Al-Alimi Calls for Collective Global Approach to Support Yemen’s Security, Economy

Al-Alimi meets with US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin in Riyadh. (Saba)
Al-Alimi meets with US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin in Riyadh. (Saba)
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Al-Alimi Calls for Collective Global Approach to Support Yemen’s Security, Economy

Al-Alimi meets with US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin in Riyadh. (Saba)
Al-Alimi meets with US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin in Riyadh. (Saba)

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Dr. Rashad al-Alimi hoped for a broader partnership with the United States to address the challenges facing his country. He called for a collective global approach to support Yemen on humanitarian, economic, and security fronts.

Al-Alimi received in Riyadh US Ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, just days after the designation of the Iran-backed Houthi militias as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” took effect and new US sanctions were imposed on seven of its senior leaders, including its spokesperson and de facto foreign minister, Mohammed Abdul Salam.

According to official Yemeni media, the meeting, attended by Council member Othman Mujalli, focused on Yemeni-American relations and their future prospects, as well as ways to boost cooperation at various levels.

Al-Alimi stressed the urgent need for a global collective approach to support the legitimate Yemeni government in addressing economic, service-related, and humanitarian challenges. He also emphasized strengthening the country’s capacity to combat terrorism and organized crime, and to secure its territorial waters, positioning Yemen as a key partner in safeguarding international peace and security.

The Yemeni leader reaffirmed his commitment to expanding cooperation with the United States to confront regional threats and challenges. He welcomed the US administration’s decision to reclassify the Houthis as terrorist and pledged Yemen’s full cooperation with the international community to implement the designation while minimizing any potential humanitarian impact on vulnerable groups.

While the full extent of the designation’s impact on the Houthis remains uncertain, there have been growing international calls to ensure that civilians and the private sector in Houthi-controlled areas are not adversely affected and that humanitarian operations led by UN agencies remain uninterrupted.

UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg, in his latest briefing to the UN Security Council, warned of escalating tensions and the risk of a return to war, particularly as the Houthis continue their military offensives in Marib, Al-Jawf, and Taiz.

According to Yemeni reports, the past few weeks have witnessed intensified Houthi attacks in Marib and clashes with government forces, as the militias deploy more fighters to frontlines in the oil-rich province.

Grundberg called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid measures that could drag Yemen back into a full-scale war, where civilians would once again bear the brunt of the conflict.



Israel Targets Suspected Arms Smuggler in Airstrike Near Beirut

Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
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Israel Targets Suspected Arms Smuggler in Airstrike Near Beirut

Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)

An Israeli airstrike killed a suspected arms smuggler south of Beirut on Thursday, in a sharp escalation in Lebanon that coincided with internal talks over Hezbollah’s disarmament in line with US demands, Lebanese officials said.

The strike targeted a vehicle on the coastal highway in the Khalde area, just south of the Lebanese capital, according to the state-run National News Agency. Social media footage showed a missile hitting a car, which came to a halt before a second strike hit the driver as he attempted to flee.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed one person was killed and three others wounded in the attack.

The Israeli military said the strike eliminated an operative working on behalf of Iran’s Quds Force, accusing him of trafficking weapons and planning attacks against Israeli civilians and military forces.

Israel’s Army Radio reported that the individual was affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The strike comes amid rising tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border and as Lebanese factions discuss the future of Hezbollah’s weapons amid pressure from Washington to curtail the group’s military power.

Thursday’s airstrike was one of the few Israeli attacks in or near Beirut since the truce with Hezbollah took effect in November.

Only two other strikes have been recorded in the area over the past eight months, including one on Eid al-Fitr that killed a senior Hezbollah figure allegedly linked to coordination with Hamas in the group’s southern Beirut stronghold.

Another strike in Naameh, south of the capital, targeted and killed a senior official from the Islamic Group, a Sunni faction with ties to southern Lebanon’s Hasbaya region.

The latest escalation comes as Lebanese leaders prepare a unified response to a US-backed proposal calling for Hezbollah to disarm and place all weapons under state control.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has maintained positions in southern Lebanon beyond the agreed February withdrawal deadline and continues to carry out airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, following more than a year of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah.