Lebanese ‘Hezbollah’ Provided Yemen’s Houthis with Military Communications System

Arab Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki. (SPA)
Arab Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki. (SPA)
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Lebanese ‘Hezbollah’ Provided Yemen’s Houthis with Military Communications System

Arab Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki. (SPA)
Arab Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki. (SPA)

The Saudi-led Arab coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen announced on Monday that it has evidence that proves the presence of foreign military experts in Yemen, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said that these experts are training the Iran-backed Houthi militias and providing them with an integrated military communication system.

The Lebanese “Hezbollah” group, which is also backed by Iran, is involved in these operations, he added during a press conference in Riyadh.

There is enough evidence that proves that the Iranian regime is providing the Houthis with weapons that are being smuggled through Beirut’s southern suburbs to Syria and then to Iran’s Bandar Abbas port city, he revealed.

“‘Hezbollah’ is the Houthis’ greatest arms supplier,” he added.

Moreover, Maliki cited the party’s role in operating different command and control positions in the Saada province. Five of these positions, located in Mashtab, Maran, Razeh, Al-Maglag and Al-Noua'a mountains, have been destroyed by the coalition forces.

Addressing humanitarian efforts in Yemen, he said that the Arab coalition had issued 26,997 relief permits between March 26 and June 9, 2018.

He highlighted Saudi Arabia’s topping of the world donor countries list of the UN-sponsored Response Plan in Yemen 2018.

The King Salman Humanitarian Act and Relief Center has provided relief assistance for 4,954,742 beneficiaries within 167 days as part of the Comprehensive Humanitarian Operation Plan for Yemen.

On the ground, Maliki stressed that the Yemeni national army was scoring victories throughout the country, citing its major advances in Saada, Taiz and al-Baydha provinces.

Moreover, he drew attention to the Houthis’ recruitment of widows to join their war effort.

He deemed this an unprecedented flagrant violation of human rights and Yemen’s conservative traditions.

In another victory for the alliance, he declared the Yemeni zone neighboring Saudi Arabia free of ground-based militias after it was purified by the coalition forces and Yemeni national army.

A few pockets in Saada and Omran are still being used for the launching of ballistic missiles and projectiles.



Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
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Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)

Pakistan’s Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain sparked controversy when he revealed that 50,000 Pakistanis have gone missing in Iraq over the years.

He urged the Baghdad government to immediately launch a probe into how the Pakistanis entered Iraq to visit religious sites during the month of Muharram, he was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Ummat newspaper.

Islamabad is investigating how people have traveled outside Pakistan through illegal means, he remarked.

The permanent committee for religious affairs and interfaith harmony has since proposed new policies for trips to holy sites in foreign countries, including Iraq.

In Iraq, the minister’s comments drew mockery and condemnation on social media and sparked renewed debate over illegal workers in the country.

Politician Mishaan al-Juburi urged the government to make a statement over Hussain’s comments, warning that they may impact security and the labor force.

Hussain’s comments coincided with Iraqi police announcing the arrest of six Pakistanis in Baghdad on charges of theft.

Previously, military intelligence also announced the arrest of a nine-member Pakistani kidnapping and extortion gang in Baghdad. The gang had kidnapped foreigners for ransom.

Meanwhile, Labor Minister Ahmed al-Asadi expressed his concern and condemnation over the increasing number of illegal workers in Iraq.

He said his ministry will investigate the disappearance of the Pakistanis.

He confirmed that several tourists, including Pakistanis, have flocked to Iraq in recent days, and many have taken up employment without the necessary legal permits.

He warned that this phenomenon is negatively impacting the national economy.

The ministry will not be lenient in taking the necessary legal measures against the violators, he vowed.

Iraq welcomes all tourists, whether they are here on a religious visit or otherwise, but they must respect local laws and regulations, declared Asadi.

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala.