Yemeni Army Captures Seven Insurgents after Liberating As Silw in Taiz

A soldier loyal to Yemen’s government stands next to mines planted by Houthi militias in the province of Ma’rib, Yemen, on October 4, 2015. (Reuters/Stringer)
A soldier loyal to Yemen’s government stands next to mines planted by Houthi militias in the province of Ma’rib, Yemen, on October 4, 2015. (Reuters/Stringer)
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Yemeni Army Captures Seven Insurgents after Liberating As Silw in Taiz

A soldier loyal to Yemen’s government stands next to mines planted by Houthi militias in the province of Ma’rib, Yemen, on October 4, 2015. (Reuters/Stringer)
A soldier loyal to Yemen’s government stands next to mines planted by Houthi militias in the province of Ma’rib, Yemen, on October 4, 2015. (Reuters/Stringer)

Yemeni military sources affirmed Tuesday that the Yemeni National Army (YNA) captured seven members from the Houthi militia, after completing the liberation of As Silw in Taiz.

Yemeni National Army launched on Sunday a military operation to continue the liberation of the remaining parts in As Silw. The army, supported by the Arab Coalition, managed to liberate all the sites, with only few enclaves left where insurgent militias take shelter.

A military source in brigade 35 reported to Asharq Al-Awsat that the YNA are now meters away from first regions of Damnah Khadeer, where insurgents fled. He added that the Arab coalition jets backed the army, assisting it in liberating As Silw through airstrikes on insurgents’ whereabouts.

“The forces captured seven insurgents in As Silw,” said the source, adding that the Arab Coalition jets targeted Houthi militia reinforcements in Ar Rahidah, Warazan and As-Silw axis on Monday morning.

Further, the UAE Armed Forces have carried out air strikes targeting two military vehicles belonging to the Houthi militia in the Yemeni district of Hayes. The first strike resulted in the destruction of a large amount of the militia's weapons and ammunition, while the second eliminated dozens of Houthis. The two vehicles were moving to strengthen the Houthi militia supplies.

Houthis are planting mines and explosive charges randomly on the roads, in houses and farms of regions which there are being expelled from. These mines killed hundreds and injured several children.

A field source stated to Asharq Al-Awsat that the “Insurgent militias are desperate to recapture al-Dab Mountains, following fierce conflict with the militias, which led to the death of many insurgents and the destruction of their military vehicles.”



Italy Says Suspending EU Sanctions on Syria Could Help Encourage Transition

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)
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Italy Says Suspending EU Sanctions on Syria Could Help Encourage Transition

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)

Italy's foreign minister says a moratorium on European Union sanctions on Syria could help encourage the country's transition after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad by opposition groups.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited Syria on Friday and expressed Italy’s keen interest in helping Syria recover from civil war, rebuild its broken economy and help stabilize the region.

Tajani, who met with Syria’s new de facto leaders, including Ahmed al-Sharaa, said a stable Syria and Lebanon was of strategic and commercial importance to Europe.

He said the fall of Assad's government, as well as the Lebanon parliament's vote on Thursday to elect army commander Joseph Aoun as president, were signs of optimism for Middle East stability.

He said Italy wanted to play a leading role in Syria’s recovery and serve as a bridge between Damascus and the EU, particularly given Italy’s commercial and strategic interests in the Mediterranean.

“The Mediterranean can no longer just be a sea of death, a cemetery of migrants but a sea of commerce a sea of development,” he said.

Tajani later traveled to Lebanon and met with Aoun. Italy has long played a sizeable role in the UN peacekeeping force for Lebanon, UNIFIL.

On the eve of his visit, Tajani presided over a meeting in Rome with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and officials from Britain, France and Germany as well as the EU foreign policy chief. He said that meeting of the so-called Quintet on Syria was key to begin the discussion about a change to the EU sanctions.

“The sanctions were against the Assad regime. If the situation has changed, we have to change our choices,” Tajani said.