Houthis Have Targeted 76 Mosques in Yemen

FILE PHOTO - Armed Houthi followers carry their rifles as they attend a gathering to show support for the militias in Sanaa, Yemen December 19, 2018. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
FILE PHOTO - Armed Houthi followers carry their rifles as they attend a gathering to show support for the militias in Sanaa, Yemen December 19, 2018. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
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Houthis Have Targeted 76 Mosques in Yemen

FILE PHOTO - Armed Houthi followers carry their rifles as they attend a gathering to show support for the militias in Sanaa, Yemen December 19, 2018. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
FILE PHOTO - Armed Houthi followers carry their rifles as they attend a gathering to show support for the militias in Sanaa, Yemen December 19, 2018. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Local Yemeni experts warn that Houthi coup militias are resorting to crimes against humanity to make up for their failure in advancing on several battlefronts in the war-torn country.

Houthis have been targeting places of worship during times of prayers to record the highest death tolls possible. On Saturday, the group struck a mosque in a military camp in Marib – about 170km east of Sanaa – during evening prayers.

In the attack, some 111 soldiers were killed and more than 68 injured.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government has been battling the Iran-backed Houthis since 2014, when the rebels seized the capital Sanaa.

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi condemned the “cowardly and terrorist” attack on the mosque, according to the official Saba news agency.

“The disgraceful actions of the Houthi militia without a doubt confirm its unwillingness to (achieve) peace, because it knows nothing but death and destruction and is a cheap Iranian tool in the region,” it quoted Hadi as saying.

In recent years, places of worship have become a frequent target of Houthi terrorist attacks. Before Saturday's attack, there were three attempts to target Makkah.

Saudi air defense systems were successful in thwarting the attacks against the city.

In October 2016, Houthis launched a ballistic missile attack against Makkah. The missiles were shot down by Saudi air defenses 65 kilometers away from the target.

In July 2017, another attack was stopped. The attack was described by the Arab Coalition, a Saudi-led force to back Yemen’s internationally-recognized government, as a “desperate attempt to ruin the Hajj pilgrimage season.”

“We are facing a group that seeks to impact demographic change in Yemen, and it empowers an Iranian project that targets all of its opponents,” said Ahmed al-Attiyah, the Yemeni Minister of Endowments.

“The Iranian-Houthi project has been systematic in targeting houses of worship since the coup started,” he added.

Al-Attiyah, in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, added that his ministry has compiled data showing that Houthis have targeted 76 mosques in the areas falling under their control.

Apart from attacking places of worship, data show that Houthis have desecrated some of the mosques and transformed them into arms caches.



Demarcating the Lebanese–Syrian Border Tops Agenda of Trump’s Envoy in Beirut

Talks between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US envoy Thomas Barrack two weeks ago in Beirut (AP). 
Talks between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US envoy Thomas Barrack two weeks ago in Beirut (AP). 
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Demarcating the Lebanese–Syrian Border Tops Agenda of Trump’s Envoy in Beirut

Talks between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US envoy Thomas Barrack two weeks ago in Beirut (AP). 
Talks between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US envoy Thomas Barrack two weeks ago in Beirut (AP). 

US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Syria, is prioritizing the demarcation of the Lebanese–Syrian border during his meetings in Beirut this week with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Army leadership.

The border issue is expected to feature prominently in Lebanon’s response to proposals Barrack presented, as he considers it essential for establishing a mechanism to implement the ceasefire agreement with Israel and asserting Lebanese sovereignty under UN Resolution 1701.

According to Lebanese ministerial sources speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Saudi Arabia recently hosted a Lebanese–Syrian meeting that defused tensions and ended clashes across the overlapping areas between the two countries in northern Bekaa. Riyadh’s mediation created a favorable climate to advance border demarcation along the roughly 375-kilometer frontier from north to east.

Saudi sponsorship of this process, along with measures by the joint Lebanese–Syrian committee to prevent further clashes, strengthened Washington’s interest in supporting these efforts. Much of the violence has stemmed from rival smuggling networks once protected by the former Syrian regime and used for trafficking Captagon into Lebanon and beyond.

Calls to demarcate the border date back to the National Dialogue Committee’s first session in 2006, convened by Berri. At Hezbollah’s request, the term “demarcation” was replaced with “delineation,” arguing it was more appropriate for relations between “brotherly nations.” Nevertheless, the issue remained unresolved as Syria refused to engage in formal negotiations, especially before the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, when Damascus consistently blocked references to completing the Taif Agreement or withdrawing Syrian troops from Beirut.

Later attempts during Saad Hariri’s premiership under President Michel Sleiman also stalled when President Bashar al-Assad declined to cooperate, citing other priorities. Illegal crossings continued to proliferate, justified as necessary for Hezbollah’s movement to avoid Israeli monitoring and to maintain unregulated “military routes” for arms smuggling.

Sources revealed that in a Damascus meeting co-chaired by Hariri and Assad, Lebanon requested not only border demarcation but also a review of bilateral agreements under the Treaty of Brotherhood to address their pro-Syrian bias. While the status of the occupied Shebaa Farms was briefly raised, it was withdrawn to avoid jeopardizing talks. Though an agreement was reached to start demarcation from the northern border, Syrian officials later backed out, citing preoccupation with the Jordanian border.

Lebanon has since prepared a detailed file with maps and coordinates, ready to support renewed negotiations under President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Officials believe the time is now ripe to demarcate the border and end agreements that once facilitated Syria’s dominance over Lebanon.