Yemeni President Heads to US for Medical Treatment

Vice President, Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar, meets deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdullah al-Hadrami in Aedn. (Saba news agency)
Vice President, Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar, meets deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdullah al-Hadrami in Aedn. (Saba news agency)
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Yemeni President Heads to US for Medical Treatment

Vice President, Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar, meets deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdullah al-Hadrami in Aedn. (Saba news agency)
Vice President, Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar, meets deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdullah al-Hadrami in Aedn. (Saba news agency)

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi traveled to the United States on Sunday for routine medical checkups, the official news agency Saba reported.

Official ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hadi had tasked Vice President, Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar, with following up on government affairs and military operations against the Iran-backed Houthi militias during his absence.

They did not reveal the duration of the visit or whether it would include any meetings with American or UN officials.

Informed Yemeni sources predicted that Hadi’s treatment could take around three weeks.

On Monday, Ahmar urged activating the role of Yemeni diplomatic missions abroad to defend the people against the Houthi coup.

He made his remarks after holding talks with deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdullah al-Hadrami about ongoing arrangements to set up the Foreign Ministry headquarters in the temporary capital Aden.

Discussions also touched on preparations to facilitate the return of a number of consulates and diplomatic missions to Aden.

The presidency and government have yet to comment on reports of Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yemany’s alleged resignation a little over a year since his appointment.

Yemany had submitted his resignation while he was in New York without offering additional details.

Among the possible candidates for his position are Yemen’s Ambassador to the United States Ahmed bin Mubarak and former FM Abdelmalek al-Mekhlafi.

Yemany has been accused by some members of the legitimacy of mismanagement of the Stockholm agreement and implementation of the redeployment plan in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, as well as his failure in properly confronting UN envoy Martin Griffiths’ shortcomings.



Reports: US to Withdraw All Troops from Syria

A US Army patrol in the Syrian city of Qamishli (Reuters file photo)
A US Army patrol in the Syrian city of Qamishli (Reuters file photo)
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Reports: US to Withdraw All Troops from Syria

A US Army patrol in the Syrian city of Qamishli (Reuters file photo)
A US Army patrol in the Syrian city of Qamishli (Reuters file photo)

The United States is planning to withdraw all of its 1,000 troops from Syria over the next two months, according to US media reports.

Washington will end its presence in the country after the Syrian government extended its control over the country and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces once key to fighting ISIS pledged to integrate into the state, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Television network CBS also reported on the plan, citing unnamed US officials.

The decision comes after US forces recently withdrew from some bases
in Syria including Al-Tanf and Al-Shadadi, which were used in the US-led international coalition's fight against ISIS, AFP reported.

The US is building up its military capabilities near Iran, where officials have vowed to respond to any attack by laying siege to American military outposts in the region.

US media reported Wednesday that Washington will be ready to launch strikes against Iran as early as this weekend, though Trump has reportedly not made a final decision yet.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


Canada Eases Sanctions on Syria

13 February 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, arrives at the Bavarian Hof for the 62nd Munich Security Conference. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa
13 February 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, arrives at the Bavarian Hof for the 62nd Munich Security Conference. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa
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Canada Eases Sanctions on Syria

13 February 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, arrives at the Bavarian Hof for the 62nd Munich Security Conference. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa
13 February 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, arrives at the Bavarian Hof for the 62nd Munich Security Conference. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand said on Wednesday that Canada had amended its economic sanctions on Syria ‌to ease ‌restrictions related ‌to the ⁠import and export ⁠of goods, investment activities and the provision of financial and other ⁠services, according to Reuters.

"The amendments also ‌remove ‌24 entities and ‌one individual from ‌the Syria Regulations to reduce barriers to economic activity and ‌to enable transactions with state-affiliated entities ⁠in ⁠key sectors critical to Syria’s recovery," Anand said in a statement.


Tetteh: Despite UN Engagement, No Progress in Libya Roadmap

Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh Getty)
Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh Getty)
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Tetteh: Despite UN Engagement, No Progress in Libya Roadmap

Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh Getty)
Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh Getty)

The UN’s top envoy for Libya, Hanna Tetteh, has informed the Security Council that despite active United Nations engagement, the Libyan House of Representatives and the High Council of State have failed to make progress on the first steps of the agreed political roadmap, including establishing a mechanism to select the board of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) and advancing electoral legislation.

Briefing the Council in New York on Wednesday, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General said: “Their inability to use their agreed mechanism and follow-on unilateral actions has further eroded their credibility."

Tetteh added that Libyan public perceptions reflect a growing belief that the bodies are “unable or unwilling” to deliver.

She told Council members that she has begun consultations with key actors on an alternative two-step approach aimed at restoring momentum. Should a smaller group of Libyan representatives fail to agree on the roadmap’s milestones, she warned, a broader convening would be required. “We cannot wait indefinitely,” she emphasized.

The UN envoy also issued a stark warning about escalating tensions within Libya’s judicial system.

She said “contradictory, parallel judicial decisions put into jeopardy the unity of the legal and judicial systems,” cautioning that the situation “is a red line that if crossed can undermine the unity of the state.”

She urged Libyan leaders to refrain from further escalatory steps and called on the Council to hold accountable those taking actions that threaten to fracture the judiciary.

Tetteh also warned that transnational criminal networks continue to expand, turning Libya into a major transit hub for drug trafficking and sustaining illicit economies linked to corruption and armed groups.