Sao Bento Palace, Lisbon, Portugal, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo
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UN Chief Says Israeli Strikes in Yemen, Including at Airport, are Alarming

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a joint statement with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro (not pictured), in Sao Bento Palace, Lisbon, Portugal, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a joint statement with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro (not pictured), in Sao Bento Palace, Lisbon, Portugal, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo

The spokesperson of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday condemned escalations between Israel and Yemen, saying Israel's airstrikes on Yemen's Sanaa International Airport, the Red Sea ports and power stations were alarming, Reuters reported.

Israel said it struck multiple targets linked to the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen on Thursday, including Sanaa International Airport, and Houthi media said at least six people were killed.

"Israeli airstrikes today on Sanaa International Airport, the Red Sea ports and power stations in Yemen are especially alarming," the UN chief's spokesperson said in a press briefing while expressing concerns about the risk of further regional escalation.

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US to Ease Aid Restrictions for Syria While Keeping Sanctions in Place, Sources Say

Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
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US to Ease Aid Restrictions for Syria While Keeping Sanctions in Place, Sources Say

Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)

The US is set to imminently announce an easing of restrictions on providing humanitarian aid and other basic services such as electricity to Syria while still keeping its strict sanctions regime in place, according to people briefed on the matter.
The decision by the outgoing Biden administration will send a signal of goodwill to Syria's new rulers and aims to pave the way for improving tough living conditions in the war-ravaged country while also treading cautiously and keeping US leverage in place.
US officials have met several times with members of the ruling administration, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, since the dramatic end on Dec. 8 of more than 50 years of Assad family rule after a lightning offensive by opposition factions.
HTS, the faction that led the advance, has long-since renounced its former Al Qaeda ties and fought the group but they remain designated a terrorist entity by the US and Washington wants to see them cooperate on priorities such as counterterrorism and forming a government inclusive of all Syrians.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration approved the easing of restrictions over the weekend, saying the move authorizes the Treasury Department to issue waivers to aid groups and companies providing essentials such as water, electricity and other humanitarian supplies.