Near-Sanaa Tribes Arrange Forces to Enter Capital

Houthi rebels patrol an area in Saada in northern Yemen. Reuters
Houthi rebels patrol an area in Saada in northern Yemen. Reuters
TT

Near-Sanaa Tribes Arrange Forces to Enter Capital

Houthi rebels patrol an area in Saada in northern Yemen. Reuters
Houthi rebels patrol an area in Saada in northern Yemen. Reuters

Tribal sources in areas surrounding Sanaa revealed that accelerated movements are taking place on the ground, in coordination with many tribes in Tihama and some sheikhs in Sanaa who are loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, to arrange a mechanism to progress militarily and storm Sanaa with the support of the national army.

“These movements come in light with the repression and killings carried out by the Houthi militias in Sanaa after the city was divided into security squares to monitor any movement of civilians and prevent any revolution after the assassination of President Saleh,” several sheikhs told Asharq Al-Awsat.

They added that work was underway to arrange the ranks before the occurrence of any military action that needs the support of coalition forces.

A number of sheikhs in Sanaa joined the Houthi militias under the force of arms to ensure their safety and prevent the execution of their families after militias launched a large-scale campaign of arrests, killing large numbers of leaders and destroying their homes for refusing to cooperate and obey, tribal sheikhs explained to Asharq Al-Awsat.

This move was preceded by the calls of leaders in the legitimate government, who rely on the strong reaction of these tribes in expelling of the Houthi militias with the support of the army and the Arab coalition forces, especially that these tribes have a historical experience in clearing invaders from the city.

According to tribal sheikhs, they need military support as they need to be provided with various types of weapons, enabling them to quickly enter the center of the capital.

Sheikh Mohammad Abdulaziz al-Shalif, a sheikh of the Nahm tribe, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the bloody situation in the capital, Sana'a, is caused by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias and has created panic among people inside the city.

The women, who have been subjected to investigation and arrest, especially after the protests they have carried out on Wednesday, were subjected to repression, beatings, and humiliation.

Many homes were also bombed. "The situation is now critical in Sana'a and the capital has never witnessed such situation,” Shalif stressed.



Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
TT

Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.