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.



Lebanon PM Ready to Implement 2006 Deal on Hezbollah’s Armed Presence South of Litani River

This handout picture provided by the Lebanese Prime Minister's press office shows Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati delivering a statement to the press in Beirut on September 29, 2024. (Lebanese Prime Minister's Press Office / AFP)
This handout picture provided by the Lebanese Prime Minister's press office shows Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati delivering a statement to the press in Beirut on September 29, 2024. (Lebanese Prime Minister's Press Office / AFP)
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Lebanon PM Ready to Implement 2006 Deal on Hezbollah’s Armed Presence South of Litani River

This handout picture provided by the Lebanese Prime Minister's press office shows Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati delivering a statement to the press in Beirut on September 29, 2024. (Lebanese Prime Minister's Press Office / AFP)
This handout picture provided by the Lebanese Prime Minister's press office shows Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati delivering a statement to the press in Beirut on September 29, 2024. (Lebanese Prime Minister's Press Office / AFP)

The Lebanese government is ready to fully implement a UN resolution that had aimed to end Hezbollah's armed presence south of the Litani River as part of an agreement to stop war with Israel, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said.

Mikati said Lebanon was ready to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and deploy the army south of the river, which lies about 30 km (around 20 miles) from Lebanon's southern border.

Mikati also said he and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri had agreed that electing a new president to end a near two-year vacancy at the top post would only happen after a ceasefire took hold, in comments delivered after the pair met in Beirut.

Israeli forces have dealt multiple blows to Hezbollah in a two-week wave of attacks on targets in Lebanon that has eliminated several commanders.

The possibility that Israel's next move might be to send ground troops and tanks over the border is on many minds.

Lebanon's Health Ministry says more than 1,000 Lebanese have been killed and 6,000 wounded in the past two weeks, without specifying how many were civilians. One million people - a fifth of the population - have fled their homes, the government says.

"We in Lebanon are ready to implement 1701, and immediately upon the implementation of the ceasefire, Lebanon is ready to send the Lebanese army to the area south of the Litani River and to carry out its full duties," in coordination with UN peacemakers, Mikati said.

He said parliament would then convene to elect a consensus president.

UNSC 1701 ended the month-long 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel and called for a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and that the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers be the only armed force south of the Litani River.