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Egypt and Türkiye Agree on Regional Issues, Pledge to Strengthen Bilateral Ties

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (L) attend a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 04 February 2025. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (L) attend a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 04 February 2025. (EPA)
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Egypt and Türkiye Agree on Regional Issues, Pledge to Strengthen Bilateral Ties

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (L) attend a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 04 February 2025. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (L) attend a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 04 February 2025. (EPA)

Egypt and Türkiye reiterated their commitment to boosting bilateral relations and coordinating closely on key regional issues, including securing a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, ending hostilities in Sudan, stabilizing the Horn of Africa, supporting political processes in Libya and Syria, and combatting terrorism.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan received in Ankara on Tuesday his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty.

Fidan stressed the importance of Egyptian-Turkish cooperation, stating: “Collaboration between Türkiye and Egypt is essential. Our partnership will contribute to the prosperity of our peoples and the stability of the region.”

He added: “We are working closely with Egypt to end the conflict in Sudan before Ramadan. We also share a common vision on ensuring Libya’s stability and are in discussions about fostering peace in the Horn of Africa.”

Speaking at a press conference in Ankara, Abdelatty described his talks with Fidan as extensive and constructive, particularly regarding Sudan, where both sides agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire, the priority of a political solution, preserving the country’s sovereignty and supporting efforts to restore stability and peace.

He briefed Fidan on his recent visits to Port Sudan and Egypt’s ongoing efforts to safeguard Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity.

Discussions also covered developments in Somalia and the Horn of Africa, with both ministers stressing their commitment to preserving Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Fidan briefed Abdelatty on Türkiye’s latest mediation efforts between Somalia and Ethiopia, hoping the negotiations between the two countries would resume this month in a way that supports Somalia’s stability and territorial integrity.

The talks also addressed water security, which Abdelatty described as an existential issue for Egypt.

He emphasized Egypt’s strong desire to deepen cooperation with Türkiye, expand bilateral ties and contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East. “We will continue working together in ways that serve the interests of our two nations and promote security and stability in the region and across Africa,” he stated.

He also announced ongoing preparations for the second meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council between Egypt and Türkiye, following its inaugural meeting during Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s visit to Ankara on September 4. The next meeting is set to take place during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Egypt next year.

Abdelatty and Fidan also discussed energy and tourism cooperation, with the Egyptian FM highlighting a notable increase in tourism between their countries.

At the conclusion of the visit, Egypt and Türkiye issued a joint statement, underscoring their commitment to strategic cooperation and addressing bilateral relations and regional issues of mutual interest.

The statement emphasized both countries’ endeavor to improving the investment climate for private sector investors and pledged to increase trade volume to $15 billion through enhanced economic and industrial cooperation.

Both nations welcomed the ceasefire agreement and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza, commending the mediation efforts of Egypt, Qatar and the United States. They also reiterated their commitment to ensuring the full implementation of the agreement.

Furthermore, the two ministers underscored the importance of maintaining the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), emphasizing that its role in supporting Palestinian refugees in the occupied territories is indispensable. They urged Israel to reverse any measures that undermine UNRWA’s operations.

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Arab World

Yemeni Govt Forces Expand Operations as Houthis Face Fighting on Multiple Fronts

Government forces press ahead with Operation Dawn of Yemen against the Houthis on multiple fronts. (Military media)
Government forces press ahead with Operation Dawn of Yemen against the Houthis on multiple fronts. (Military media)
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Yemeni Govt Forces Expand Operations as Houthis Face Fighting on Multiple Fronts

Government forces press ahead with Operation Dawn of Yemen against the Houthis on multiple fronts. (Military media)
Government forces press ahead with Operation Dawn of Yemen against the Houthis on multiple fronts. (Military media)

Yemeni government forces launched 874 strikes against Houthi positions across several governorates under Operation Dawn of Yemen, as ground fighting continued and troops repelled attacks and attempted advances by the militia.

The operations targeted Houthi positions, troop concentrations and reinforcements in Marib, Al-Jawf, Taiz, Hajjah and Dhale, the military said.

Armed forces spokesperson Colonel Majed Al-Nuzaili said the strikes included 29 airstrikes, 39 drone strikes, 62 rocket launcher strikes and 744 artillery strikes.

Preliminary battlefield reports showed about 190 Houthi commanders and fighters killed or wounded and roughly 130 military vehicles and pieces of equipment destroyed or damaged, he revealed.

In Al-Jawf, warplanes struck a Houthi tank. Other airstrikes hit Houthi positions and military vehicles near Jabal Han, west of Taiz, and Dar Al-Saynah in the south. The army released footage showing strikes on Houthi fighters and equipment in both provinces.

In Marib, artillery pounded Houthi positions, concentrations and vehicles on the southern front. Drones struck reinforcements and vehicles on the northern front, while other strikes targeted newly established positions and fortifications in the south.

Fighting also continued on northern fronts and southeast of Al-Hazm, the capital of Al-Jawf, where government forces repelled Houthi movements and attacks while striking firing positions, troop concentrations and military vehicles.

In Hajjah, drones targeted Houthi sniper positions and fighters in the Hiran sector as part of wider operations against the militia's positions and fortifications.

Fierce fighting displaces families in Lahj

Heavy fighting and intensified military movements gripped the Al-Mudaribah and Ras Al-Arah in western Lahj. The Southern Giants Brigades and National Shield Forces said they had repelled major Houthi attacks on the Al-Bukrah and Al-Ruwais fronts.

Military sources reported the destruction of Houthi military vehicles. The Giants Brigades released footage showing strikes on Houthi fighters and vehicles in Lahj.

In Al-Maqatirah district, northwest of Lahj, Houthi-affiliated media reported a series of airstrikes on areas under the group's control on Wednesday. Government forces said they had destroyed Houthi military vehicles on the same front as fighting spread across areas bordering southwestern Taiz.

The clashes have worsened humanitarian conditions and driven more families from their homes as fighting nears populated areas in Al-Mudaribah, Al-Maqatirah and around Tur Al-Baha.

Families from other frontline areas have begun fleeing toward Aden and safer locations, raising fears of further displacement if fighting spreads to more residential areas.

Clashes persist in Taiz and Dhale

Government forces and the Popular Resistance continued battling the Houthis across several fronts in Taiz, particularly Al-Shaqab and Al-Aqroud, with fighting entering its 61st consecutive day, military sources said.

Airstrikes hit Houthi positions near Jabal Han, west of Taiz, and Dar Al-Saynah as troops continued repelling attacks in the province's western countryside.

Colonel Muwaffaq Al-Sabai, of the Fifth Presidential Guard Brigade in Taiz, said the Houthis had failed to break through government defenses despite massing fighters and launching attacks over more than a month.

He attributed the failure to government forces and the Popular Resistance taking the offensive initiative and improving coordination.

In Dhale, government troops repelled a Houthi attack on the Hajar front in the province's northwest. Clashes at the foot of Jabal Al-Hasha forced the attackers to retreat after suffering casualties and equipment losses, a military source said.

Meanwhile, the Giants Brigades, National Shield Forces and National Resistance continued operations on the southern and southwestern fronts.

The military spokesperson reported the recapture of positions in some sectors, while fighting continued and troops confronted Houthi movements elsewhere.

Arab World

Yemeni Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Lose Foreign Commanders as Military Setbacks Mount

Yemeni army fighters in the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz. (AFP)
Yemeni army fighters in the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz. (AFP)
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Yemeni Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Lose Foreign Commanders as Military Setbacks Mount

Yemeni army fighters in the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz. (AFP)
Yemeni army fighters in the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz. (AFP)

The Houthis have lost numerous foreign commanders involved in directing military operations and developing offensive capabilities, a senior Yemeni official said, as the group faces mounting battlefield losses and internal divisions.

Walid al-Qudaimi, Yemen's minister of state, told Asharq Al-Awsat that airstrikes and battlefield operations had killed key foreign commanders fighting alongside the Houthis, as well as senior Houthi figures whose deaths the group has yet to disclose.

He said airstrikes and fighting across several fronts had weakened the militia's military capabilities, inflicting heavy losses in personnel, leadership and equipment.

Foreign commanders involved in directing operations and launching missile and drone attacks on government-held areas and Saudi Arabia were among those hit, he added.

Despite efforts to develop weapons and military technology, the Houthis were facing mounting setbacks and internal disintegration, al-Qudaimi said.

He said tribal leaders, sheikhs and ordinary Yemenis were increasingly recognizing the militia's agenda and refusing to send their sons into battle amid heavy casualties and growing numbers of missing fighters whose fate remained undisclosed.

Al-Qudaimi said Yemeni forces were fighting under a unified command through the joint forces, adding that Operation Dawn of Yemen would continue with Saudi support and under the direct supervision of the chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council until its objectives were met.

He said Yemenis increasingly understood the Houthis' ties to Iran and their role as one of Tehran's regional instruments, expressing his belief that large segments of the population were awaiting the group's removal and the restoration of state institutions.

The conflict extended beyond the Houthis because of the military and logistical support they received from foreign parties, al-Qudaimi said.

He stressed the importance of Yemeni diplomatic efforts to confront countries facilitating Houthi activities or providing assistance, saying such support violated diplomatic and political relations and harmed those countries' ties with Yemen.

His remarks came as Yemeni forces pressed ahead with military operations, intensifying airstrikes, drone attacks and artillery fire against Houthi positions, movements and reinforcements.

Government forces also made fresh gains in Al-Jawf province, while fighting continued on several fronts in Taiz, Dhale and Marib.

Turning to Taiz, al-Qudaimi called the city "an important key to victory over the Houthi militia," saying its residents' resistance reflected Yemenis' determination to confront the group.

He said repeated Houthi attempts to defeat the city militarily had failed despite the deployment of extensive manpower and military resources following the group's seizure of coastal areas.

Al-Qudaimi expressed hope that the Yemeni army would launch further operations to break the siege of Taiz and restore freedom of movement and access to besieged areas.

He also accused the Houthis of hypocrisy, saying they proclaimed solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian people while besieging fellow Yemenis in Taiz and denying them basic rights to movement and daily life.

Arab World

More Than One Million in Lebanon Face Acute Food Insecurity, UN Says

A woman holds her daughter's hand as they walk through a neighborhood where homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes near Tebnin Citadel in southern Lebanon, October 3, 2026. (Reuters)
A woman holds her daughter's hand as they walk through a neighborhood where homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes near Tebnin Citadel in southern Lebanon, October 3, 2026. (Reuters)
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More Than One Million in Lebanon Face Acute Food Insecurity, UN Says

A woman holds her daughter's hand as they walk through a neighborhood where homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes near Tebnin Citadel in southern Lebanon, October 3, 2026. (Reuters)
A woman holds her daughter's hand as they walk through a neighborhood where homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes near Tebnin Citadel in southern Lebanon, October 3, 2026. (Reuters)

More than one million people in Lebanon face acute food insecurity, the United Nations warned on Wednesday, following years of war and economic crisis.

Lebanon has endured two successive wars with neighboring Israel since 2023 and remains mired in an unprecedented economic collapse triggered seven years ago.

Nearly a quarter of the population face crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse, said a joint statement by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program and the Lebanese agriculture ministry.

They called for "urgent action" to alleviate the situation.

The number is expected to rise to 1.15 million by the middle of next year, they added.

"Employment opportunities remain limited, savings have been depleted and debt remains high, while the cost of food, fuel and other essentials continues to strain household budgets," the UN bodies said.

The UN defines such levels of food insecurity as households facing malnutrition, or only being able to meet minimum needs through emergency measures such as selling assets.

Of most concern are conditions in conflict-affected areas of south Lebanon, as well as in impoverished regions in the north and east, they said.

Lebanon's authorities estimate that the cost of two wars between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah since October 2023 amounts to around $27 billion.

The last war, launched in March in support of Hezbollah's patron Iran, displaced more than one million people in Lebanon. That number has fallen to around 300,000 since violence subsided in June.

The fighting broke out as Lebanon struggled to recover from its worst ever economic crisis, which began in 2019.

Beirut has been seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund but has yet to implement reforms demanded by the institution to release the aid.