Senate Grants Green Light to US Support for Coalition in Yemen

Hadi meets with Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Yemen on Thursday (Saba news agency)
Hadi meets with Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Yemen on Thursday (Saba news agency)
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Senate Grants Green Light to US Support for Coalition in Yemen

Hadi meets with Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Yemen on Thursday (Saba news agency)
Hadi meets with Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Yemen on Thursday (Saba news agency)

The US Senate on Tuesday upheld a veto issued last month by President Donald Trump on a bill that Congress had passed to end Washington’s military assistance to the Arab Coalition in Yemen.

The Senate voted 53 to 45 to override Trump's veto. But 67 votes are needed to do so in the 100-member chamber.

In early April, lawmakers in both the House and Senate passed a legislation, activating for the first time a 1973 law that gives Congress the power to end US military interventions it did not authorize.

However, Trump blocked the bill, calling it an "unnecessary, dangerous attempt" to weaken his authority.

With the new Senate move, the United States will continue to assist Saudi-led forces in Yemen.

Meanwhile in Riyadh, Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi deeply appreciated Saudi Arabia's unlimited support for Yemen, highly praising the Kingdom's substantial contribution to humanitarian efforts and the development drive in the country.

Hadi’s statement came during a meeting Thursday with Saudi Ambassador to Yemen and General Supervisor of the Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction in Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber.

Hadi asked the Saudi Ambassador to convey his greetings to King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudi diplomat reiterated the Kingdom's principled stance in supporting the legitimacy in Yemen at different international forums and peace efforts in line with the three terms of references and UN resolutions.

Last week, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that a ministerial meeting of the Yemen quartet held in London discussed the need for the Yemeni government and Houthi militias to implement the Hodeidah agreement by May 15, ahead of a UN Security Council session on Yemen.

Earlier, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths announced that the legitimate government and Houthis have accepted a detailed redeployment plan in Hodeidah, and that his team was working on resolving the final outstanding issues related to the operational plans for phase two, redeployments and also the issue of the status of local security forces.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.