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Houthis Target Marib Mosque, Govt Denounces Attack Against Mills

Houthi militiamen at an armed gathering in Sanaa | EPA
Houthi militiamen at an armed gathering in Sanaa | EPA
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Houthis Target Marib Mosque, Govt Denounces Attack Against Mills

Houthi militiamen at an armed gathering in Sanaa | EPA
Houthi militiamen at an armed gathering in Sanaa | EPA

Houthi militias on Friday fired a ballistic missile at a mosque in the Yemeni Marib governorate, killing and injuring 20 people during dawn prayers, military sources reported.

This coincided with Houthis stepping up their attacks against western Hodeidah governorate and targeting wheat mills there.

Local sources confirmed that the Houthi missile had hit a mosque inside the military camp of pro-government special forces in Marib. The attack is perceived as a desperate Houthi attempt to balance losses sustained on multiple battlefronts, especially those incurred in the vicinity of Marib.

Sources predicted that the number of victims killed by the missile will rise due to the critical injuries recorded.

An official statistic released last July revealed that the number of victims of Houthi attacks in Marib alone reached 700 deaths and injuries. The cases included women and children.

Covering the time period between April 2015 and July 2020, the statistic recorded 244 rocket attacks that killed and injured 689 Yemenis, 92 of which were children and women.

Caretaker Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani denounced the militias' attack against Red Sea mills.

“We strongly condemn the targeting of Iran-backed Houthi militia to the Red Sea mills, in Hodeidah, with artillery shelling, resulted in severe damage to the buildings of the mills, which are one of the most important development projects and pillars of the national economy,” Eryani tweeted.

Eryani, in an official statement, described that the Houthi attack against the mills constitutes a flagrant challenge to the international community and the UN, and further proves the Iran-backed militia’s lack of commitment to treaties.

He added that the attack is an escalation on behalf of the Houthis and aims to worsen an already bad situation in Hodeidah.

Eryani urged the UN chief, the UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, and the Head of the United Nations Mission in support of the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) Lieutenant General (retired) Abhijit Guha to shoulder their responsibility and condemn the Houthi-committed atrocity.

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Arab World

Lebanon Working on Technical, Security Levels to Avoid New ‘Support War’ against Israel

President Joseph Aoun chairs a meeting with ministers and security ministers to address the Israeli-Iranian conflict and its impact on Lebanon. (Lebanese Presidency)
President Joseph Aoun chairs a meeting with ministers and security ministers to address the Israeli-Iranian conflict and its impact on Lebanon. (Lebanese Presidency)
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Lebanon Working on Technical, Security Levels to Avoid New ‘Support War’ against Israel

President Joseph Aoun chairs a meeting with ministers and security ministers to address the Israeli-Iranian conflict and its impact on Lebanon. (Lebanese Presidency)
President Joseph Aoun chairs a meeting with ministers and security ministers to address the Israeli-Iranian conflict and its impact on Lebanon. (Lebanese Presidency)

Lebanon is intensifying efforts to avert any consequences of the Israeli-Iranian war and avoid dragging the country to a new conflict under the pretext of “supporting” Iran.

Hezbollah had launched a “support front” with Gaza by launching attacks on Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas’ Al-Aqsa Flood Operation that sparked the ongoing war on Palestinian enclave.

Lebanese authorities are exerting efforts to distance the country from the latest conflict under the slogan “No new support war ... this is not our battle”.

Contacts are being held on the highest levels with countries with influence to avert any escalation in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel.

Internally, technical and security measures are being taken. Cutting short a trip to the Vatican, President Joseph Aoun held a meeting on Saturday morning with security leaders.

He met with concerned ministers to discuss the latest security developments as a result of the confrontation between Iran and Israel, said a presidency statement.

The meeting tackled the measures Lebanon needs to take to address the impact of the conflict and aviation at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, it added.

Several measures have been taken to maintain stability in Lebanon and secure civil aviation, it said.

Aoun urged security authorities to remain on alert to maintain stability and security. Meetings will remain open to assess the developments as they unfold, said the statement.

The meeting included Minister of Defense Michel Menassa, Minister of Interior Ahmed al-Hajjar, Minister of Transportation and Public Works Fayez Rasamny, army commander Rodolphe Haykal, Internal Security Forces chief Raed Abdallah, General Security chief Hassan Choucair and others.

Ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that official efforts are operating on the technical and security levels and by holding contacts with foreign parties.

The technical efforts are focused on the airport and safety of aviation whereby flights will be halted whenever danger is detected and in coordination with regional countries, namely Syria and Jordan, they explained.

On the security level, efforts are focused on preventing Lebanon from being dragged into the conflict, with emphasis that no new “support front” will be opened in the South. Priority will be on “preemptive security intelligence,” said the sources.

Patrols along the border will be intensified and coordination will continue between the security forces so that they remain on alert for any possible emergency and prevent any security breach, they stressed.

The sources said they were optimistic that Hezbollah will not become involved in the conflict, adding that the Iran-backed party seems “aware of the consequences of any intervention.”

The danger lies in the Hamas group and other Palestinian factions that may want to attack Israel. Contacts are taking place with the concerned parties to deter them from taking any risky move, such as firing rockets at Israel from the South the way Hamas had done in the past, said the sources.

On the external level, contacts had kicked off from the moment the attack on Iran had taken place with American and French officials, with Lebanon asserting that it is not involved in the conflict and will not be a battleground for others, revealed the sources.

Efforts are underway to keep Lebanon away from the fight, they said.

The Lebanese government - through the army - had informed Hezbollah as soon as the conflict erupted that there was no need to involve Lebanon in the fight.