Yemen Rejects Houthi Conditions on Decaying Oil Tanker

Yemen's Safer oil tanker. AFP file photo
Yemen's Safer oil tanker. AFP file photo
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Yemen Rejects Houthi Conditions on Decaying Oil Tanker

Yemen's Safer oil tanker. AFP file photo
Yemen's Safer oil tanker. AFP file photo

Houthi insurgents use the floating storage and offloading (FSO) facility Safer as a weapon and for political blackmailing, the Yemeni caretaker government said on Tuesday, calling for the UN Security Council to end persistent "hijacking of the tanker by militias that threaten Yemen and the world."

In a tweet, Yemen's foreign ministry slammed the Houthis for denying the UN team access to the vessel, and “using the FSO as a weapon and for political blackmailing.”

The Houthis obstinately put unattainable conditions, such as prolonging the life expectancy of an unfixable derelict reservoir, keeping Safer as a time bomb at its hands without caring for risky consequences, it added.

The FSO's cargo of crude needs to be immediately unloaded to avoid an environmental, humanitarian disaster due to the facility's continuously deteriorating condition, the ministry warned.

While the government unconditionally approved for the UN team access, and agreed to have the crude revenues used in paying the civil servants' salaries across Yemen, the Houthis persistently refuse to do so.

The Safer, which is located off the Yemeni seaport of Ras Isa, has not been maintained since 2014, with corrosion making the FSO and its 1.2 million barrels of crude at risk of looming explosion.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the so-called Houthi Revolutionary Committee, said that the insurgents demanded that the UN brings in a third party to assess the situation on board the derelict ship.

“What worries the UN, its chief, and the coalition (Arab Coalition)? If they claim to be keen on the environment, they should involve a third party, represented by Germany or Sweden, in the maintenance of Safer,” al-Houthi tweeted.

The UN has recently called for expediting the issuance of needed access permits to the UN team of experts to assess and perform maintenance on the rundown vessel.



Israeli Army Reaches Outskirts of Litani River in Southern Lebanon

An Israeli tank loaded onto a truck being transported to the border with southern Lebanon in the Upper Galilee (EPA)
An Israeli tank loaded onto a truck being transported to the border with southern Lebanon in the Upper Galilee (EPA)
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Israeli Army Reaches Outskirts of Litani River in Southern Lebanon

An Israeli tank loaded onto a truck being transported to the border with southern Lebanon in the Upper Galilee (EPA)
An Israeli tank loaded onto a truck being transported to the border with southern Lebanon in the Upper Galilee (EPA)

Israeli forces have launched their largest ground incursion into southern Lebanon since the conflict began, reaching the outskirts of the Litani River near Deirmimas.

They entered the town’s edges in an effort to separate Nabatieh from Marjayoun and prepare for an attack on the town of Taybeh from the west and north.

This move also aimed to neutralize Taybeh hill, which overlooks the Khiam plain, where Israel plans to extend its operations and capture the city of Khiam.

Lebanese media reported that Israel set up a checkpoint at the Deirmimas junction, cutting off Marjayoun from Nabatieh.

They also blocked the western entrance to Deirmimas near a fuel station using earth mounds, with Israeli military vehicles stationed there. Reports also said Israeli forces prevented UNIFIL and the Lebanese army from passing toward Marjayoun.

Lebanese sources following the battle in the south reported that Israeli forces advanced five kilometers west from the town of Kfar Kila, moving through olive groves. This advance took advantage of the absence of Hezbollah fighters in Christian areas like Qlayaa, Bir al-Muluk, and Deirmimas.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that this allowed Israeli forces to reach the outskirts of the Litani River for the first time since 2006, cutting off Nabatieh from Marjayoun. Israeli artillery had previously targeted this route several times, and drones had carried out strikes there.

Israel supported its ground advance with heavy artillery fire. Lebanese security sources said Israeli artillery targeted hills overlooking Deirmimas throughout Thursday night into Friday, hitting locations like Beaufort Castle, Arnoun, Yihmour, Wadi Zawtar, and Deir Siryan.

This fire typically provides cover for infantry advances. The sources also confirmed that Israeli ground movements were backed by airstrikes and drones for added security.

They speculated the advance followed a route from Kfar Kila through Tall al-Nahas and Bir al-Muluk toward Deirmimas, which is almost empty of residents and has no Hezbollah presence.

Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli forces in the area, with three statements confirming the targeting of Israeli positions and vehicles near Deirmimas.

Media reports mentioned multiple rocket strikes on Israeli targets in Khiam and near Tall al-Nahas, as well as a guided missile attack on Israeli movements near oil groves close to the Marqos station at Deirmimas’ edge.

A photo shared by Lebanese media showed an Israeli tank behind an exposed hill east of Qlayaa, protected from the west and north. To the south, Israeli forces entered the town of Deirmimas, which overlooks the position.

Military expert Mustafa Asaad said the image, showing a bulldozer behind a tank at the Qlayaa-Marjayoun-Deirmimas junction, suggests that infantry units secured the area—either on foot or in fast vehicles—before entering Deirmimas.

The town’s mayor confirmed to local media that Israeli forces made a “small incursion” into Deirmimas, advancing through olive groves from Kfar Kila.

Hezbollah has stated it does not have military positions in Christian or Druze areas in southern Lebanon, as these communities oppose its presence. Sources close to Hezbollah say this is due to political reasons and security concerns.