Lavrov Says Idlib’s ‘Festering Abscess Needs to be Liquidated’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, welcomes Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir for talks in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, welcomes Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir for talks in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
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Lavrov Says Idlib’s ‘Festering Abscess Needs to be Liquidated’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, welcomes Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir for talks in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, welcomes Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir for talks in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday described militants in Syria's Idlib province as a "festering abscess" that needed to be liquidated.

Speaking after talks with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir in Moscow, Lavrov said militants were also using civilians as a human shield.

"This is the last hotbed of terrorists who are trying to speculate on the region's status as a de-escalation zone, who are trying to hold the civilian population hostage as human shields and bend to their will those armed groups ready to engage in dialogue with the government," Lavrov said.

"So from all points of view, this festering abscess needs to be liquidated," he said.

As for Jubeir, he said discussions with Lavrov covered Syria and the importance of implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 and reaching a political solution that would maintain the country’s territorial integrity, withdrawal of foreign militias and ensuring the rights of the people.

He said Saudi Arabia believed the Iran nuclear deal with world powers was weak, “particularly with regard to the time period that prevents Iran from enriching uranium.”

Jubeir also said that he supported more sanctions being imposed on Iran.

Addressing the conflict in Yemen, the Saudi minister stressed that the political solution there should be based on the three references - the Gulf initiative, national dialogue outcomes and Security Council Resolution 2216.



Houthis Believed to Be Holding Six Crew from Greek Ship Sunk in Red Sea

A screen grab taken from a handout video released by the Houthis military media center on 08 July 2025 shows Houthi fighters aboard the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the Magic Seas, in the Red Sea off the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen, 06 July 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS MILITARY MEDIA CENTER / HANDOUT
A screen grab taken from a handout video released by the Houthis military media center on 08 July 2025 shows Houthi fighters aboard the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the Magic Seas, in the Red Sea off the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen, 06 July 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS MILITARY MEDIA CENTER / HANDOUT
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Houthis Believed to Be Holding Six Crew from Greek Ship Sunk in Red Sea

A screen grab taken from a handout video released by the Houthis military media center on 08 July 2025 shows Houthi fighters aboard the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the Magic Seas, in the Red Sea off the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen, 06 July 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS MILITARY MEDIA CENTER / HANDOUT
A screen grab taken from a handout video released by the Houthis military media center on 08 July 2025 shows Houthi fighters aboard the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the Magic Seas, in the Red Sea off the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen, 06 July 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS MILITARY MEDIA CENTER / HANDOUT

Yemen’s Houthi forces are believed to be holding six of the 22 crew of a Greek ship that the militia attacked and sank in the Red Sea earlier this week, maritime security sources said on Thursday.

The Houthis had said on Wednesday they had rescued a number of the ship's crew, without providing further details, Reuters reported.

Maritime security sources said that rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, a day after the Houthi militants sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing.

This brings the total number of those rescued so far to 10, including eight Filipino crew members, one Indian and one Greek security guard. The people found on Thursday had spent more than 48 hours in the water. Another 11 people are still missing.

"This fills us with more courage to continue to search for those missing, as the Greek vessel operator requested, and shows that our search plan was correct," said Nikos Georgopoulos, an official at the Greece-based maritime risk firm Diaplous.

Eternity C is the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen. The attacks, which Houthis say are an act of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war, have ended months of calm in the area.

The United States' Mission in Yemen has accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and has called for their immediate release.

On Wednesday, the Houthis' military spokesperson said in a televised address that the Yemeni navy had "responded to rescue a number of the ship's crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location".

The Eternity C sank on Wednesday days after Houthis hit and sunk the Magic Seas, reviving a campaign launched in November 2023 that has seen more than 100 ships attacked.

Both of the vessels hit this week flew Liberian flags and were operated by Greek companies. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it went down.

Eternity C was first hit on Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats. Four people are presumed dead, with maritime security sources saying they were killed in the attacks. If confirmed, the deaths would be the first fatalities in the area since June 2024.

Following a second attack on Tuesday morning, the crew were forced to jump into the water. Rescuers have been searching for them since Wednesday morning.

The vessel's operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to Reuters' requests for comment.