Tueller: ‘No Negligence in Dealing with Iran’s Interventions’

Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr. Reuters
Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr. Reuters
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Tueller: ‘No Negligence in Dealing with Iran’s Interventions’

Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr. Reuters
Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr. Reuters

US Ambassador to Yemen Matthew H. Tueller has stated that his country is fully aware of the gravity of Iran's meddling in the internal affairs of Yemen.

During a meeting Wednesday with Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr in Riyadh, Tueller said that the US, in collaboration with the international community, is determined to deal seriously with the Iranian interventions.

Tueller reiterated his country's support for restoring legitimacy in Yemen and for protecting the country's stability and unity, hailing the successes achieved by the legitimate government in the regions liberated from the coup d'état perpetrators at the financial and security levels, according to Yemen News Agency.

For his part, Bin Daghr affirmed that Yemen's support for the new US strategy adopted by President Donald Trump towards Iran stems from a full awareness of the seriousness of its destructive role that aims to destabilize the security and stability of the Arab region and the world and its full involvement in supporting the coup against Yemeni legitimacy, prolonging the war and deepening the tragedy and resulting in humanitarian catastrophe.

He stressed that Houthi and Saleh militia, supported by Tehran, should not bet on distracting the international community from the root of the problem, which is represented in the armed militias that carried out a coup against the legitimate authority and put its president-elect from the people under house arrest, and turning it into a humanitarian cause to legitimize their presence.

“The international community is aware of the problem and its solution and of the reason behind this war that was imposed on the legitimate government.”

“These militias and their supporters must understand that the unprecedented international consensus on the issue of Yemen is a clear message that a militia coup against the legitimate force and an elected president will not be accepted and will be deterred in order not to recur in any other country,” Bin Daghr explained.

He pointed to the importance of the responsibility of the international community, the United Nations and the Security Council to assist the legitimate government and the US-led coalition to complete the enforcement of binding decisions under the seventh chapter and end the coup.

The international community acknowledges Iran’s approach, which is based on procrastination and evasion and is adopted by its allies in Yemen, Bin Daghr explained, referring to talks with Iran on the nuclear deal.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.