Yemen's Army Raises Combat Readiness on Various Fronts

Yemeni army soldiers in Hodeidah via(AFP)
Yemeni army soldiers in Hodeidah via(AFP)
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Yemen's Army Raises Combat Readiness on Various Fronts

Yemeni army soldiers in Hodeidah via(AFP)
Yemeni army soldiers in Hodeidah via(AFP)

Yemen's army stressed the importance of raising combat readiness to the highest level of all military and security units.

This came during a meeting that was attended by the head of the General Chief of Staff, General Sagheer bin Aziz, and the governors of the governorates of Marib, Sanaa, and Al-Jawf, and the commander of the forces supporting the legitimacy in Marib.

During the meeting they highlighted the need to raise combat readiness to the highest level of all military and security units to face the risks and challenges faced, and follow up the progress of the combat operations in various fronts.

For his part, Yemeni Defense Minister, General Muhammad Al-Maqdashi said the battle will not end until all state institutions are restored.

"Fighters' spirit needed to be raised, to maintain security and stability in the liberated regions and governorates, and to deal firmly with any attempts to disturb public tranquility and strike against militias and sabotage elements," he added.



Israeli Strikes Hit Dozens of Targets in Gaza as Ceasefire Efforts Stall

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Israeli Strikes Hit Dozens of Targets in Gaza as Ceasefire Efforts Stall

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli airstrikes hit around 40 targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military said on Friday, hours after Hamas rejected an Israeli ceasefire offer that it said fell short of its demand to agree a full end to the war.

Last month, the Israeli military broke off a two-month truce that had largely halted fighting in Gaza and has since pushed in from the north and south, seizing almost a third of the enclave as it seeks to pressure Hamas into agreeing to release hostages and disarm.

The military said troops were operating in the Shabura and Tel Al-Sultan areas near the southern city of Rafah, as well as in northern Gaza, where it has taken control of large areas east of Gaza City.

Egyptian mediators have been trying to revive the January ceasefire deal, which broke down when Israel resumed airstrikes and sent ground troops back into Gaza, but there has been little sign that the two sides have moved closer on fundamental issues.

Late on Thursday, Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas' Gaza chief, said the movement was willing to swap all remaining 59 hostages for Palestinians jailed in Israel in return for an end to the war and reconstruction of Gaza.

But he dismissed an Israeli offer, which includes a demand that Hamas lay down its arms, as imposing "impossible conditions".

Israel has not responded formally to Al-Hayya's comments but ministers have said repeatedly that Hamas must be disarmed completely and can play no role in the future governance of Gaza. The ceasefire offer it made through Egyptian mediators includes talks on a final settlement to the war but no firm agreement.

Defense Minister Israel Katz also said this week that troops would remain in the buffer zone around the border that now extends deep into Gaza and cuts the enclave in two, even after any settlement.