Yemen PM, EU Discuss Future Partnership

Yemeni Prime Minister Salem Saleh bin Braik meets with European officials on Wednesday. (Saba)
Yemeni Prime Minister Salem Saleh bin Braik meets with European officials on Wednesday. (Saba)
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Yemen PM, EU Discuss Future Partnership

Yemeni Prime Minister Salem Saleh bin Braik meets with European officials on Wednesday. (Saba)
Yemeni Prime Minister Salem Saleh bin Braik meets with European officials on Wednesday. (Saba)

The European Union has informed the Yemeni government that it will issue a statement about the situation in Yemen that will tackle the Houthi attacks on Red Sea navigation and the harm they have incurred in the country, region and world, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The EU last made such a statement in appreciation of the government three years ago. This time, it will be more explicit in condemning the Houthis, the sources added on condition of anonymity.

Yemeni Prime Minister Salem Saleh bin Braik held talks on Wednesday with Managing Director for Middle East and North Africa in the EU’s European External Action Service Helene Le Gal and EU Ambassador to Yemen Gabriel Vinals.

The sources continued: “The EU believes that the damage caused by the Houthis was no longer just a Yemeni problem, especially after their attacks on Red Sea shipping.”

This will determine EU policy and how to handle Yemen, they said.

Wednesday’s meeting covered the current and future partnership between Yemen and the EU and the diplomatic, humanitarian and economic support it is providing to the war-torn country.

It tackled support to the Yemeni coastguard in their efforts to combat smuggling and protect international navigation, as well as joint coordination in confronting regional and international challenges, reported the Yemen’s Saba news agency.

The meeting reviewed the government’s service and economic priorities and its comprehensive reform efforts.

The gatherers discussed Yemen’s humanitarian needs and efforts to ease the suffering of the people that has been compounded by Houthi attacks on oil facilities and Red Sea shipping.

They covered current and future cooperation and the EU’s support for Yemen and its preparations to hold a humanitarian conference in Brussels later this month.



Israel Seals off the Occupied West Bank

Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Seals off the Occupied West Bank

Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Israel closed all checkpoints to the Israeli-occupied West Bank Friday as the country attacked Iran, a military official said Friday.

The move sealed off entry and exit to the territory, meaning that Palestinians could not leave without special coordination.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military recommendations.

Around 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank under Israeli military rule.

With the world’s attention focused on Gaza, Israeli military operations in the West Bank have grown in size, frequency and intensity.

The crackdown has also left tens of thousands unemployed, as they can no longer work the mostly menial jobs in Israel that paid higher wages.

Israel launched a wave of strikes across Iran on Friday that targeted its nuclear program and military sites, killing at least two top military officers and raising the prospect of an all-out war between the two bitter adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq.

The strikes came amid simmering tensions over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program and appeared certain to trigger a reprisal. In its first response, Iran fired more than 100 drones at Israel. Israel said the drones were being intercepted outside its airspace, and it was not immediately clear whether any got through.

Israeli leaders cast the attack as necessary to head off an imminent threat that Iran would build nuclear bombs, though it remains unclear how close the country is to achieving that.