Yemeni Official Warns of ‘Qatari Plot’ to Weaken Hadi

Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. (Reuters)
Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. (Reuters)
TT
20

Yemeni Official Warns of ‘Qatari Plot’ to Weaken Hadi

Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. (Reuters)
Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. (Reuters)

The resignation of a Yemeni minister prompted on Wednesday concerns over a “Qatari plot” aimed at weakening President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

Controversial Minister Salah al-Sayadi resigned from his post leading Information Ministry Undersecretary Najib Ghallab to accuse him of acting at Qatar’s orders.

Another minister, Abdulaziz al-Jabari, also announced his resignation, but he has remained within Hadi’s legitimacy ranks. Sayadi has meanwhile departed it.

The government has yet to issue an official stance on either resignation.

Ghallab accused Sayadi of seeking to weaken Hadi at Iran and Qatar’s bidding.

He explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that those two countries believe that Hadi’s ouster will lead to the collapse of the legitimacy forces.

Sayadi, he said, was close to late former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He also used to oppose the Iran-backed Houthi militias, but has now joined the ranks of those who speak against the legitimacy forces and Arab Coalition.

The anti-legitimacy propaganda machine is being controlled by Qatar, Iran, Turkey and other forces, said Ghallab.

Everyone is seeking his own interests, he stated, while the Yemenis forces are just pawns in their hands.

Sayadi has refused to comment on the accusations that have been directed against him.

Ghallab remarked that the resigned minister was once the target of a defamation campaign led by the Muslim Brotherhood branch in Qatar. He was labeled as an embodiment of opportunism, extortion and corruption.

Now, however, he been turned into an “angel” after he agreed to follow Iran’s agenda in Yemen, said Ghallab.



Syria, Israel Agree to Further Talks on De-escalating Conflict

A drone view shows the remains of a destroyed tank, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Bedouin tribes and government forces, in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
A drone view shows the remains of a destroyed tank, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Bedouin tribes and government forces, in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
TT
20

Syria, Israel Agree to Further Talks on De-escalating Conflict

A drone view shows the remains of a destroyed tank, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Bedouin tribes and government forces, in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
A drone view shows the remains of a destroyed tank, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Bedouin tribes and government forces, in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo

Syrian and Israeli officials agreed to meet again after no final accord was reached in US-mediated talks in Paris on de-escalating the conflict in southern Syria, state-run Ekhbariya TV reported on Saturday, citing a diplomatic source.

The source described the dialogue as "honest and responsible", in the first confirmation from the Syrian side that talks had taken place.

On Friday, US envoy Tom Barrack said officials from both countries spoke about de-escalating the situation in Syria during the talks on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Representatives from the Syrian foreign ministry and intelligence officials were in attendance, Syria's Ekhbariya reported.

Hundreds of people have been reported killed in clashes in the southern Syrian province of Sweida between Druze fighters, Bedouin tribes and government forces. Israel intervened with airstrikes to prevent what it said was mass killings of Druze by government forces.

Last week's clashes underlined the challenges interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa faces in stabilizing Syria and maintaining centralized rule, despite warming ties with the US and his administration's evolving security contacts with Israel.

The diplomatic source said the meeting involved initial consultations aimed at "reducing tensions and opening channels of communication amid an ongoing escalation since early December".

The Syrian side held Israel responsible for the latest escalation, saying that the continuation of such "hostile policies" was threatening the region, according to the source. The Syrian delegation also said that Damascus would not accept "imposing new realities on the ground".