Yemeni Army Closes in On Houthis in Saada

An armed Houthi man walks past cooking gas cylinders in the yard of a gas station in Saada, Yemen August 27, 2016. (File Photo: Reuters)
An armed Houthi man walks past cooking gas cylinders in the yard of a gas station in Saada, Yemen August 27, 2016. (File Photo: Reuters)
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Yemeni Army Closes in On Houthis in Saada

An armed Houthi man walks past cooking gas cylinders in the yard of a gas station in Saada, Yemen August 27, 2016. (File Photo: Reuters)
An armed Houthi man walks past cooking gas cylinders in the yard of a gas station in Saada, Yemen August 27, 2016. (File Photo: Reuters)

The National Army launched a large-scale military operation to liberate Kataf al-Boqee district in Saada, days after achieving, with the support of the coalition forces, a considerable progress in Saada and controling the most important sites and strategic mountains.

After fierce battles in insurgents' stronghold, the National Army forces managed to liberate the mountain range of Ruwaikbah and al-Maarouf, east of Saada.

National army inflicted several injuries among the insurgents and many other escaped the region, in addition to recovering large quantities of munitions and weapons, a military source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

National Army's website "September Net"reported Brigadier Obeid al-Aqla as saying that Army forces, backed by the coalition, are engaged in fierce battles with Houthis militias as part of the liberation operations of Saada.

He added that the national army forces are highly motivated and fully prepared to proceed with the battles, as opposed to the Houthi militants who fled the area seeking a refuge.

On the West Coast, the army completed liberating a number of areas under the control of Houthi's militias in the district of Hays south of Hodeidah (west of Yemen). The army liberated villages and areas of Qurniyah, Hussei Ahmad, Mahwa al-Subeai, al-Kharaba, and many others. The forces are now only 4 kilometers away from the city center of Hays, according to a field military source.

In Taiz, the Yemeni National Army forces, announced on Saturday the downing of a Houthi reconnaissance aircraft in the province, 175 kilometers south of Sanaa.

September Net site quoted a military source as saying: "The National Army forces shot down a Houthi reconnaissance aircraft in the vicinity of Jabal Jara north of Taiz."

The source added that the plane was dropped while the militias were trying to explore National Army forces' sites in the northern front of Taiz which are achieving significant progress during the battles.

The source pointed out that "there are experts from Iran and Lebanese 'Hezbollah' supervising the Houthis' battles in Taiz," adding that they are developing those aircraft that are trying to monitor the sites of the National Army.

The source stressed that the forces of the National Army were able to inflict heavy losses among Houthi militias on the northern front, pointing out that the army continues to advance in the north towards the 60th Street and al-Zakera intersection to lift Taiz's seige.

Until the publication of this report, Houthis did not comment on the issue.

German DPA news agency quoted military sources as saying that the National Army forces took control of several sites and areas east and west of Taiz, following fierce clashes with Houthis. The sources confirmed that the fighting resulted in the death and injury of dozens of militants, along with the detention of eight others.

Maj. Gen. Khaled Fadel, commander of Taiz axis, toured the area and saluted the army soldiers for their sacrificies and heroism. He explained that Houthis planted many land mines in the area, but the forces are advancing and excited to liberate the area as soon as possible.

Over the past two days, the National Army has managed to liberate several positions from the Houthis' grip on more than one front.

Backed by the coalition forces to support the legitimacy in Yemen, National Army forces launched a large-scale military operation on several axes in Taiz, aimed at liberating the areas from Houthis control.



Arab-Islamic Statement Rejects Link Between Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland and Attempts to Expel Palestinians

People walk along a street before the opening of polling stations for voting in the municipal elections in Hodan district of Mogadishu, Somalia December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Feisal Omar
People walk along a street before the opening of polling stations for voting in the municipal elections in Hodan district of Mogadishu, Somalia December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Feisal Omar
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Arab-Islamic Statement Rejects Link Between Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland and Attempts to Expel Palestinians

People walk along a street before the opening of polling stations for voting in the municipal elections in Hodan district of Mogadishu, Somalia December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Feisal Omar
People walk along a street before the opening of polling stations for voting in the municipal elections in Hodan district of Mogadishu, Somalia December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

A growing number of countries are rejecting Israel's recognition of Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation, the first by any country in more than 30 years.

A joint statement by more than 20 mostly Middle Eastern or African countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Saturday rejected Israel's recognition “given the serious repercussions of such unprecedented measure on peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and its serious effects on international peace and security as a whole.”

The joint statement also noted “the full rejection of any potential link between such measure and any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Friday that he, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, signed a joint declaration “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.”

Somalia’s federal government on Friday strongly rejected what it described as an unlawful move by Israel, and reaffirmed that Somaliland remains an integral part of Somalia’s sovereign territory.

African regional bodies also rejected Israel's recognition. African Union Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said that any attempt to undermine Somalia’s sovereignty risks peace and stability on the continent.

East African governing body IGAD said in a statement that Somalia’s sovereignty was recognized under international law and any unilateral recognition “runs contrary to the charter of the United Nations” and agreements establishing the bloc and the African Union.

The US State Department on Saturday said that it continued to recognize the territorial integrity of Somalia, "which includes the territory of Somaliland.”


Italian Authorities Arrest 9 for Allegedly Funding Hamas Through Charities

Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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Italian Authorities Arrest 9 for Allegedly Funding Hamas Through Charities

Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Italian authorities arrested nine people linked to three charitable organizations on suspicion of raising millions of euros in funds for the Palestinian group Hamas, anti-terrorism prosecutors said in a statement Saturday. 

The suspects are accused of sending about 7 million euros ($8.2 million) to “associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, or Israel, owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas,” the statement said. 

Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, prosecutors said, describing him as the “head of the Italian cell of the Hamas organization.” 

The European Union has Hamas listed on its terror list. 

According to Italian prosecutors, who collaborated with other EU countries in the probe, the illegal funds were delivered through “triangulation operations” via bank transfers or through organizations based abroad to associations based in Gaza, which have been declared illegal by Israel for their ties to Hamas. 

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi wrote on X that the operation “lifted the veil on behavior and activities which, pretending to be initiatives in favor of the Palestinian population, concealed support for and participation in terrorist organizations.” 

There was no immediate comment from the suspects or the associations. 

In January 202, the European Council decided to extend existing restrictive measures against 12 individuals and three entities that support the financing of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. 


Türkiye Holds Military Funeral for Libyan Officers Killed in Plane Crash

The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
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Türkiye Holds Military Funeral for Libyan Officers Killed in Plane Crash

The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)

Türkiye held a military funeral ceremony Saturday morning for five Libyan officers, including western Libya’s military chief, who died in a plane crash earlier this week.

The private jet with Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officers and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara, Türkiye’s capital, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, UN-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s military.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli, Libya’s capital, after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

Saturday's ceremony was held at 8:00 a.m. local time at the Murted Airfield base, near Ankara, and attended by the Turkish military chief and the defense minister. The five caskets, each wrapped in a Libyan national flag, were then loaded onto a plane to be returned to their home country.

Türkiye’s military chief, Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, was also on the plane headed to Libya, state-run news agency TRT reported.

The bodies recovered from the crash site were kept at the Ankara Forensic Medicine Institute for identification. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc told reporters their DNA was compared to family members who joined a 22-person delegation that arrived from Libya after the crash.

Tunc also said Germany was asked to help examine the jet's black boxes as an impartial third party.