Baghdad Summit Highlights Threat of ‘Parallel Entities’ in Yemen, Sudan

Leaders attend the opening of the 34th Arab Summit in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP)
Leaders attend the opening of the 34th Arab Summit in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP)
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Baghdad Summit Highlights Threat of ‘Parallel Entities’ in Yemen, Sudan

Leaders attend the opening of the 34th Arab Summit in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP)
Leaders attend the opening of the 34th Arab Summit in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP)

The Arab League summit in Baghdad on Saturday saw urgent calls for unified action against the rise of “parallel entities” that undermine state authority, with Yemen and Sudan presented as key examples of nations destabilized by armed groups and political fragmentation.

In Yemen, the continued intransigence of the Iran-backed Houthi militias was a central theme. Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, urged Arab leaders to take decisive steps to confront what he described as the Houthis’ “defiance,” calling for the full implementation of a resolution classifying the, as a foreign terrorist organization.

Al-Alimi accused the Houthis of a wide range of abuses, including attacks on ports and airports, destruction of homes and mosques, looting humanitarian aid, kidnapping aid workers, and recruiting child soldiers.

Their actions not only threaten Yemen’s sovereignty, but also regional stability, especially through their ongoing disruption of Red Sea shipping routes, he warned.

Alimi expressed his gratitude to the Arab coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, crediting it for the “historic perseverance of our great Yemeni people.”

He also credited the coalition with easing the suffering of the people and maintaining the unity of Yemen’s national institutions.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, also present at the summit, described the Red Sea attacks as a threat to the global economy and called for renewed efforts toward an intra-Yemeni dialogue to restore peace.

Sudan’s crisis was similarly framed as a warning against the dangers of competing power centers. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rejected any attempt to establish alternative governments in Sudan, stressing the urgent need for a ceasefire and the protection of the country’s territorial integrity.

“Sudan is at a critical juncture that threatens its unity,” he said, urging immediate humanitarian access and support for state institutions.

Sudan’s Deputy Sovereign Council leader Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Jaber blamed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for undermining national stability.

He backed calls for a ceasefire that includes a full RSF withdrawal and pushed for a comprehensive Sudanese dialogue to prepare for elections.

Jaber also appealed to Arab nations for help in rebuilding the war-ravaged country.

The human and economic toll of Sudan’s ongoing war is staggering. The World Health Organization has reported over 20,000 confirmed deaths since fighting erupted in April 2023, while independent estimates suggest the number may exceed 150,000, including victims of famine and disease.

Infrastructure damage, including to bridges, hospitals, and power grids, is estimated to have cost the country between $120 and $150 billion.



Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah Warns US Against Intervening in Israel-Iran Conflict

 Protesters hold Iranian flags during a protest against Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Protesters hold Iranian flags during a protest against Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah Warns US Against Intervening in Israel-Iran Conflict

 Protesters hold Iranian flags during a protest against Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Protesters hold Iranian flags during a protest against Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah warned on Sunday it would resume attacks on US troops in the region if the United States intervenes in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

"We are closely monitoring the movements of the American enemy's army in the region," Kataib Hezbollah Secretary-General Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi said in a statement. "If America intervenes in the war, we will act directly against its interests and bases spread across the region without hesitation."

Founded in the aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah is one of the elite Iraqi armed factions closest to Iran. The group, a key pillar of Iran's network of regional proxy forces, has claimed responsibility for dozens of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US forces in both Iraq and Syria.

Early last year, Kataib Hezbollah announced the suspension of all its military operations against US troops in the region in response to efforts by the Iraqi government.

Kataib Hezbollah is part of a coalition of Iran-aligned groups known collectively as the "Axis of Resistance" — an umbrella of hardline Shiite armed factions that have claimed more than 150 attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria since the onset of the Gaza war about 20 months ago.

Iraq, a rare ally of both Washington and Tehran, is striving to avoid upsetting its fragile stability while focusing on rebuilding after years of conflict.