عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Yemen Denounces Iran's Recognition of Houthis' Envoy

Houthi followers attend a gathering to receive food supplies from tribesmen in Sanaa, Yemen September 21, 2019. (File Photo: Reuters)
Houthi followers attend a gathering to receive food supplies from tribesmen in Sanaa, Yemen September 21, 2019. (File Photo: Reuters)
TT
TT

Yemen Denounces Iran's Recognition of Houthis' Envoy

Houthi followers attend a gathering to receive food supplies from tribesmen in Sanaa, Yemen September 21, 2019. (File Photo: Reuters)
Houthi followers attend a gathering to receive food supplies from tribesmen in Sanaa, Yemen September 21, 2019. (File Photo: Reuters)

Yemen’s Foreign Affairs Ministry denounced Iran's recognition of Houthi militia's representative in Tehran.

In a statement, the Yemeni Foreign Ministry expressed its strong condemnation of Iran’s recognition of Houthi representative and considered Tehran's approach a clear violation of UN Charter, Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and Security Council's relevant resolutions on Yemen, mainly Resolution 2216.

The ministry held the Iranian regime accountable for the repercussions of this blatant violation, which confirmed Tehran's involvement in supporting Houthi militias and recognizing them.

The ministry also said Iran is accountable for not protecting the diplomatic premises and the ministry's possessions, confirming that it will take legal action against this approach. It called on the international community and the Security Council to condemn this behavior, considering it irresponsible.

Houthi media in Sanaa reported that the group's top commander Ibrahim Mohammed al-Dailami presented his credentials to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in his capacity as ambassador to Yemen.

Dailami conveyed greetings of the President of Supreme Political Council Mahdi Mashat, while Rouhani confirmed the Iranian regime's support to Houthis and the political solution in Yemen.

The group appointed Dailami as its ambassador to Iran a few weeks ago after spokesman Mohammad Abdul Salam Felita visited Iran and met with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

During the meeting, the Houthi spokesman delivered a message from the group’s leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi to Khamenei, recognizing the Supreme Leader’s authority, and considering his rule as “an extension of the Prophet's.”

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government accused Iran's regime of instructing Houthis to hijack the Korean tanker while sailing south of the Red Sea, according to Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani.

Eryani said that the kidnapping and armed robbery carried out by the militias was an unprecedented operation that threatened all efforts to bring peace to Yemen.

On Tuesday, South Korea confirmed that Houthi militias hijacked a boat towing a South Korean drilling rig in the Red Sea on Sunday.

The Minister described the operation as “terrorist” saying it revealed the extent of Houthi threat on the security and freedom of international navigation and global trade in the Red Sea and the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.

The Yemeni minister indicated that this dangerous escalation, coinciding with the protests in most Iranian provinces, was apparently directed and planned by Iran to divert attention from this popular uprising and pressure the international community.

He urged the international community to take decisive stances regarding this maritime piracy, which he said “constitutes a serious violation of international laws.” He also called for taking measures to support the legitimate government and stop Houthi threat to international shipping lines and regional and international peace and security.

Meanwhile, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi received on Tuesday the UN's Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, and the two discussed a range of topics and issues relating to the Yemeni crisis, peace efforts, and possible prospects.

President Hadi welcomed the UN's envoy, appreciating his tireless efforts to make peace and break the deadlock in the peace process, particularly regarding the Swede's Agreement about Hodiedah's seaport, city, prisoners and besiege of Taiz in light of the Houthi militia's reluctance to carry out the agreement's articles, according to Saba News Agency.

Hadi reiterated his interest in achieving a comprehensive peace in accordance with the three terms of reference that produces sustainable stability and security in Yemen and the region.

Saba noted that the UN envoy praised Hadi's efforts to establish peace including the signing of Riyadh Agreement with Transitional Council as this is a significant step to bolster the state's apparatuses, security, stability, and services.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

UN Peacekeeping Chief Says Talks on Future of Lebanon Mission Must Begin Soon

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in Beirut, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Beirut, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in Beirut, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Beirut, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)
TT
TT

UN Peacekeeping Chief Says Talks on Future of Lebanon Mission Must Begin Soon

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in Beirut, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Beirut, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in Beirut, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Beirut, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix on Wednesday urged the UN Security Council to begin negotiations on the future of peacekeepers deployed in Lebanon, as Beirut campaigns for an extension to the mandate set to expire at the end of this year.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978, but the Security Council last year ordered the mission to begin withdrawing at the end of 2026.

Since a new war erupted in March between Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, ‌the Lebanese government has ‌campaigned for an extension to UNIFIL's mandate, citing its ‌role ⁠in monitoring hostilities ⁠and facilitating aid deliveries to villages in Israeli-occupied zones.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this year presented proposals for a continued uniformed UN presence in Lebanon, but no action has been taken yet, Lacroix told Reuters in Beirut.

"These proposals are on the table of the Security Council. There has been no movement in the Security Council until now, but I believe that the negotiations will begin ... shortly, in earnest," he said.

"I think ⁠it would be better to have a decision soon ‌rather than later, right? Because that would clarify ‌also the horizon for us, certainly from the more limited point of view of our ‌own planning," he said.

FORCES OPERATE HOTLINE TO EASE TENSIONS

Diplomats say the US ‌is not supportive of an extended mandate for UNIFIL, but Lacroix said it was important to focus on Lebanon’s request and that negotiations at the Security Council could yield a constructive outcome.

Some 7,500 UNIFIL peacekeepers are still deployed at about 50 positions in southern Lebanon, which ‌would be expected to be handed over to Lebanese army troops if no new UN force is agreed.

But since most ⁠of those ⁠posts lie in territory now occupied by the Israeli military, it remains unclear how Lebanese soldiers could deploy to take over the positions.

Lacroix said that clarity on whether a new UN force would deploy to southern Lebanon would help UNIFIL make sure it does not "leave those positions prematurely before we know what could come next".

In addition to facilitating aid deliveries and monitoring hostilities, the force operates a hotline to ease any tensions between the Lebanese and Israeli militaries.

Lacroix said the deconfliction role was particularly crucial given the presence of Israeli troops in a self-declared security zone deep in Lebanese territory.

He said that Israeli and Lebanese troops in the same geographic area presented "the risk of escalation, the risk of incidents getting out of control" and that "there is a need for a third party to de-escalate".

Arab World

Gaza Officials Say Israeli Strikes Kill Four

Palestinians walk along a street lined with buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians walk along a street lined with buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)
TT
TT

Gaza Officials Say Israeli Strikes Kill Four

Palestinians walk along a street lined with buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians walk along a street lined with buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)

Palestinian officials said Israeli strikes killed four people in Gaza on Wednesday, days after the anniversary of the declaration of a US-mediated ceasefire.

Two young men died when Israeli forces struck a vehicle near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal and Nasser Hospital said.

Two other people, including a woman, were killed when an Israeli aircraft struck an apartment building in Gaza City, according to Bassal and Al-Shifa hospital.

The Israeli military did not immediately give details on the strikes. Earlier Wednesday, it said it had killed more than 100 "terrorists" over the past four months in an operation in the north of the Gaza Strip.

The military said it also destroyed around eight kilometers (five miles) of tunnels used by fighters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a tight reelection battle this month, has vowed no let-up in targeting Hamas despite the ceasefire that went into effect on October 10, 2025, leading Hamas to free its remaining living hostages.

Hamas stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, the deadliest day ever for the country. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally from official Israeli figures, with fighters also dragging 251 hostages into Gaza, 44 of them already dead.

Israel's massive offensive in Gaza has since killed more than 74,300 people, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas and whose figures are generally considered reliable by the United Nations.

Arab World

Palestinian Factions Hold Preliminary Talks in Cairo Ahead of Broader Dialogue

A boy sits amid belongings next to a structure used as a living room after it was demolished by Israeli authorities, who said it had been built without a permit, in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 14, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
A boy sits amid belongings next to a structure used as a living room after it was demolished by Israeli authorities, who said it had been built without a permit, in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 14, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
TT
TT

Palestinian Factions Hold Preliminary Talks in Cairo Ahead of Broader Dialogue

A boy sits amid belongings next to a structure used as a living room after it was demolished by Israeli authorities, who said it had been built without a permit, in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 14, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
A boy sits amid belongings next to a structure used as a living room after it was demolished by Israeli authorities, who said it had been built without a permit, in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 14, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

A new round of Palestinian diplomatic activity is underway in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for the second time in less than a week, aimed at paving the way for comprehensive dialogue following the postponement of Palestinian elections to September 2027 from next November, and discussing arrangements for the next phase.

According to Palestinian sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday, four Palestinian factions are beginning a limited round of national dialogue in Cairo through a series of bilateral and group meetings. The talks are part of preparations for a broader national dialogue involving a wide range of factions, including Fatah, and possibly even Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The four factions are Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Their delegations will hold bilateral and joint meetings to consult on the participants and agenda for the broader dialogue.

Fatah Rejects Participation of Dahlan's Faction

According to three Palestinian sources who spoke separately to Asharq Al-Awsat, Fatah remains adamantly opposed to the participation of the Democratic Reform Current, a breakaway faction led by Mohammed Dahlan.

Fatah also rejects the participation of Palestinian factions that emerged around the start of the Second Intifada in late 2000, including the Popular Resistance Committees, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, the Palestinian Freedom Movement (Al-Ahrar) and other smaller factions that it says receive funding from Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.

The sources explained that Fatah, by contrast, insists on the participation of all Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) factions, including those that no longer have a significant popular base or an active political role, such as As-Sa'iqa, the Palestinian Democratic Union (FIDA), the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front and the Palestine Liberation Front.

One source confirmed that the meetings would address arrangements concerning the PLO and the Palestinian internal political landscape as a whole, as well as the Palestinian National Council and other issues.

A third source from a faction participating in the Cairo talks said all outstanding disputes were expected to be resolved during the meetings, which could last two days or be extended if necessary.

The source said discussions would focus on ending the Palestinian division entirely, establishing clear mechanisms for forming the Palestinian National Council and setting an official date for comprehensive national dialogue to be convened at the direct invitation of President Abbas.

The source explained that, if approved, the comprehensive national dialogue would address numerous issues, including the conditions for joining the PLO and restructuring it, the Palestinian National Council and legislative and presidential elections.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian source close to the factions and currently in Cairo told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday that Palestinians were placing considerable hopes on Egypt's role this time, following the election postponement, and on Cairo's sponsorship of efforts to bridge divisions, achieve broad national consensus and convene comprehensive dialogue soon despite the difficulties.

The source noted that the current consultations among Palestinian factions largely center on mechanisms for managing the Palestinian political landscape and its future direction.

The main disagreements concern the nature of the anticipated dialogue and whether it will lead to the establishment of a temporary leadership framework for the PLO and agreement on a national unity government in accordance with previous agreements, or merely result in conventional discussions without binding outcomes, as has happened in the past.

The source said the direction of the talks would become clearer in the coming hours.

Rebuilding the Political System

Fatah spokesperson Abdel Fattah Dawla said the meetings taking place Wednesday with several factions present in Cairo were intended to build on previous consultations and the positive atmosphere established with Egyptian officials and representatives of Palestinian factions.

"The ongoing meetings on Wednesday with some of the factions present in Cairo are aimed at continuing the efforts launched during previous consultations and building on the positive atmosphere achieved with our brothers in Egypt and representatives of Palestinian factions, with the goal of creating the conditions for comprehensive national dialogue. All of this lays the foundation for a new phase of joint national action," he said.

Dawla believes that "the fundamental guarantee for the success of the dialogue is genuine political will among all parties and a readiness to move from managing disagreements to resolving them, and from exchanging positions to committing to implementable national understandings."

He told Asharq Al-Awsat: "We also need specific implementation mechanisms, agreed timelines and follow-up committees to ensure that whatever is agreed upon is translated into practical steps, whether in administering the Gaza Strip, unifying institutions or rebuilding the political system on democratic and participatory foundations, and renewing the legitimacy of its institutions through elections when conditions allow for a fair and inclusive process."

Regarding Cairo's current role, the Fatah spokesperson said Egypt could help create an appropriate environment for dialogue, bring opposing viewpoints closer together and assist the factions in moving beyond discussions of their differences toward agreement on a shared national vision.

Cairo, meanwhile, remains committed to its role in ending the suffering of the Palestinian people, according to a statement issued Wednesday by Egypt's Foreign Ministry marking the first anniversary of the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit.

The ministry stressed Egypt's continued commitment to implementing the peace plan, consolidating the ceasefire, beginning reconstruction efforts and completing the Israeli withdrawal.