Former Yemeni President Saleh Killed in Sana’a

Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. (Reuters)
Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. (Reuters)
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Former Yemeni President Saleh Killed in Sana’a

Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. (Reuters)
Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. (Reuters)

Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed on Monday by the Houthi militias.

Sources from his General People’s Congress announced that he was killed during the ongoing battles in the capital Sana’a. They did not disclose details about his death.

Social media websites posted photos and videos showing Saleh’s corpse with signs of severe injuries that led to his death.

His death came hours after the Houthis bombed his residence in central Sana’a. The houses of his relatives in the capital were also stormed and seized.

There have been conflicting reports about how he was killed. Some reports speculated that he may have been killed by a sniper gunshot, not in his house explosion.

The General People’s Congress announced later on Monday that a successor to Saleh will be announced within days.

“His death has fueled the anger of the Yemenis against the Houthis,” it added.

Sana’a has since Wednesday been witnessing fierce clashes between the Houthi militants and Saleh supporters, leaving hundreds dead and injured.

On Saturday, Saleh announced that he was ready to open a new page of ties with the Saudi-led coalition aimed at restoring legitimacy in Yemen, effectively ending his three-year alliance with the Iran-backed Houthis.

Saleh, 75, ruled Yemen from 1978 until 2011.



Iran Seeks to Turn ‘New Page’ in Ties with Lebanon

 In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
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Iran Seeks to Turn ‘New Page’ in Ties with Lebanon

 In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Lebanese officials on Tuesday that Iran wanted to turn a "new page" in relations with Beirut, hinting at a shift in diplomatic ties that were long grounded in supporting Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah was once a powerful armed movement and political party with sway over Lebanon's state, but it was severely weakened by Israel's bombing campaign last year. Since then, Lebanon's army commander was elected president and a new cabinet with curtailed influence for Hezbollah and its allies took power.

Araqchi's one-day trip to Beirut on Tuesday was his first since February, when he attended the funeral of Hezbollah's secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, killed in Israeli air strikes in September.

Araqchi told both Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi that he wanted to "turn a new page" in Iran's ties with Lebanon, according to statements by Salam and Raggi's offices.

"Araqchi affirmed his country's keenness to open a new page in bilateral relations with Lebanon, based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs," Salam's office said. Araqchi also extended a formal invitation for Salam to visit Iran.

The statement from Raggi's office said the pair had a "frank and direct discussion," including on establishing the state's monopoly on the use of arms - an apparent reference to possible negotiations on the future of Hezbollah's arsenal.

The top Iranian diplomat briefly addressed reporters on Tuesday after meeting with Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is a key Hezbollah ally. Unlike previous addresses by Iranian diplomats, his comments did not mention Hezbollah.

The visit followed several turbulent episodes in ties between the two countries.

Lebanon's foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador to Beirut in April over comments alleging that plans to disarm Hezbollah were a "conspiracy".

Last year, then-Prime Minister Najib Mikati also issued a rare rebuke of Iran for "interfering" in internal Lebanese affairs.

In February, Iran blocked Lebanese planes from repatriating dozens of Lebanese nationals stranded in Tehran after Lebanon said it would not allow Iranian aircraft to land in Beirut because of Israel's threats that it would bomb the planes.