Drawing Tactics from Kuwait Negotiation, Houthis Set to Thwart UN Envoy Talks Initiative

The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths,Reuters
The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths,Reuters
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Drawing Tactics from Kuwait Negotiation, Houthis Set to Thwart UN Envoy Talks Initiative

The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths,Reuters
The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths,Reuters

Houthi militias are set to practice the exact approach they used during Kuwait’s 2016 negotiations in upcoming talks, a senior Yemeni government official said.

UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has recently announced the deadline on the roadmap for peace negotiations. But Houthis are searching for an escape for them to remain in the country’s political scene despite their ongoing battleground defeats and deeply-anchored involvement with militias compensating largely on their political leverage.

Houthis are now seen as an armed and political movement, following in Lebanon’s ‘Hezbollah’ footsteps. Both Houthis and Hezbollah receive and follow Iranian aid and agendas.

Commenting on a statement issued by UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat that some of observations made by the UN official can set the Yemeni crisis back milestones.

The government official, who requested anonymity, said that Houthi up-to-date behavior does not show any readiness for peace and that the coup is hell bent on dominating the national scene, and shows no signs of seeking coexistence or settlement.

“They (coupists) have shown more readiness for war more than peace,” said the official when recalling how Houthis treated the General People's Congress departure from a civil coup it led with the Houthis against the internationally-recognized government.

Houthis killed their onetime ally GPC leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, also the country’s former president, as they gained the upper hand in fighting with his forces for control of the capital, Sanaa.

Saleh’s defection from the coupist camp was one of the main reasons he was slain. Days prior to his death, Saleh was negotiating a settlement with the Aden-based government, which is supported by a Saudi-led Arab coalition and the international community.

More so, Houthis persistently launch ballistic missiles on Saudi Arabia, clearly stating an unwavering desire to uphold the current status and prolong war in Yemen.

Griffith's statement set the date for the launch of a "framework" for his plan mid-month ahead of the launch of peace negotiations.

However, he expressed his regret over the military escalation and the danger it poses to the political peace process.

Despite insisting on visiting Sana'a, the Houthi stronghold, coupists chose to postpone Griffiths’ visit.

Houthi leaders not sitting with the UN envoy suggests deep rifts within the insurgency bloc-- the political and military wings have conflicting views on what could settle the war in Yemen.



Lebanon’s President Reveals the Country’s Stance on Relations with Israel

 Lebanese President Joseph Aoun looks on during a meeting with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun looks on during a meeting with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP)
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Lebanon’s President Reveals the Country’s Stance on Relations with Israel

 Lebanese President Joseph Aoun looks on during a meeting with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun looks on during a meeting with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP)

Lebanon has no plans to have normal relations with Israel at the present time, and Beirut’s main aim is to reach a “state of no war” with its southern neighbor, the country’s president said Friday.

President Joseph Aoun’s comments came as the Trump administration is trying to expand the Abraham Accords signed in 2020 in which Israel signed historic pacts with United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

In May, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said during a visit to France that his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent military activities along their border from going out of control. Talks about peace between Israel and Syria have increased following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad from power in December.

Aoun added in comments released by his office that only the Lebanese state will have weapons in the future, and the decision on whether Lebanon would go to war or not would be for the Lebanese government.

Aoun’s comments were an apparent reference to the armed Hezbollah group that fought a 14-month war with Israel, during which it suffered major blows including the killing of some of its top political and military commanders.

Hezbollah says it has ended its armed presence near the border with Israel, but is refusing to disarm in the rest of Lebanon before Israel withdraws from five overlooking border points and ends its almost daily airstrikes on Lebanon.

Earlier this week, US envoy Tom Barrack met with Lebanese leaders in Beirut, saying he was satisfied with the Lebanese government’s response to a proposal to disarm Hezbollah.

Hezbollah’s weapons have been one of the principal sticking points since Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000. Since then, Hezbollah fought two wars with Israel, one in 2006, and the other starting a day after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza.

The Hezbollah-Israel war, which ended with a US-brokered ceasefire in November, left more than 4,000 people dead in Lebanon and caused destruction estimated at $11 billion. In Israel, 127 people, including 80 soldiers, were killed during the war.

“Peace is the state of no war and this is what is important for us in Lebanon at the present time,” Aoun was quoted as telling visitors on Friday. He added that “the matter of normalization (with Israel) is not included in Lebanon’s current foreign policy.”

Lebanon and Israel have been at a state of war since 1948.