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Yemen Insurgents Continue to Recruit Children

Child soldiers with Houthi fighters hold weapons during a demonstration in Sana’a on March 13, 2015. Reuters
Child soldiers with Houthi fighters hold weapons during a demonstration in Sana’a on March 13, 2015. Reuters
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Yemen Insurgents Continue to Recruit Children

Child soldiers with Houthi fighters hold weapons during a demonstration in Sana’a on March 13, 2015. Reuters
Child soldiers with Houthi fighters hold weapons during a demonstration in Sana’a on March 13, 2015. Reuters

Yemen’s insurgency leaders have held a meeting with a number of elders loyal to former president Ali Abdallah Saleh to discuss the forcible recruitment of children following huge human losses within their ranks on the front lines, sources in Al-Mahwit governorate said.

The sources confirmed that the meeting discussed the recruitment mechanism in areas such as al-Taweelah, Bani Saad, and Shibam. Houthi supervisors were assigned to follow up the enlisting.

Meanwhile, insurgency militias continued to enforce taxes in Hawit and Amran which fall under their control. They have forced stores and merchants to pay sums of money for the alleged funding of the celebrations commemorating the insurgency coup on September 21.

Meanwhile, the popular resistance in Tuhama district continued to target Houthi and Saleh military bases, amid intensified clashes in several battlefronts in Taiz, Marib, Nahim, and al-Baydaa.

Coalition warplanes carried out raids on Houthi and Saleh militias, destroying three vehicles, five motorcycles and killing and injuring several of them, according to military sources.

The coalition also staged raids on Houthi targets in al-Jawf district, leading to deaths among the insurgents.

Army troops advanced in Marib and regained control over new mountainous areas following severe clashes in Heilan and al-Mashjah.

National army troops also succeeded in thwarting an insurgency attack in al-Tebbah al-Sawdaa of al-Qabitah district in Lahij governorate, a military source informed Asharq Al-Awsat.

In addition, militias continued to attack residential areas in Taiz, killing and injuring several civilians including women and children.

A military source in Taiz reiterated to Asharq al-Awsat that several residents were killed and a child was injured. He added that the western front of Taiz witnessed severe clashes, forcing the insurgents to flee.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) condemned the shelling on residential areas in Shab al-Doubba and Souk al-Samil in Taiz on Friday September 15, which left three children dead and nine others severely injuring.

ICRC's Regional Director for the Near and Middle East Robert Mardini urged all warring sides to take every precaution to spare civilians.

“We cannot turn a blind eye on the rising number of civilians injured or killed as a result of indiscriminate attacks in Yemen's conflict. Too often in recent months, civilians, women, men and children, have been in harm's way, becoming victims of shells and bombs," said Mardini.

The Regional Director added that what happened on Friday is yet another stark reminder of the immense suffering that civilians across Yemen are enduring in their daily lives.

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Arab World

UN Chief Condemns Israeli Law Blocking Electricity, Water for UNRWA Facilities

A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Chief Condemns Israeli Law Blocking Electricity, Water for UNRWA Facilities

A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned on Wednesday a move by Israel to ban electricity or water to facilities owned by the UN Palestinian refugee agency, a UN spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the move would "further impede" the agency's ability to operate and carry out activities.

"The Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations remains applicable to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), its property and assets, and to its officials and other personnel. Property used ‌by UNRWA ‌is inviolable," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the ‌secretary-general, ⁠said while ‌adding that UNRWA is an "integral" part of the world body.

UNRWA Commissioner General Phillipe Lazzarini also condemned the move, saying that it was part of an ongoing " systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct" the role it plays in providing assistance to Palestinian refugees.

In 2024, the Israeli parliament passed a law banning the agency from operating in ⁠the country and prohibiting officials from having contact with the agency.

As a ‌result, UNRWA operates in East Jerusalem, ‍which the UN considers territory occupied ‍by Israel. Israel considers all Jerusalem to be part ‍of the country.

The agency provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It has long had tense relations with Israel, but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza and Israel has called repeatedly for UNRWA to ⁠be disbanded, with its responsibilities transferred to other UN agencies.

The prohibition of basic utilities to the UN agency came as Israel also suspended of dozens of international non-governmental organizations working in Gaza due to a failure to meet new rules to vet those groups.

In a joint statement, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom said on Tuesday such a move would have a severe impact on the access of essential services, including healthcare. They said one in ‌three healthcare facilities in Gaza would close if international NGO operations stopped.

Arab World

Israel Says It ‘Will Enforce’ Ban on 37 NGOs in Gaza

The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
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Israel Says It ‘Will Enforce’ Ban on 37 NGOs in Gaza

The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)

Israel said on Thursday that 37 international NGOs operating in Gaza had not complied with a deadline to meet "security and transparency standards," in particular disclosing information on their Palestinian staff, and that it "will enforce" a ban on their activities.

"Organizations that have failed to meet required security and transparency standards will have their licenses suspended," said spokesman for the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Gilad Zwick.

In March, Israel gave a ten-month deadline to NGOs to comply with the new rules, which expired on Wednesday night.

The UN has warned that the ban will exacerbate the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Arab World

Syria’s Interior Minister Warns Remnants of Former Regime

FILE PHOTO: Members of the Syrian Security forces stand guard near military vehicles on the day people protest in Latakia, Syria, December 28, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Members of the Syrian Security forces stand guard near military vehicles on the day people protest in Latakia, Syria, December 28, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
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Syria’s Interior Minister Warns Remnants of Former Regime

FILE PHOTO: Members of the Syrian Security forces stand guard near military vehicles on the day people protest in Latakia, Syria, December 28, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Members of the Syrian Security forces stand guard near military vehicles on the day people protest in Latakia, Syria, December 28, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo

Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab has warned the remnants of the former regime against efforts to lead chaos, killing, and destruction as his ministry announced the arrest of several people in Latakia and Tartus for involvement in war crimes and instigations that threaten civil peace.

Khattab stressed on Wednesday that the state is the sole guarantor for all citizens, ensuring their security, preserving their dignity, and safeguarding their rights.

The minister said in a statement on X that since the early days following Syria’s liberation, the ministry has positioned itself as a central force in restoring order and safety across the country.

This effort has been carried out in coordination with other government agencies and local communities to confront a wide range of security challenges.

Khattab stressed that the ministry’s new approach to policing prioritizes public safety over intimidation. “Our goal is to protect citizens, not to frighten them,” he said, adding that a formal code of conduct has been introduced to ensure law enforcement operates within clear legal and ethical boundaries.

Despite these reforms, remnants of the deposed regime who have aligned themselves with wanted criminals have misinterpreted the ministry’s ethical approach as weakness. “We will protect the oppressed and hold accountable anyone who threatens our country’s security,” he said.

The minister warned the remnants of the defunct regime and their criminal gangs, who insist on continuing the path of chaos, killing, and destruction to “await their inevitable fate.”

“Let this message serve as a final warning to them to cease their actions,” he added.

Meanwhile, the ministry said on its Telegram channel that several people were arrested in operations in Latakia and Tartus after external calls by instigators have led to sectarian chaos and left many people dead and injured.

“The operation came in response to external inciting calls of a sectarian nature, which led to a state of chaos, the death of a number of people, the injury of others, and assaults on public and private property,” it said, noting that “operations are ongoing against these corrupt individuals.”

The ministry said in its statement that it has played an active role in restoring the social fabric and strengthening civil peace. However, “some parties have sought to exploit this stage to spread chaos, undermine security, and threaten stability.”