Ghannouchi Proposes Solution to Overcome ‘Constitutional Oath’ Crisis
Part of the strike by the Tunisian Airlines crews in the capital on Friday, February 19, 2021. (EPA)
Tunisian parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi has proposed an initiative in an attempt to overcome the political crisis in the country.
He suggested holding an urgent tripartite meeting with President Kais Saied and Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi as soon as possible to resolve the “constitutional oath” crisis.
He also called on Saied to gather heads of the several parties in the country to exchange visions and advice over the situation and the required decisions, in light of the economic, social, and health crises.
Spokesman of Ennahda Movement Fathi al-Ayadi said Ghannouchi sent a letter to the President urging him to reassure Tunisians and the world.
“Despite the differences among Tunisian political figures and the growing incitement rhetoric, Tunisia remains a country with trustful institutions, and it needs to provide medicine, food, work and security for its people, as well as ensure calm, develop a spirit of solidarity and broaden the circle of national unity,” the letter read.
Meanwhile, a group of opposition parties announced their support for the efforts by national organizations seeking to bridge the gap between Saied and Mechichi.
These efforts aim to develop practical proposals that would enable the country to overcome its crisis, they stressed.
The leaderships of the Republican Party, the People’s Movement, the Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties party, and the Democratic Current party considered their meetings an attempt to define means out of the multi-faceted crisis Tunisia is going through.
In this regard, Secretary-General of the Republican Party Essam al-Shabbi stressed that they will try to urge a solution to the political crisis.
The Republican Party has begun consulting with the General Labor Union about its role, especially after calling for a national dialogue, presenting its initiative to the head of state, and providing details about the “Panel of the Wise and Mediators,” which will head the dialogue sessions.
Commenting on the steps taken to dissolve the differences between the two heads of the executive authority, analyst Jamel Arfaoui told Asharq Al-Awsat that it won’t be an easy task.
He pointed to the challenges facing the meeting between Mechichi and Saied and the escalation in their political positions and their unwillingness to compromise.
Both have sought to complicate the crisis from the beginning and have had no intention to overcome their differences, he stressed.
Operation ‘Dawn of Yemen’ Clears Bab al-Mandab and its Islands of Remaining Houthi Forceshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5327743-operation-%E2%80%98dawn-yemen%E2%80%99-clears-bab-al-mandab-and-its-islands-remaining-houthi
Operation ‘Dawn of Yemen’ Clears Bab al-Mandab and its Islands of Remaining Houthi Forces
Members of Yemeni government forces during confrontations with the Houthis (AP)
The military operation “Dawn of Yemen” entered its fifth day on Friday, as government forces completed the clearing of the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the strategic Mayyun Island, while consolidating their positions on the highlands overlooking the international shipping route.
The development strengthens government gains along the western coast, even as fighting continues in the southern and western countryside of Taiz, alongside an expanding aerial campaign targeting Houthi militia positions and movements across several parts of the country.
Military sources said that the Giants Brigades and Nation Shield Forces, backed by air support from the coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally-recognized government, had established full control over Bab al-Mandab, the Al-Ardi military camp, coast guard observation posts, Mayyun Island, and the mountain ranges surrounding the strait, including positions overlooking the vital maritime corridor.
Yemeni government forces advance in Al-Wazi'iyah and push to complete the cleansing of Bab al-Mandab (EPA)
According to the sources, government forces carried out a surprise maneuver that bypassed the Houthis’ frontline defenses and reached their newly established trenches and tunnels. The clashes reportedly resulted in dozens of Houthi fighters being killed, while others surrendered.
If the announced control is maintained, securing the strait and Mayyun Island would mark a significant turning point in operations along the western coast, given the area’s strategic location at the southern entrance to the Red Sea and its importance to international navigation.
The latest developments follow the government forces’ announcement that they had seized the Kahboub Heights, which overlook vast areas surrounding Bab al-Mandab.
A member of Yemeni government forces on the southern Taiz fronts (AFP)
Advance Toward Al-Wazi’iyah
After consolidating their new positions, Yemeni government forces continued operations on the Al-Wazi’iyah front west of Taiz, aiming to secure the district’s eastern highlands and tighten the encirclement of Houthi positions around Dhubab and Al-Omari Camp, paving the way for a broader advance toward Mokha, according to field reports.
The operations were accompanied by airstrikes targeting Houthi military sites and movements in Al-Wazi’iyah, Al-Shamayatayn, and Jabal Habashi, as well as positions in Sharjab, Al-Turbah, and Jabal Qaham, which overlooks the districts of Al-Maqatirah and Al-Ahkoum along the border between Taiz and Lahj.
Field sources reported that Houthi vehicles and reinforcements were targeted in the Al-Haql and Al-Qahaf areas of Jabal Habashi district. Meanwhile, the media center of the government’s Taiz Military Axis stated that one airstrike neutralized or wounded 23 Houthi fighters. Additional strikes hit positions in the Numan Mountains, Al-Saybara, Al-Harthah, and Jardad in Al-Shamayatayn district.
On the other hand, Houthi forces continue to pressure rural areas south and west of Taiz in an effort to retain their positions. Local sources reported that the group had taken control of Al-Mahsha, Al-Adaf, and Al-Armah in Jabal Habashi district on the western front and was advancing toward the Al-Shariq area. A schoolteacher was reportedly killed in Al-Mahsha.
Fighters from the Giants Brigades on the Bab al-Mandab front (EPA)
1,729 Military Strikes
In a sign of the widening scope of military operations, Colonel Majed Al-Nuzaili, spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, announced on Thursday that 1,729 precision strikes had been carried out against Houthi military targets across various fronts as part of Operation Dawn of Yemen.
Al-Nuzaili said the operations resulted in the neutralization of 1,370 Houthi fighters and the destruction or disabling of 300 military vehicles and pieces of equipment, in addition to strikes against military positions, observation posts, command-and-control centers, weapons depots, supply lines, and reinforcements.
At the same time, airstrikes expanded into eight governorates: Taiz, Ibb, Al-Bayda, Abyan, Saada, Sanaa, Raymah, and Al-Hodeidah, according to local reports. Targets included sites in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, a Houthi camp in Yarim in Ibb, positions in Al-Siyani district, sites in Bani Matar west of Sanaa, locations in Kismah district in Raymah governorate, and positions in the Jamil, Jarjarah, and Al-Nasreen mountain areas of Al-Bayda. Other strikes targeted Tharah Pass and locations in Al-Hodeidah and Saada.
In Lahj, government forces announced that they had repelled a Houthi attack targeting the areas of Al-Aghbarah, Al-Muhawalah, and Al-Mashamirah northwest of Al-Mudarabah district, and had regained positions on Jabal Saif with the support of tribal reinforcements. Meanwhile, clashes, reciprocal shelling, and drone operations continued on the fronts south of Marib and in Al-Jawf, while airstrikes targeted Mas Camp and positions in the Al-Labanat area.
Palestinians Set to Delay Legislative Elections Due to Worsening Conditions, Letter Sayshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5327674-palestinians-set-delay-legislative-elections-due-worsening-conditions-letter
Palestinian vice president Hussein al-Sheikh attends a meeting with ambassadors in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, on February 10, 2026. ZAIN JAAFAR/Pool via REUTERS
Palestinians Set to Delay Legislative Elections Due to Worsening Conditions, Letter Says
Palestinian vice president Hussein al-Sheikh attends a meeting with ambassadors in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, on February 10, 2026. ZAIN JAAFAR/Pool via REUTERS
Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh has informed France that a Palestinian legislative election planned for November 28 will be postponed for several months because of worsening conditions throughout the Palestinian territories, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
"The assessment concluded that the anticipated political, security and economic conditions, on which the scheduling of the legislative elections for 28 November 2026 was based, have not materialized," said according to the letter, which was addressed to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and dated October 8.
It added that "holding them under the current circumstances faces fundamental obstacles affecting their inclusiveness, freedom of participation, and the integrity of the electoral process."
Gaza Rescuers Say Israeli Fire Kills Sevenhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5327627-gaza-rescuers-say-israeli-fire-kills-seven
Palestinians walk along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed in Israeli military strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians walk along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed in Israeli military strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Gaza's civil defense rescue service said Thursday that seven people were killed in separate Israeli strikes through the day, while the Israeli army said three of the victims were "military operatives".
Six of the seven were killed in various parts of Gaza City.
Two people were killed in a drone strike on a car, while one was killed in a drone attack on a tent in an encampment for displaced people, the rescue service and al-Shifa hospital said.
The Israeli army told AFP that the three targeted were "military operatives in terrorist organizations."
"Two people, a woman and a child, were killed and others were wounded when Israeli aircraft bombed a residential building" in Gaza City, the civil defense said.
A woman was also killed by artillery shelling in Gaza City, health officials reported.
The civil defense reported that "one person was killed by Israeli fire southeast of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza."
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli army said it was checking the reports about the other four victims.
The war began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Hamas on Thursday denied Israeli claims that it uses Gaza hospitals for military activities, after the army said Wednesday that militants "advanced attacks from within (Kamal Adwan) hospital" in northern Gaza.
Hamas in a statement called the accusations "criminal incitement".
Israel's military offensive against the group has displaced nearly all the population of Gaza and killed more than 74,200 people, according to Gaza's health ministry, which is under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. They do not distinguish between militants and civilians.
Since a ceasefire was declared in October last year, Israeli forces have killed at least 1,450 people in Gaza, according to the ministry.
The Israeli military has declared the deaths of five soldiers and one civilian contractor in the same period.
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