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Saudi Envoy Says Civil Defense on Rescue Mission in Cyclone-ravaged Al Mahara

Saudi soldiers and aid workers distributing food aid, Asharq AL-Awsat
Saudi soldiers and aid workers distributing food aid, Asharq AL-Awsat
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Saudi Envoy Says Civil Defense on Rescue Mission in Cyclone-ravaged Al Mahara

Saudi soldiers and aid workers distributing food aid, Asharq AL-Awsat
Saudi soldiers and aid workers distributing food aid, Asharq AL-Awsat

Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jaber, who also heads the Isnad Center for Comprehensive Humanitarian Operations in Yemen, announced Saudi Civil Defense is heading to the Yemeni Al Mahara province for assistance and rescue missions.

Al Mahara sustained heavy damage in the aftermath of a category 1 tropical cyclone that hit a few days earlier.

Joint Arab Coalition forces will airlift trapped civilians and airdrop aid packages to Yemenis ravaged by cyclone Luban.

Isnad center and King Salman Humanitarian Aid And Relief Centre are currently running Saudi-sponsored efforts for the development and reconstruction of Yemen, rebuilding of infrastructure and reparation of power plants damaged by the tropical storm in Al Mahara.

“We have also briefed them on the initiatives launched by Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led coalition to support the humanitarian situation in Yemen and explained to them the projects currently being implemented by the Saudi Reconstruction Program (SRPY) in several governorates, including Al-Jawf, Marib, Hadramout, Al-Mahrah, Socotra and Dhala, and the importance of supporting Yemen’s economy,” Al Jaber told a presser.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), at least 20 tons of food baskets were successfully delivered to areas besieged by flash floods.

KSRelief also delivered a land convoy carrying 125 tons in food baskets for those affected by the cyclone.

The center distributed 100 tents, 8 tons of food baskets, 1,500 blankets and 200 mats so far.

Social activists posted pictures of Saudi Joint Forces relief efforts in Al Mahrah who performed rescue missions and delivered food aid side by side with local relief workers.

Al Mahara Governor Rageh Bakrit thanked, on behalf of the local population, the Saudi efforts for rescuing and delivering food aid to devastated citizens.

Over 250 families were evacuated to shelters by helicopters, Bakrit stated.

He said that some areas of Al Mahra are in a communications blackout after the network was put out of service by the storm.

Bakrit had officially raised the alarm on Monday for Al Mahara, appealing to the government and the Arab Coalition to swiftly intervene.

The governor further said that at least 50 families were trapped on houses' roofs and that the local authorities are unable to save them.

Local authorities are exerting relentless efforts to alleviate the suffering of injured Yemenis, but remain impotent as they come face-to-face with their limited capacities.

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Türkiye Will Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ If Syria Govt Cannot Address Kurd Militia Issue, FM Says

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting of foreign Ministers on developments in Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, 14 December 2024. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting of foreign Ministers on developments in Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, 14 December 2024. (EPA)
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Türkiye Will Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ If Syria Govt Cannot Address Kurd Militia Issue, FM Says

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting of foreign Ministers on developments in Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, 14 December 2024. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting of foreign Ministers on developments in Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, 14 December 2024. (EPA)

Türkiye will do "whatever it takes" to ensure its security if the new Syrian administration cannot address Ankara's concerns about US-allied Kurdish groups it views as terrorist groups, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.

Türkiye regards the YPG, the militant group spearheading the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and are deemed terrorists by Ankara, Washington, and the European Union.

Hostilities have escalated since the toppling of Bashar al-Assad less than two weeks ago, with Türkiye and Syrian groups it backs seizing the city of Manbij from the SDF on Dec. 9. Assad's fall has left the Kurdish factions on the back foot as they seek to retain political gains made in the last 13 years.

In an interview with France 24, Fidan said Ankara's preferred option was for the new administration in Damascus to address the problem in line with Syria's territorial unity, sovereignty, and integrity, adding that the YPG should be disbanded immediately.

"If it doesn't happen, we have to protect our own national security," he said. When asked if that included military action, Fidan said: "Whatever it takes."

Asked about SDF commander Mazloum Abdi's comments about the possibility of a negotiated solution with Ankara, Fidan said the group should seek such a settlement with Damascus, as there was "a new reality" there now.

"The new reality, hopefully, they will address these issues, but at the same time, (the) YPG/PKK, they know what we want. We don't want to see any form of military threat to ourselves. Not the present one, but also the potential one," he added.

Ankara, alongside Syrian allies, has mounted several cross-border offensives against the YPG-led SDF in northern Syria, while repeatedly demanding that its NATO ally Washington halt support for the fighters.

The US-backed SDF played a major role defeating ISIS militants in 2014-2017 with US air support, and still guards its fighters in prison camps. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the extremist group would try to re-establish capabilities in this period.

Fidan said he didn't find the recent uptick in US troops in Syria to be the "right decision", adding the battle against ISIS was an "excuse" to maintain support for the SDF.

"The fight against ISIS, there is only one job: to keep ISIS prisoners in prisons, that's it," he said.

Fidan also said that the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, which swept into Damascus to topple Assad, had "excellent cooperation" with Ankara in the battle against ISIS and al-Qaeda in the past through intelligence sharing.

He also said Türkiye was not in favor of any foreign bases, including Russian ones, remaining in Syria, but that the choice was up to the Syrian people.