Assassination Attempt Targets Yemeni Minister in Aden, Terror Attack Kills 10 in Abyan

Security forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council stand guard. Reuters file photo
Security forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council stand guard. Reuters file photo
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Assassination Attempt Targets Yemeni Minister in Aden, Terror Attack Kills 10 in Abyan

Security forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council stand guard. Reuters file photo
Security forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council stand guard. Reuters file photo

An assassination attempt targeting the convoy of Yemeni Minister of Civil Service and Insurance Abdel Nasser al-Waly in the southern city of Aden has ramped up pressure on the new power-sharing government to speed up the implementation of the military and security stipulations of the Riyadh Agreement.

“It is clear that there is a plot to confuse the situation in Aden,” a Yemeni government official, speaking under the conditions of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Describing the current state of affairs as “frustrating,” the official stressed the need for swiftly completing the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement.

“Unfortunately, the situation in Aden has become worse than it was even before the formation of the government,” he said.

“There is no doubt that completing the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement is the best way out for all. We hope that this will be done quickly,” the official affirmed.

Waly survived an attempt on his life in Aden on Thursday, escaping unharmed from an explosion that targeted his convoy. The assassination attempt coincided with another massive terror attack targeting a security checkpoint in Abyan governorate.

The attack killed at least ten soldiers, according to local reporters.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia called Yemen's official government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) for an urgent meeting in Riyadh over the completion of the Riyadh Agreement’s implementation to unite the ranks of Yemenis and prevent bloodshed.

Both the Yemeni government and the STC have welcomed Saudi Arabia’s call and stressed the need for finishing the implementation of security and military arrangements laid out by the Riyadh deal.

Ali al-Kuthairi, an STC spokesman, told Asharq Al-Awsat that assassinations and terrorist attacks in Yemen, first and foremost, serve the agenda of Houthi militias in Yemen.

“Al-Waly’s assassination attempt and the terror attack against the Security Belt Forces in Abyan regrettably forebodes a violent resurgence of terror groups in Yemen,” said Kuthairi, adding that a rise in terrorism will advance Houthi goals in the war-torn country.

As for the Riyadh Agreement, Kuthairi reiterated the STC’s welcoming of Saudi Arabia’s call for resuming negotiations and completing the deal’s implementation.



Syrian Forces Enter Sweida after Deadly Clashes

Syrian government forces deploy at Mazraa village on the outskirts of the city of Sweida, southern Syria, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian government forces deploy at Mazraa village on the outskirts of the city of Sweida, southern Syria, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
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Syrian Forces Enter Sweida after Deadly Clashes

Syrian government forces deploy at Mazraa village on the outskirts of the city of Sweida, southern Syria, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian government forces deploy at Mazraa village on the outskirts of the city of Sweida, southern Syria, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government forces entered the city of Sweida on Tuesday, the interior ministry said, aiming to end clashes that have killed nearly 100 people.

The southern city had been under the control of armed factions from the Druze minority, whose religious leaders said they had approved the deployment of Damascus' troops and called on fighters to hand over their weapons.

A curfew was to be imposed on the southern city in a bid to halt the violence, which erupted at the weekend and has since spread across Sweida governorate.

Government forces said they intervened to separate Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters but ended up taking control of several Druze areas around Sweida, an AFP correspondent reported.

Military columns were seen advancing toward Sweida on Tuesday morning, with heavy artillery deployed nearby.

The defense ministry said later that they had entered the city, and urged people to "stay home and report any movements of outlaw groups".

An AFP correspondent heard explosions and gunshots as soldiers moved into Sweida.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported 99 people killed since the fighting erupted on Sunday -- 60 Druze, including four civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security personnel and seven unidentified people in military uniforms.

The defense ministry reported 18 deaths among the ranks of the armed forces.