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Russia Strikes Northern Idlib, Syrian Regime Shells Its South

A Turkish military convoy is seen parked near the town of Batabu on the highway linking Idlib to the Syrian Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey [Aaref Watad/AFP]
A Turkish military convoy is seen parked near the town of Batabu on the highway linking Idlib to the Syrian Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey [Aaref Watad/AFP]
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Russia Strikes Northern Idlib, Syrian Regime Shells Its South

A Turkish military convoy is seen parked near the town of Batabu on the highway linking Idlib to the Syrian Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey [Aaref Watad/AFP]
A Turkish military convoy is seen parked near the town of Batabu on the highway linking Idlib to the Syrian Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey [Aaref Watad/AFP]

Russian fighter jets conducted airstrikes Friday on the outskirts of the city of Maarat Misrin in the northern countryside of Idlib while regime forces shelled southern Idlib, killing two civilians and injuring four others.

Activists said this is the fifth round of attacks launched by Russian jets and regime forces since early this year.

The shelling coincided with the first anniversary of the Russian-Turkish ceasefire agreement signed last March between Ankara and Moscow with hopes to halt military action in Syria’s last major rebel stronghold in the northwest of the country.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that since the signing of the agreement, Russia launched 320 airstrikes on the region, while regime forces launched 4,500 missiles, killing 429 people, including 80 civilians.

Also, since the new ceasefire came into effect last year, Turkish military units have brought 8,375 military vehicles and 10,000 Turkish soldiers.

On Friday, the Observatory said regime forces launched rocket attacks on the town of Bzapour in the area of “Jabal al-Arbaeen” in the Idlib countryside while Russian airstrikes targeted the outskirts of the city of Maarat Misrin in the northern countryside of Idlib.

The opposition Sham network said the shelling killed two civilians in Bzapour but caused no human or material losses in Maarat Misrin.

Meanwhile, regime forces shelled the town of Al-Ziyara and the villages of Tel Wasit and Al-Mashik in northwestern countryside of Hama. They also launched a rocket attack on Ain Larouz and Kansafra in Jabal al-Zawiya, south of Idlib, coinciding with the flight of Russian reconnaissance drones over the area.

Also on Friday, the Observatory said it documented a Turkish military column of nearly 15 vehicles carrying military and logistical supplies crossing into the Syrian territory, via Kafr Lusin border crossing on the border with Iskenderun region in northern Idlib. The vehicles headed to the Turkish posts in Idlib countryside.

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Yemen Crisis Meeting Seeks to Curb Impact of Houthi Terror Listing

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief, Rashad al-Alimi, held a virtual meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Committee (Saba News Agency)
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief, Rashad al-Alimi, held a virtual meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Committee (Saba News Agency)
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Yemen Crisis Meeting Seeks to Curb Impact of Houthi Terror Listing

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief, Rashad al-Alimi, held a virtual meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Committee (Saba News Agency)
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief, Rashad al-Alimi, held a virtual meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Committee (Saba News Agency)

Amid escalating military operations by the Iran-aligned Houthis in the Marib, Al-Jawf, and Taiz battlefronts, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief, Rashad al-Alimi, held a virtual meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Committee.

The meeting aimed to discuss measures aimed at mitigating humanitarian repercussions following Washington’s designation of the group as a “foreign terrorist organization.”

The US State Department confirmed on Tuesday that the executive order reinstating the Houthis’ terrorist designation—originally issued by former President Donald Trump upon his return to the White House—had come into effect.

Shortly after, the US Treasury imposed financial sanctions on seven senior Houthi figures, including the group’s spokesperson Mohammed Abdul Salam, its ruling council head Mehdi al-Mashat, and Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a cousin of the group’s leader.

State media reported that Alimi held a meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Management Committee, led by Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, to discuss economic, monetary, and banking developments, as well as measures to address the US executive order designating the Houthis as a terrorist group.

According to official sources, the meeting focused on government measures to manage the designation, including exemptions and licenses issued to ensure the continued flow of humanitarian aid and mitigate potential humanitarian fallout from the decision, which took effect on Tuesday.

The meeting reaffirmed the Yemeni government’s commitment to working closely with the international community to minimize the impact of the US terrorist designation on citizens, national institutions, and key sectors, particularly the banking industry.

According to the state-run Saba news agency, Alimi was briefed by bin Mubarak, Central Bank Governor Ahmed Ghalib al-Maabqi, Foreign Minister Shaea al-Zindani, and Economic Team Head Hossam al-Sharjabi on the latest economic and living conditions.

They also outlined government efforts to meet essential obligations, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

The briefing, Saba reported, covered key financial and monetary indicators, the efficiency of state institutions in securing public revenue, and measures to sustain essential services across provinces.

Addressing fresh sanctions on the Houthis, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement that Washington had imposed sanctions on seven senior members of the group for their involvement in smuggling weapons into Houthi-controlled areas and negotiating arms supply deals.

One of the sanctioned individuals and his company were also accused of recruiting Yemeni civilians to fight for Russia in Ukraine, generating additional resources to fund the Houthis’ military operations, Bruce added.

For its part, the UN confirmed that its special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, remains committed to continuing his mediation efforts under the mandate of the UN Security Council, working towards a comprehensive and peaceful resolution to the decade-long conflict in the country.

In a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, Grundberg’s spokeswoman Ismini Palla said it was too early to assess the impact of the US decision to impose sanctions on Houthi leaders.

The envoy remains dedicated to his mediation efforts in line with the Security Council's mandate, pushing the dialogue towards a peaceful and inclusive resolution of the conflict in Yemen, she added.

Also speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, US Ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, reaffirmed that under Trump's leadership, the US remains committed to holding the Houthis accountable for their terrorist attacks and working with the international community to weaken their capabilities.