Yemen PM: Int’l Support for Yemen Includes Security, Defense Sectors

Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak during a previous meeting with the British Ambassador to Yemen (Saba News Agency)
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak during a previous meeting with the British Ambassador to Yemen (Saba News Agency)
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Yemen PM: Int’l Support for Yemen Includes Security, Defense Sectors

Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak during a previous meeting with the British Ambassador to Yemen (Saba News Agency)
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak during a previous meeting with the British Ambassador to Yemen (Saba News Agency)

Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak said international support for Yemen will go beyond politics and economics to include security and defense, aiming to strengthen the government’s ability to secure the country and its waterways.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the kickoff of an international ministerial meeting in New York to mobilize support for the Yemeni government, Bin Mubarak said: “For the first time, Yemen will be an active partner, and the international community will listen to its voice in a way that reflects a clear shift in the partnership between the Yemeni government and its supporters.”
The Yemeni government’s new plan, set to be unveiled at the New York meeting, has received backing from the United Kingdom, represented by Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer.
The event is expected to feature the official launch of Britain’s Yemen-led support initiative, known as “TAFFY,” which brings together Yemeni, British, and international experts and technical advisers working directly in Yemen.
According to British sources, TAFFY will also support Yemen’s coast guard by providing new equipment, enhancing capabilities, and offering advanced training. Minister Falconer is also set to announce an increase in the UK’s humanitarian aid to Yemen.

Bin Mubarak said his government’s plan, to be presented in New York, aims to shift from limited aid to a sustainable economic strategy that supports vital sectors and boosts private-sector partnerships.
“This effort is coordinated with the international community, including the UK, and supported by the Arab Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” Bin Mubarak said, adding that it reflects backing for Yemeni state institutions under the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC).
He noted that the visit focuses on political and economic issues and comes after recent Red Sea attacks, stressing the need for international support to help Yemen through this critical phase.
Bin Mubarak said international support is shifting toward backing his government’s economic plan, approved by the Cabinet and the PLC.
The plan aims to move from limited aid to a sustainable economic strategy, support key sectors, and strengthen partnerships with the private sector.
The Yemeni premier added that the New York meetings and international commitments will also focus on security and defense to help the government secure Yemen and its waterways.



Report: France Issues New Arrest Warrant for Syria's Assad

A damaged portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hangs in the city of Qamishli, as Syrian Kurds celebrate the fall of capital Damascus to anti-government fighters on December 8, 2024. (AFP)
A damaged portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hangs in the city of Qamishli, as Syrian Kurds celebrate the fall of capital Damascus to anti-government fighters on December 8, 2024. (AFP)
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Report: France Issues New Arrest Warrant for Syria's Assad

A damaged portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hangs in the city of Qamishli, as Syrian Kurds celebrate the fall of capital Damascus to anti-government fighters on December 8, 2024. (AFP)
A damaged portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hangs in the city of Qamishli, as Syrian Kurds celebrate the fall of capital Damascus to anti-government fighters on December 8, 2024. (AFP)

Two French investigating magistrates have issued an arrest warrant against ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for suspected complicity in war crimes, the second such move by France's judicial authorities, a source said on Tuesday.

Assad, who was ousted late last year in a lightning offensive by opposition forces, is held responsible in the warrant issued on Monday as "commander-in-chief of the armed forces" for a bombing in the Syrian city of Daraa in 2017 that killed a civilian, a source close to the case, asking not to be named, told AFP.

This mandate was issued as part of an investigation into the case of Salah Abou Nabout, a 59-year-old Franco-Syrian national and former French teacher, who was killed on June 7, 2017 following the bombing of his home by Syrian army helicopters.

The French judiciary considers that Assad ordered and provided the means for this attack, according to the source.

Six senior Syrian army officials are already the target of French arrest warrants over the case in an investigation that began in 2018.

"This case represents the culmination of a long fight for justice, in which I and my family believed from the start," said Omar Abou Nabout, the victim's son, in a statement.

He expressed hope that "a trial will take place and that the perpetrators will be arrested and judged, wherever they are".

French authorities in November 2023 issued a first arrest warrant against Assad over chemical attacks in 2013 where more than a thousand people, according to American intelligence, were killed by sarin gas.

While considering Assad's participation in these attacks "likely", public prosecutors last year issued an appeal against the warrant on the grounds that Assad should have immunity as a head of state.

However, his ouster has now changed his status and potential immunity. Assad and his family fled to Russia after his fall, according to Russian authorities.