Yemen’s Hadi Says Military Operations to Continue Until Houthis Defeated

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Asharq Al-Awsat
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Yemen’s Hadi Says Military Operations to Continue Until Houthis Defeated

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Asharq Al-Awsat

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi stressed on Tuesday that military operations in the war-torn country will continue until Sanaa, which is run by Houthi militias, is liberated and the Iranian project is defeated.

Houthi mines and assaults have been claiming the lives of Yemenis for nearly six years. The Iran-backed group has also been stepping up its attacks in al-Jawf and Marib governorates.

Official Yemeni sources reported that Hadi’s comments came during a briefing he attended by Vice President General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar in Riyadh.

Ahmar briefed Hadi on the status of ongoing military operations in a number of governorates that included Marib, al-Jawf, Taiz, Sanaa, Hodeidah, Al Bayda', Saadah and Dhale.

Hadi, for his part, underlined the need to continue to secure victories against Iran-backed Houthis, the state-owned Saba news agency reported.

The Yemeni leader also emphasized the importance of providing qualitative training to troops. He expressed keenness on ensuring that strong support is given to the national army which is spearheading the campaign to free Yemen from Houthi hold.

More so, Hadi appreciated efforts spent by the Arab Coalition on restoring power to legitimate state institutions in Yemen and thwarting the violent Iranian agenda being advanced by Houthis.

Hadi, according to Saba, urged the uniting of ranks, efforts and capacities fighting against Iranian greed in Yemen.

The president’s statements coincided with the scale up of fighting on multiple battlefronts in the country. Houthis, disregarding the substantial human losses they incurred among their ranks, ratcheted attacks in an attempt to advance towards Marib governorate.

Military field reports documented Houthis losing a number of fighters on Tuesday east of al-Hazim city in al-Jawf governorate.

According to field reports, army personnel thwarted an attack launched by Houthi militias towards the Dahida mountains, a strategic outpost that fell under the control of pro-government forces in recent weeks.



Activist Aid Ship Nears Gaza After Reaching Egypt Coast

 Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands near a Palestinian flag after boarding the Madleen boat and before setting sail for Gaza along with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP)
Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands near a Palestinian flag after boarding the Madleen boat and before setting sail for Gaza along with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP)
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Activist Aid Ship Nears Gaza After Reaching Egypt Coast

 Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands near a Palestinian flag after boarding the Madleen boat and before setting sail for Gaza along with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP)
Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands near a Palestinian flag after boarding the Madleen boat and before setting sail for Gaza along with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP)

An aid ship with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, has reached the Egyptian coast and is nearing the besieged Palestinian territory, organizers said on Saturday.

The Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Sicily last week with a cargo of relief supplies "to break Israel's blockade on Gaza".

"We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast," German human rights activist Yasemin Acar told AFP. "We are all good," she added.

In a statement from London on Saturday, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza -- a member organization of the flotilla coalition -- said the ship had entered Egyptian waters.

The group said it remains in contact with international legal and human rights bodies to ensure the safety of those on board, warning that any interception would constitute "a blatant violation of international humanitarian law".

European parliament member Rima Hassan, who is on board the vessel, urged governments to "guarantee safe passage for the Freedom Flotilla."

The Palestinian territory was under Israeli naval blockade even before the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that sparked the Gaza war and Israel has enforced its blockade with military action in the past.

A 2010 commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar aid flotilla trying to breach the blockade, left 10 civilians dead.

In May, another Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, reported coming under drone attack while en route for Gaza, prompting Cyprus and Malta to send rescue vessels in response to its distress call. There were no reports of any casualties.

Earlier in its voyage, the Madleen changed course near the Greek island of Crete after receiving a distress signal from a sinking migrant boat.

Activists rescued four Sudanese migrants who had jumped into the sea to avoid being returned to Libya. The four were later transferred to an EU Frontex vessel.

Launched in 2010, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition is a coalition of groups opposed to the blockade on humanitarian aid for Gaza that Israel imposed on March 2 and has only partially eased since.

Israel has faced mounting international condemnation over the resulting humanitarian crisis in the territory, where the United Nations has warned the entire population of more than two million is at risk of famine.