Yemen: Al-Alimi Says Military Ready for Decisive Battle

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief Rashad al-Alimi (Saba News Agency)
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief Rashad al-Alimi (Saba News Agency)
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Yemen: Al-Alimi Says Military Ready for Decisive Battle

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief Rashad al-Alimi (Saba News Agency)
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief Rashad al-Alimi (Saba News Agency)

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief Rashad al-Alimi said there are promising signs of a shift in the balance of power in the country’s long-running conflict, citing growing unity among anti-Houthi factions.

Al-Alimi praised what he described as “broad national alignment,” highlighting the readiness of the armed forces, security units, and all military formations to wage what he called “a battle for salvation” against the Iran-aligned Houthi group.

He said the emerging consensus among Yemen’s diverse political and military components to confront a common enemy was a key development on the ground.

Al-Alimi met late Tuesday with the head of the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission, his deputies, and senior figures from political parties and factions represented in the body, as efforts to unify anti-Houthi forces continue.

The meeting came amid ongoing US airstrikes targeting Houthi positions across several provinces, including the capital Sanaa, as well as Saada, Hajjah, and Hodeidah.

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi has acknowledged that the group has been hit by over 1,000 air and naval strikes since the campaign began.

US President Donald Trump launched the military campaign against the Houthis on March 15, vowing to use “deadly force” to eliminate the group, which Washington accuses of threatening maritime security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and launching attacks against Israel.

The meeting attended by al-Alimi focused on the necessary actions to transform the trajectory of Yemen’s pivotal battle, aiming to end the humanitarian suffering exacerbated by Houthi militia attacks on oil facilities and commercial shipping vessels.

Al-Alimi highlighted a significant positive shift in the international community’s stance, which he attributed to a united effort in countering misleading narratives about Yemen's crisis. He emphasized the government’s role as a close partner to the international community, while exposing the Houthis not as a peace project, but as a constant threat to global security, according to the official Saba News Agency.

“We have presented the Yemeni people’s vision and aspirations in the best possible light, promoting a discourse focused on security, peace, development, equality, and active partnership with the international community,” al-Alimi said.

“Today, we see promising elements that could shift the balance of power on the ground, with the key being the unity of all national components in their shared goal and common enemy,” he added.

The PLC chief expressed his gratitude for the critical support provided by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, highlighting their economic, developmental, and humanitarian contributions as vital to the Yemeni state’s continued fulfillment of its obligations.

Al-Alimi also commended the efforts of Yemen’s security forces in countering Houthi militia attempts to destabilize the internal front, accusing the group of colluding with terrorist organizations in its reckless plans.



Iraq Reaffirms Ongoing Hunt for Those Behind Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Civilians and security personnel on the Iraqi side of the Shalamja border crossing. (AFP)
Civilians and security personnel on the Iraqi side of the Shalamja border crossing. (AFP)
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Iraq Reaffirms Ongoing Hunt for Those Behind Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Civilians and security personnel on the Iraqi side of the Shalamja border crossing. (AFP)
Civilians and security personnel on the Iraqi side of the Shalamja border crossing. (AFP)

Iraqi security authorities on Tuesday reiterated that they would continue pursuing those who launched explosive-laden drones against neighboring countries, saying investigations were ongoing to identify those behind attacks on Saudi territory.

Lt. Gen. Saad Maan, head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell, said an intelligence committee had located the launch site inside Iraq.

“The investigation is ongoing, with the use of intelligence and technical capabilities, forensic evidence, fingerprints and other details needed to complete the investigation and identify those who committed this act,” Maan told the state news agency.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had relieved the commander of operations in the southern province of Maysan of his duties and dismissed the provincial police chief and other security officials after it was established that the attacks targeting Saudi Arabia had been launched from a site in the province.

Maan said the priority was to identify the perpetrators, stressing that Iraq would not allow attacks on countries in the region. He said Baghdad had contacted Saudi authorities to explain the measures taken by the government.

Iran later formally asked Iraq to participate in the investigation, a request Zaidi approved, according to the government’s military spokesman.

Talabani-Araghchi Talks

Separately, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan President Bafel Talabani held a series of meetings with Iranian leaders during a visit to Tehran on Tuesday, beginning with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the visit, made at Araghchi’s invitation, was part of Iran’s continuing consultations with the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to expand bilateral relations and strengthen regional peace and stability, economic cooperation and border security.

Talabani’s visit came a day after several areas of Sulaymaniyah, the PUK’s stronghold, were hit by five missiles believed to be Iranian, leading sources and observers to suggest that the visit would focus on security.

A PUK statement said Talabani and Araghchi discussed the latest developments in the region.

A senior Kurdish source said Talabani was expected to raise a broad range of security, political and economic issues.

The source said security remained a priority because of repeated attacks by Iran and its allied factions in Iraq on the Kurdistan Region, ostensibly over the presence of Iranian Kurdish parties there.

At least six Iranian Kurdish opposition parties operate in Iraqi Kurdistan, including the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) and Komala. They agreed earlier this year to coordinate under the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan.

The source said Talabani could ask Tehran to press its factions and allies in Iraq to reduce pressure and attacks on the region.

Baghdad and Tehran signed a security agreement in 2023 aimed at securing their shared border and neutralizing Iranian opposition groups in Iraqi Kurdistan, including by closing and relocating their bases about 50 kilometers from the Iranian border. Those measures, however, have not prevented continued Iranian attacks on the Kurdistan Region.


8 Dead, Dozens Missing as Gaza Apartment Block Collapses

Ambulance crews transport injured Palestinians to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, 15 September 2026. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Ambulance crews transport injured Palestinians to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, 15 September 2026. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
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8 Dead, Dozens Missing as Gaza Apartment Block Collapses

Ambulance crews transport injured Palestinians to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, 15 September 2026. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Ambulance crews transport injured Palestinians to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, 15 September 2026. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD

Rescuers searched on Wednesday for dozens of people missing after an apartment block in Gaza collapsed, killing eight people including children, authorities in the war-torn enclave said.

Gaza's civil defense agency said the six-story building in the Tal al-Hawa area was home to people displaced by the war with Israel, and collapsed onto residential and nearby tents.

Agency spokesman Mahmoud Basal told AFP the building had sustained structural damage from Israeli strikes.

"The bodies of eight martyrs including children and 15 injured individuals have been recovered from the rubble," Basal said.

He said more than 60 people were missing.


Al-Zaidi: Iraq Eyes Europe as It Seeks to Diversify Oil Exports

 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attend a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attend a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP)
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Al-Zaidi: Iraq Eyes Europe as It Seeks to Diversify Oil Exports

 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attend a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attend a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said on Tuesday that he discussed selling oil to Europe during visits to France and Germany, as Baghdad seeks to diversify its export routes and reduce its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz.

During a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, al-Zaidi said: "We want to expand and diversify our export routes".

He added that "Iraq cannot remain hostage to a single corridor" as recent events have demonstrated, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded by Iran during the Middle East war.

Al-Zaidi said that he had discussed oil exports to Europe with Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, whom he met in Paris on Monday.

Crude oil sales account for nearly 90 percent of Iraq's revenue but its exports have been hurt by the outbreak of the Middle East war between Iran and the United States.

Before the war began in February, Iraq produced around four million barrels per day, and exported an average of 3.4 million bpd, mostly via Hormuz.

Most of its oil exports go to East Asia, with China and India its largest buyers.

Due to the disruption, Iraq began exporting crude using tanker trucks through Syria, as well as through a pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, although these routes can handle only a fraction of its usual sea-bound trade.

Al-Zaidi said that Baghdad could "double its oil exports through the Mediterranean" to supply markets in Europe and the United States.

Al-Zaidi, who hopes to increase Iraq's oil production to 10 million barrels per day, said that "a large share, or nearly half, can go to European countries and the West".

He said that Iraq and Germany were expected to reach "an understanding on the export of crude oil" while Baghdad would purchase German technology and equipment.

Merz said that the main focus for Iraqi-German cooperation is the economy.

"Many German companies are now active in Iraq. They are developing new solutions, for example for energy supply," he said, adding that "the best example is an agreement on Iraq's electricity supply, which we will sign today".

Merz also expressed his concerns after Yemen's Houthis cemented their control over the Bab al-Mandeb waterway at the entrance to the Red Sea.

"This further exacerbates the situation on the energy markets, and also affects Germany," he said.