Tarek Saleh’s Sudden Appearance Confuses Houthis

Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis hold posters and portraits of Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh during a demonstration at Sabaeen Square, Sanaa in August 2017. (AFP)
Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis hold posters and portraits of Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh during a demonstration at Sabaeen Square, Sanaa in August 2017. (AFP)
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Tarek Saleh’s Sudden Appearance Confuses Houthis

Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis hold posters and portraits of Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh during a demonstration at Sabaeen Square, Sanaa in August 2017. (AFP)
Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis hold posters and portraits of Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh during a demonstration at Sabaeen Square, Sanaa in August 2017. (AFP)

The sudden appearance of Tarek Mohammed Saleh, the nephew of late President Ali Abdullah Saleh and commander of his forces, confused on Thursday Houthi militias that sought since Saleh’s killing on December 4 to pull together his General People’s Congress (GPC) party and to “houthitize” its rhetoric and political directions.

More than a month after conflicting reports about his whereabouts, Tarek surfaced in video footage that spread on social media Thursday.

In the video, he is seen offering his condolences to the family of GPC secretary general Aref al-Zouka.

Despite difficulties in verifying the date and location of the visit, activists and supporters from the GPC said that Tarek was in the southern province of Shabwa, Zouka’s hometown.

In the video, he was seen addressing a crowd and reminding Houthis about his uncle’s vows.

Saleh’s nephew said he would remain committed to his uncle’s quest for peace in Yemen, adding that his country will not be separated from Arabism.

“We are with what the leader had willed, especially his demand to stop the war, lifting the siege from our people,” he said.

Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Tarek Saleh’s convoy had arrived to the city of Ataq in the province of Shabwa accompanied by tribal sheikhs.

Houthi militias had distributed photos of Tarek Saleh and other GPC leaders to their affiliated checkpoints. The rebels consider Tarek as the most wanted figure from the GPC party.

On Thursday, there were still no details explaining how Tarek Saleh was able to escape. However, military sources said that he fled his uncle’s house with a group of his bodyguards who had attacked Houthi checkpoints near the area.

Tarek’s appearance raises several question on who should be the heir to Saleh’s political legacy and whether the former commander would avenge his uncle’s murder by the Houthis.



Israeli Strikes Kill 12 in Lebanon, including 5 Hezbollah Fighters

Women walk near destroyed buildings, with one holding the flag of Hezbollah, in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, after an Israeli military spokesperson said that Israel would keep troops in several posts in southern Lebanon past the deadline for them to withdraw, February 18, 2025 - Reuters reported.
Women walk near destroyed buildings, with one holding the flag of Hezbollah, in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, after an Israeli military spokesperson said that Israel would keep troops in several posts in southern Lebanon past the deadline for them to withdraw, February 18, 2025 - Reuters reported.
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Israeli Strikes Kill 12 in Lebanon, including 5 Hezbollah Fighters

Women walk near destroyed buildings, with one holding the flag of Hezbollah, in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, after an Israeli military spokesperson said that Israel would keep troops in several posts in southern Lebanon past the deadline for them to withdraw, February 18, 2025 - Reuters reported.
Women walk near destroyed buildings, with one holding the flag of Hezbollah, in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, after an Israeli military spokesperson said that Israel would keep troops in several posts in southern Lebanon past the deadline for them to withdraw, February 18, 2025 - Reuters reported.

Heavy Israeli airstrikes killed 12 people, including five Hezbollah fighters, in eastern Lebanon on Tuesday, a security source in Lebanon said, in what Israel said was a warning to the Iran-backed group against trying to re-establish itself.

The Israeli military said the airstrikes targeted training camps used by elite Hezbollah fighters and warehouses it used to store weapons in the Bekaa Valley region of eastern Lebanon.

The airstrikes were the deadliest on the area since a US-brokered ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel last November. Bachir Khodr, governor of the Bekaa region, said seven of the dead were Syrian nationals.

Israel dealt Hezbollah heavy blows in last year's conflict, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah along with other commanders and destroying much of its arsenal.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday's strikes sent a "clear message" to Hezbollah, accusing it of planning to rebuild the capability to raid Israel through the elite Radwan force, Reuters reported.

Israel "will respond with maximum force to any attempt at rebuilding", he said. He added that strikes were also a message to the Lebanese government, saying it was responsible for upholding the ceasefire agreement.

There was no immediate public response from Hezbollah or from the Lebanese government to the latest Israeli strikes.

The United States has submitted a proposal to the Lebanese government aimed at securing Hezbollah's disarmament within four months in exchange for Israel halting airstrikes and withdrawing troops from positions they still hold in south Lebanon.

Under the terms of the ceasefire brokered by the US and France, Lebanon's armed forces were to confiscate "all unauthorized arms", beginning in the area south of the Litani River - the zone closest to Israel.