Arab Coalition: Iranian Weapons Seized from Houthis in Yemen

A soldier loyal to Yemen’s government aims a machine gun at a Houthi position in central province of Marib on October 19, 2015. (Reuters)
A soldier loyal to Yemen’s government aims a machine gun at a Houthi position in central province of Marib on October 19, 2015. (Reuters)
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Arab Coalition: Iranian Weapons Seized from Houthis in Yemen

A soldier loyal to Yemen’s government aims a machine gun at a Houthi position in central province of Marib on October 19, 2015. (Reuters)
A soldier loyal to Yemen’s government aims a machine gun at a Houthi position in central province of Marib on October 19, 2015. (Reuters)

The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen announced on Wednesday that it had seized Iranian-made weapons from Houthi militias.

Spokesman for the coalition Turki al-Maliki announced during a press conference: “We are receiving several contacts over a list of wanted Houthis. We are aware of the movements of the fugitives in Yemen.”

The coalition command welcomed the United Nations Security Council’s condemnation of the Houthis’ launch of a ballistic missile towards Saudi Arabia, adding: “There is a responsibility on some countries that are turning a blind eye to the arms being smuggled to the Houthis.”

To that end, the coalition revealed that a new search and investigation mechanism was put in place to uncover smuggled weapons.

Saudi Arabia announced on December 19 that it had intercepted south of Riyadh a ballistic missile that was fired by the Houthis. No one was injured and no damages were incurred in the incident, which was widely condemned by the international community.

In addition, Maliki revealed that five ships loaded with fuel headed to Yemen’s Hodeidah port this week. The coalition also granted ten permits to allow the passage of aid through land portals.

The alliance continues to provide humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people, he stressed, while saying that some food aid was airdropped in besieged regions.

Moreover, Maliki revealed that the Houthis were expelled from the Shabwa region and “it is now under the control of the legitimate Yemeni government.”

The area is now being swept for mines that the militia left behind, he stated.

Furthermore, he stressed that the national Yemeni army was advancing “strongly” on al-Bayda province.

“The Houthis have lost a lot of their civil leaders and their morale is low,” said the coalition spokesman.

He urged anyone who has information on the Houthi terrorists to come forward, adding that the coalition carried out strikes against 412 Houthi targets, some of which were near the Saudi Arabia border. Other targets included a rocket factory in Saada, weapons caches and Houthi gathering points.



Syria Reportedly Foiled ISIS Plots on Sharaa's Life

FILE PHOTO: Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, October 15, 2025. Sputnik/Sergey Bobylyov/Pool via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, October 15, 2025. Sputnik/Sergey Bobylyov/Pool via REUTERS
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Syria Reportedly Foiled ISIS Plots on Sharaa's Life

FILE PHOTO: Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, October 15, 2025. Sputnik/Sergey Bobylyov/Pool via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, October 15, 2025. Sputnik/Sergey Bobylyov/Pool via REUTERS

Syria has foiled two separate ISIS plots to assassinate President Ahmed al-Sharaa, two senior officials said.

The sources, a senior Syrian security official and a senior Middle Eastern official, said the plots on Sharaa's life were foiled over the last few months.

According to Reuters, the sources said that, in one case, the ISIS plot was centered around a pre-announced official engagement involving Sharaa, declining to provide further details due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The Syrian information ministry declined to comment.

The reported plots came to light as Syria is poised to join a US-led global anti-ISIS coalition when US President Donald Trump hosts Sharaa on Monday for a historic White House meeting, the first ever by a Syrian head of state.

Over the weekend, the Syrian interior ministry launched a nationwide campaign targeting ISIS cells across the country, apprehending more than 70 suspects, government media said.

The senior Syrian security official said they were acting on intelligence that the group was planning operations against the government and Syrian minority groups.

It was also intended as a message that Syrian intelligence have deeply penetrated the group and that joining the coalition would bring a major asset to global operations against the militants.


Gaza Health Officials Say Israel Handed Over the Bodies of 15 Palestinians 

Palestinians sit outside their make shift homes along a road near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on November 9, 2025, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)
Palestinians sit outside their make shift homes along a road near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on November 9, 2025, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)
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Gaza Health Officials Say Israel Handed Over the Bodies of 15 Palestinians 

Palestinians sit outside their make shift homes along a road near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on November 9, 2025, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)
Palestinians sit outside their make shift homes along a road near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on November 9, 2025, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said it had received on Monday the bodies of 15 Palestinian prisoners under the US-brokered ceasefire exchange deal.

"The ministry of health announces the receipt of 15 bodies of martyrs released today by the Israeli occupation through the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies received to 315" under the hostage-prisoner exchange deal, the ministry said.

They were returned in exchange for the remains of Israeli officer Lieutenant Hadar Goldin handed back to Israel the day before. Goldin was killed in the 2014 Gaza war.

Meanwhile, US envoy Jared Kushner held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, the premier's office said, without providing further details.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently meeting in his office in Jerusalem with US President (Donald) Trump's special envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner," Netanyahu's office said.

Israeli media reports said that Kushner's visit came as Washington presses efforts to ensure that the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza holds.


One Dead in Israeli Strike in South Lebanon

FILE PHOTO: People gather as smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Tayr Debba, southern Lebanon November 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People gather as smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Tayr Debba, southern Lebanon November 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo
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One Dead in Israeli Strike in South Lebanon

FILE PHOTO: People gather as smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Tayr Debba, southern Lebanon November 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People gather as smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Tayr Debba, southern Lebanon November 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo

An Israeli strike on a main highway in southern Lebanon killed one person Monday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel intensifies attacks on the country.

Over the weekend, strikes killed five other people, with Israel accusing Hezbollah of rearming.

"An Israeli strike on a car in the area of Baissariyeh killed one person," the health ministry said Monday.

An AFP journalist saw a bombed out car on the road linking the cities of Sidon and Tyre, with traffic piling up as rescuers worked to retrieve the remains.

Despite a ceasefire in place since November 2024, Israel has kept up attacks on Lebanon, where it continues to hold five positions.

The European Union on Saturday joined a growing chorus of condemnation of Israel's intensified strikes, urging "to cease all actions that violate... the ceasefire agreement reached a year ago.”