European Delegation Supports Yemeni Efforts to Implement Riyadh Deal

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik during his meeting with the EU delegation in Aden on Sunday. Saba news agency
Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik during his meeting with the EU delegation in Aden on Sunday. Saba news agency
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European Delegation Supports Yemeni Efforts to Implement Riyadh Deal

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik during his meeting with the EU delegation in Aden on Sunday. Saba news agency
Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik during his meeting with the EU delegation in Aden on Sunday. Saba news agency

A number of European Union ambassadors visited Sunday the temporary capital Aden to mainly discuss the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement as part of their international efforts to support the legitimate Yemeni government, official sources said.

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik sat down with a delegation of European ambassadors to discuss the risks of Iran’s ongoing support for the Houthi militias in light of the recent international developments.

Yemeni sources said the EU delegation included EU Ambassador to Yemen Hans Grundberg, the head of the French mission, Christian Testo, and Deputy Head of the EU Mission and Head of the Political, Press and Information Section Riccardo Villa.

Saba news agency reported that the meeting between the ambassadors and Abdulmalik tackled the government’s achievements since its return to the temporary capital following the Riyadh Agreement.

They also discussed the Houthis’ ongoing violations of the ceasefire in the areas falling under their control.

The Yemeni PM asked the European countries to stop the militias from continuing to wage their war against Yemen and to contribute to ending the suffering of the Yemeni people.

Sunday’s meeting also tackled the humanitarian situation in Yemen, given that Houthis loot relief aid, hinder the transfer of patients from Sanaa for treatment and prevent UN experts from carrying out maintenance work on the Safer floating storage and offloading terminal to avoid an environment disaster.

The Yemeni PM said the visit of the EU delegation to Aden constitutes a support to the Yemeni government and asserts that the international community backs the legitimacy in implementing the Riyadh Agreement.

The deal was signed on Nov. 5 between Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Southern Transitional Council under the auspices of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

On Nov. 18, Yemen's PM and four other ministers flew back to Aden under the terms of the agreement.

On Sunday, Abdulmalik also stressed that the deal, which is highly supported by Saudi Arabia, should allow for the building of active partnerships to fight terrorism and extremism.

The EU ambassadors expressed their support to the efforts of UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths to achieve sustainable peace in Yemen.

They also stressed the need to implement the Stockholm agreement as a prelude towards a political solution in Yemen.



Israeli Settlers Briefly Crossed into Lebanon, the Military Says

UN "blue line" notifications are pictured near the Lebanese-Israeli border as seen from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon October 14, 2022. (Reuters)
UN "blue line" notifications are pictured near the Lebanese-Israeli border as seen from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon October 14, 2022. (Reuters)
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Israeli Settlers Briefly Crossed into Lebanon, the Military Says

UN "blue line" notifications are pictured near the Lebanese-Israeli border as seen from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon October 14, 2022. (Reuters)
UN "blue line" notifications are pictured near the Lebanese-Israeli border as seen from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon October 14, 2022. (Reuters)

A group of Israeli settlers have briefly crossed the border into Lebanon before they were removed by troops, the military acknowledged Wednesday.

The civilians who crossed the border came from the Uri Tzafon movement, a group calling for Israeli settlement of southern Lebanon. Photos posted by the group online Saturday showed a small group of activists holding signs and erecting tents inside Lebanon while Israeli soldiers were present.

After first denying the reports to Israeli media, the military said Wednesday that civilians had crossed the border “by a few meters” and were removed by troops.

The military called the border breach a “serious incident” and said it was investigating.

“Any attempt to approach or cross the border into Lebanese territory without coordination poses a life-threatening risk and interferes with the IDF’s ability to operate in the area and carry out its mission,” the military said, using the acronym for the Israel Defense Forces.

The settler group Uri Tzafon, which means “Awaken the North” in Hebrew, crossed the border in the area of the Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras. In the past, the movement has said the area is home to an old Hebrew settlement.

Groups of settler activists also have breached the Gaza border more than once since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, at one point erecting small wooden tents before they were evacuated by troops. Daniela Weiss, the leader of the movement to resettle Gaza, claims she has entered Gaza twice since the start of the war.

Israel’s settler movement has been emboldened by its current government -- the furthest-right in Israeli history -- and is now seeking to expand to parts of southern Lebanon and the north of the Gaza.