Yemen Refuses to Become Iranian Platform Targeting Neighboring Countries

Houthi militants shout slogans as they ride a pick-up truck in the northwestern Yemeni city of Saada. Reuters
Houthi militants shout slogans as they ride a pick-up truck in the northwestern Yemeni city of Saada. Reuters
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Yemen Refuses to Become Iranian Platform Targeting Neighboring Countries

Houthi militants shout slogans as they ride a pick-up truck in the northwestern Yemeni city of Saada. Reuters
Houthi militants shout slogans as they ride a pick-up truck in the northwestern Yemeni city of Saada. Reuters

The Yemeni government has refused to turn Yemen into an Iranian platform to launch rockets and target neighboring countries, calling on the international community to act quickly to deter the Houthi militias firing ballistic missiles.

Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the actions of Houthi militias and their threats confirm that they have become an Iranian tool to plunge the region and the world into wars.

He said that the main objective of Iran's support of these militias is its intention to turn Yemen into a platform for firing rockets at neighboring countries.

The legitimate government refuses to turn Yemen into an Iranian platform to launch rockets in all directions, Badi added, noting that these threats require rapid action from the international community.

He stressed that before the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, the country did not have missiles similar to those fired by the militias on neighboring countries now, the latest of which was the missile launched last Saturday on Riyadh and was intercepted by the Saudi defenses, and he confirmed that they are manufactured in Iran.

For his part, Undersecretary of Yemen's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mansour Bajash told Asharq Al-Awsat that the militia's missile attacks are part of a strategy long planned by Iran, adding that the strategy is being implemented by Iran's proxies in a number of countries.

Bajash also said that Houthi militias also threatened to strike shipping lanes in the Bab el-Mandeb straits and the Red Sea with various missiles, which requires intervention by the international community.



Israeli Forces Storm Major West Bank City of Nablus

Tear gas and smoke are pictured through a window during a large-scale Israeli military raid in the old town of Nablus city in the occupied West Bank, on June 10, 2025. (AFP)
Tear gas and smoke are pictured through a window during a large-scale Israeli military raid in the old town of Nablus city in the occupied West Bank, on June 10, 2025. (AFP)
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Israeli Forces Storm Major West Bank City of Nablus

Tear gas and smoke are pictured through a window during a large-scale Israeli military raid in the old town of Nablus city in the occupied West Bank, on June 10, 2025. (AFP)
Tear gas and smoke are pictured through a window during a large-scale Israeli military raid in the old town of Nablus city in the occupied West Bank, on June 10, 2025. (AFP)

Israel launched a large-scale military operation on Tuesday in the old city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, AFP journalists reported, with the army reporting injured troops and two Palestinians "eliminated".

Dozens of military vehicles entered the city shortly after midnight, an AFP journalist reported, after a curfew had been announced over loudspeakers the day before.

Military operations are focused on the old city, a densely populated area bordering a large downtown square where young men and boys gathered to burn tires and throw stones at armored vehicles.

The Israeli army said that one soldier was "moderately injured" and three others "lightly injured" when two Palestinians attempted to steal a soldier's weapon.

Troops opened fire and "eliminated" both Palestinians, the army said in a statement, using a term the military often uses when killing gunmen.

AFPTV footage showed Israeli soldiers standing in one of the old city's narrow streets, next to the bodies of two civilians.

Neither Palestinian medics nor the Israeli army confirmed the two deaths.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Tuesday that three people were injured from bullet shrapnel, four from "physical assaults", and dozens more from tear gas inhalation.

It added that many injuries had to be handled within the old city after its ambulances were blocked from entering.

Nablus is located in the northern West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.

The territory's north has been the target of a major Israeli military operation dubbed "Iron Wall" since January 21.

On Tuesday, Israeli soldiers entered shops to search them and arrested several people for questioning, according to an AFP correspondent at the scene.

The correspondent added that Israeli flags were raised over the roofs of buildings in the Old City that had been turned into temporary bases for Israeli troops.

Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, triggered by the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian movement Hamas on Israel.

At least 938 Palestinians, including fighters but also many civilians, have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to data from the Palestinian Authority.

During the same period, least 35 Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids, according to official Israeli figures.