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Southern Yemen United in Welcoming Riyadh Conference

National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (Reuters)
National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (Reuters)
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Southern Yemen United in Welcoming Riyadh Conference

National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (Reuters)
National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (Reuters)

Parties in southern Yemen welcomed on Sunday Saudi Arabia’s call to hold a comprehensive conference on the issue of the South.

The conference will be held in Riyadh at an official request by Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Dr. Rashad al-Alimi. The meeting will help shape the path of the southern issue, meeting the ambitions of southern and eastern Yemen governorates.

Local authorities in Hadhramaut, al-Mahra, Lahj, Shabwah and Socotra welcomed the conference, as did prominent political leaderships in the south. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) also notably welcomed the conference.

Saudi Arabia’s move to host the meeting was welcomed by Gulf and Arab countries and the international community over the weekend. It was viewed as a necessary step towards restoring dialogue in the South, overcoming efforts to eliminate the other and viewing the southern issue within a national and regional framework that would lead to a fair and sustainable solution.

Member of the PLC Dr. Abdullah al-Alimi expressed his deep appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s stance, calling all southern components, starting with the STC, to positively approach the conference and comprehensive dialogue that prioritizes the interests of the South above all else.

Serious dialogue is the only way to bridge divides, achieve rapprochement and unify southern ranks to serve security and stability, he stressed.

Shura Council Speaker Ahmed bin Dagher underlined the importance of the Riyadh conference, saying dialogue will help defuse strife.

The meeting will present realistic solutions to pending issues in the South, he added.

The STC welcomed Saudi Arabia’s call to hold the conference, saying it is in line with its policies that are based on dialogue.

It did place conditions, however, underscoring the “will of the people of the south” and demanding international guarantees, a clear timeframe, and popular referendum.

Observers said the conditions are an attempt by the STC to preserve its political position.

They noted that the very fact that it agreed to join the conference is an acknowledgment that the southern issue is greater than one party that is taking unilateral decisions.

The regional and international climate do not allow unilateral actions, they added.

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Arab World

Israel Says Ban on Gaza Media Access Should Stay

A Palestinian woman holds her child beside piles of rubble while heading toward Gaza City on Friday. (AFP)
A Palestinian woman holds her child beside piles of rubble while heading toward Gaza City on Friday. (AFP)
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Israel Says Ban on Gaza Media Access Should Stay

A Palestinian woman holds her child beside piles of rubble while heading toward Gaza City on Friday. (AFP)
A Palestinian woman holds her child beside piles of rubble while heading toward Gaza City on Friday. (AFP)

Israeli authorities have told the Supreme Court that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing it is necessary for security reasons, according to a government submission filed by the public prosecutor. 

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, triggered by an attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas, Israeli authorities have barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory, said AFP. 

Instead, Israel has allowed only a limited number of reporters to enter Gaza on a case-by-case basis, embedded with its military forces inside the blockaded territory. 

The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents hundreds of foreign journalists working in Israel and the Palestinian territories, filed a petition with the Supreme Court in 2024 seeking immediate and unrestricted access for international media to the Gaza Strip. 

Since then the court has given several extensions to the Israeli authorities to come up with a plan, but at a hearing last month it set January 4 as a final deadline. 

Late on Sunday, the Israeli authorities filed their response with the court, a copy of which was obtained by AFP. 

In the submission, the government said the ban on media access to Gaza should continue, citing security risks in the territory. 

"Even at this time, entry of journalists into the Gaza Strip without escort, as requested in the petition, should not be permitted," said the government submission. 

"This is for security reasons, based on the position of the defense establishment, which maintains that a security risk associated with such entry still exists." 

The Israeli authorities said the ceasefire in Gaza, which came into effect on October 10, continues to face regular threats. 

At least 420 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza's health ministry. 

The Israeli military said three of its soldiers have also been killed by militants during the same period. 

The Israeli authorities said in their submission that the search for the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza is ongoing, suggesting that allowing journalists into the territory at this stage could hinder the operation. 

The remains of Ran Gvili, whose body was taken to Gaza after he was killed during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, have still not been recovered despite the ceasefire. 

All other 250 hostages seized on that day - both the living and the deceased - have been returned to Israel. 

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the matter, though it is unclear when a decision will be handed down. 

 

Arab World

Calls in Lebanon for Immediate Action Against ‘Remnants’ of Assad Regime

The Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. (AFP)
The Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. (AFP)
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Calls in Lebanon for Immediate Action Against ‘Remnants’ of Assad Regime

The Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. (AFP)
The Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. (AFP)

Reports about the presence of “remnants of the former Syrian regime” in Lebanon have raised concerns that they could destabilize internal security or turn Lebanese territory into a platform for targeting Syria’s security and stability.

Authorities and security agencies have launched a broad campaign to verify these reports as voices across Lebanon warned of the presence of former Syrian officers in certain regions, particularly in the North and Bekaa Valley in the east.

The Lebanese Army Command regularly announces raids and security operations against suspects. The latest such operation was announced on Sunday, when dozens were detained, mostly Syrians, in northern Lebanon and the Bekaa.

In a statement, the Army Command said it carried out operations against wanted suspects, arresting nine Lebanese citizens and 35 Syrians in the regions of Akkar, Tripoli, Batroun, Baalbek and Hermel on charges including opening fire, possession of weapons, drug use, and human smuggling.

The army added that weapons, ammunition, drugs and military equipment were seized, and that investigations had begun under the supervision of the relevant judiciary.

Previously, a number of municipalities in northern Lebanon had issued statements urging security agencies to tighten measures in their areas, saying several former regime members have sought safety in their towns. They also spoke of the daily movement of suspicious vehicles.

Similar warnings have since emerged from the Bekaa. Dar al-Fatwa in Rashaya issued a statement on Sunday calling on the state to take “immediate, swift and decisive action to arrest the remnants of the Syrian regime in Lebanon and return them to Syria for trial.”

MP Wael Abou Faour, a member of the Democratic Gathering bloc, called on “the Lebanese security agencies to fulfill their duties with regard to the large number of officers from the remnants of the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad who are present in Lebanon.”

He stressed that despite the fall of the regime, “Lebanese-Syrian relations are governed by the Taif Agreement, which clearly stipulates that Lebanon must not be a base or a transit point for any attack on Syria’s security, and vice versa.”

“The Lebanese state must therefore act to uncover the truth and arrest officers from the remnants of the regime who are hiding in Lebanon.”

Arab World

First Direct Clashes Erupt Between Hamas, Armed Gangs in Gaza

 Palestinians carry the remains of a victim of a fire that broke out in displacement tents in Gaza City (AFP). 
 Palestinians carry the remains of a victim of a fire that broke out in displacement tents in Gaza City (AFP). 
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First Direct Clashes Erupt Between Hamas, Armed Gangs in Gaza

 Palestinians carry the remains of a victim of a fire that broke out in displacement tents in Gaza City (AFP). 
 Palestinians carry the remains of a victim of a fire that broke out in displacement tents in Gaza City (AFP). 

The al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, witnessed on Sunday morning the first direct, face-to-face clashes between fighters from Hamas and members of an armed gang operating in the area, marking a new and dangerous escalation in Gaza’s internal security landscape.

Field sources said the clashes involved a group led by Palestinian Rami Halas, which calls itself the “Popular Defense Forces.” The group is reportedly active in areas under Israel’s control and has stepped up attacks against Palestinians over the past 10 days, killing at least two people and wounding several others.

According to the sources, members of the Halas gang advanced toward al-Sanafour junction in al-Tuffah, an area west of the so-called “Yellow Line,” designated as an initial withdrawal line under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

As the gunmen entered residential neighborhoods, they were met with immediate gunfire from Hamas fighters and members of other armed factions. The exchange of fire lasted more than 20 minutes before the gang withdrew toward the Yellow Line, which remains under Israeli control.

The clashes coincided with the presence of Israeli surveillance drones overhead. Sources said that shortly after the fighting subsided, the drones carried out strikes on homes in al-Tuffah and surrounding areas. This was followed by the use of booby-trapped vehicles loaded with tons of explosives, detonated in stages to destroy what remained of houses in those zones.

The sources also revised earlier accounts of a killing on Saturday at the main junction in al-Shuja’iyya, east of Gaza City. A Palestinian initially believed to have been shot by Israeli forces was, in fact, killed by gunmen from the same armed gang, they said. He was at least the second person killed by the group in the area within roughly 10 days.

In recent weeks, the Halas gang has intensified its attacks in eastern Gaza City, allegedly operating under Israeli cover. About two weeks ago, it forced residents of a residential block in al-Tuffah to evacuate their homes.

Armed gangs in Gaza have become more active and increasingly sophisticated, carrying out assassinations — such as the killing of Internal Security officer Ahmed Zamzam —and opening fire on civilians in areas west of the Yellow Line. Sunday’s incident marked the first direct clash between such gangs and established armed factions.

Meanwhile, Hamas has expanded executions and crackdowns against armed gangs and individuals accused of collaborating with Israel since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10. Hamas sources said several alleged collaborators linked to the assassinations of senior leaders, including former Qassam Brigades commander Mohammed Deif, have been executed, while others have been arrested and remain under investigation.

Separately, Israeli fire killed three Palestinians in Khan Younis on Sunday, including a 15-year-old boy and a young man, while a fisherman was shot dead off the city’s coast. Since the ceasefire, more than 423 Palestinians have been killed in what are described as Israeli violations across Gaza.