Arab Coalition Accuses Iran, its Proxies of Destabilizing Regional Security

Foreign Ministers and Chiefs of Staff of States for the Coalition Supporting the Legitimacy in Yemen meet in Riyadh on Sunday/SPA
Foreign Ministers and Chiefs of Staff of States for the Coalition Supporting the Legitimacy in Yemen meet in Riyadh on Sunday/SPA
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Arab Coalition Accuses Iran, its Proxies of Destabilizing Regional Security

Foreign Ministers and Chiefs of Staff of States for the Coalition Supporting the Legitimacy in Yemen meet in Riyadh on Sunday/SPA
Foreign Ministers and Chiefs of Staff of States for the Coalition Supporting the Legitimacy in Yemen meet in Riyadh on Sunday/SPA

Foreign Ministers and Chiefs of Staff of States from the Coalition Supporting the Legitimacy in Yemen denounced on Sunday the negative role played by Tehran in supporting coup militias with weapons, ammunition, ballistic missiles and mines in a flagrant violation of Security Council Resolution 2216, stressing the Iranian regime and its proxies are responsible for destabilizing regional security.

A final communiqué read by Colonel Pilot Turki bin Saleh al-Maliki, official spokesperson of the coalition, during a press conference held Sunday in Riyadh said that member states condemned the militias for killing the Yemeni people and exposing them to famine, fear, disease, tampering with the capabilities of the Yemeni people and threatening the security and stability of the region’s countries, mainly Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Al-Maliki told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthis have targeted the Kingdom with 77 missiles.

The spokesperson said the insurgents are the first outlawed terrorist group that own ballistic powers, which he considered a very threatening challenge.

“Terrorist and armed groups cannot possess such powers, especially ballistic and surface-to-surface missiles,” he said.

The final communiqué also confirmed that the military operations of the coalition are carried out in line with the relevant international laws, including international humanitarian law.

With regard to the annual report of the UN Secretary General on children in armed conflicts issued early last month, participants rejected parts of it for containing false information, and called on the UN to revise the mechanisms and fact-finding tools.

Nevertheless, they lauded other parts of the report, which hailed measures taken by the coalition in protecting civilians.

Representatives of the Coalition forces in Yemen also condemned the coup militias' criminal acts, such as using, training and recruiting children in armed conflicts in addition to imposing a siege on cities and looting humanitarian aid, which has led to the spread of epidemics and famine among civilians.

They concluded by stressing the need for the coalition states to highlight their message and disclose the criminal practices and plans carried out by the insurgents with the support of Iran and Hezbollah.



Norway PM Wants Oil Fund to Review Stake in Israeli Company

This aerial view shot from a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) military transport aircraft during an airdrop relief mission shows the scene in the Gaza Strip on August 5, 2025. (AFP)
This aerial view shot from a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) military transport aircraft during an airdrop relief mission shows the scene in the Gaza Strip on August 5, 2025. (AFP)
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Norway PM Wants Oil Fund to Review Stake in Israeli Company

This aerial view shot from a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) military transport aircraft during an airdrop relief mission shows the scene in the Gaza Strip on August 5, 2025. (AFP)
This aerial view shot from a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) military transport aircraft during an airdrop relief mission shows the scene in the Gaza Strip on August 5, 2025. (AFP)

Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Tuesday he had asked the country's finance minister to look into the country's sovereign wealth fund having invested in an Israeli jet engine maker, even as the war in Gaza raged.

Norway's sovereign wealth fund, also known as the oil fund as it is fueled by vast revenue from the country's oil and gas exports, is the biggest in the world and with a value of some $1.9 trillion, with investments spanning the globe.

On Monday, Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported that the fund had invested in Israeli Bet Shemesh Engines Holdings, which manufactures parts for jet engines used in Israeli fighter jets.

"I get very concerned when I see this," Store told broadcaster NRK on Tuesday.

Store added that he had asked the finance minister to get in touch with the country's central bank, which manages the fund, "to find out what the situation is."

Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, confirmed on Tuesday that the fund had purchased a stake in the company in 2023 and that it had increased its holdings after the Israeli offensive in Gaza begun.

Tangen said the fund now owned over two percent of the company's shares.

Speaking to broadcaster TV2, the head of the ethics council evaluating whether companies live up to the fund's ethical guidelines, Svein Richard Brandtzaeg, said the council had not deemed the sale of aircraft engines to Israel covered by the ethical guidelines.

"We have therefore not investigated companies that maintain aircraft engines. We will now consider this. The fund has comprehensive ethical guidelines, but there is still room for discretion on the part of the council," he told TV2.

Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday afternoon told a press conference he still had confidence in Tangen, following calls that the fund head should resign.

Stoltenberg stressed that the central bank and the fund were "responsible for implementation and enforcement based on the overall guidelines," news agency NTB reported.

The news agency added that Stoltenberg had also requested a new review of the fund's investments in Israel.