Yemen Govt Welcomes Saudi Initiative to End Crisis

A general view of the interim Yemeni capital, Aden. (Reuters file photo)
A general view of the interim Yemeni capital, Aden. (Reuters file photo)
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Yemen Govt Welcomes Saudi Initiative to End Crisis

A general view of the interim Yemeni capital, Aden. (Reuters file photo)
A general view of the interim Yemeni capital, Aden. (Reuters file photo)

The legitimate Yemeni government welcomed on Monday Saudi Arabia’s initiative to end the crisis in its country.

The foreign ministry hailed the proposal that called for a ceasefire, reopening of air and sea links and restarting political negotiations between the government and the Iran-backed Houthi militias. The Kingdom's plan also called for depositing taxes and customs revenue from ships carrying oil to the Red Sea port of Hodeidah in a joint account of the Yemeni central bank.

The ministry added, however, that the militias “have met all previous proposals with stalling, which has prolonged and deepened the humanitarian crisis.” It accused the militias of “rejecting our initiative to open Sanaa airport and continuing to loot relief aid and Hodeidah port revenues.”

It remarked that Saudi Arabia’s initiative was in line with international efforts aimed at ending the war and human suffering, while the army, backed by the popular resistance, was waging heroics and striking victories on various fronts opened by the Houthis in Marib, Taiz, Hajjah, Dhale, al-Bayda and al-Jawf.

“The initiative is a real test of the Houthis’ willingness to achieve peace and the effectiveness of the international community in ending the war” and resuming political talks, it stated.

The Yemeni government is fully aware that ending the suffering of the Yemeni people only lies in ending the Houthi coup and war, said the ministry.

It reiterated its committed to all efforts aimed at achieving peace that ends the coup, restores the state and rejects the Iranian expansionist and destructive agenda in Yemen and that is in line with the three references, starting with United Nations Security Council resolution 2216.



Lebanon Postpones Parliamentary Elections by Two Years

Lebanon's parliament Speaker Nabih Berri heads a parliamentary session at the headquarters in Beirut on March 9, 2026. (AFP)
Lebanon's parliament Speaker Nabih Berri heads a parliamentary session at the headquarters in Beirut on March 9, 2026. (AFP)
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Lebanon Postpones Parliamentary Elections by Two Years

Lebanon's parliament Speaker Nabih Berri heads a parliamentary session at the headquarters in Beirut on March 9, 2026. (AFP)
Lebanon's parliament Speaker Nabih Berri heads a parliamentary session at the headquarters in Beirut on March 9, 2026. (AFP)

Lebanon's parliament on Monday postponed legislative elections, initially due to be held in May, by two years, according to a statement from the parliament speaker, due to the war between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

MPs convened on Monday including Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, even as Israeli warplanes flew above the nearby southern suburbs of Beirut.


Israel Strikes Beirut's Southern Suburbs after Warning

Smoke plumes rise from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on March 9, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)
Smoke plumes rise from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on March 9, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)
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Israel Strikes Beirut's Southern Suburbs after Warning

Smoke plumes rise from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on March 9, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)
Smoke plumes rise from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on March 9, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)

Israel on Monday renewed its strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanese state media reported, after Israel warned it would target branches of a financial firm linked to Hezbollah. 

Footage on AFPTV's live broadcast showed large plumes of smoke rising from the area, where the Iran-backed group holds sway. 

Earlier on Monday, the Israeli military warned it would strike branches of Al-Qard al-Hassan, a financial firm mainly operating in Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon's south, east and Beirut's southern suburbs. 

Israel launched at least three strikes Monday on Beirut's south, according to the state-run National News Agency and AFP correspondents. 

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when Iran-backed group Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei during US-Israeli strikes. 

Israel, which had kept up strikes targeting Hezbollah even before the war despite a 2024 ceasefire, launched multiple attacks last week across Lebanon and sent ground troops into border areas. 

Roads leading to one of Al-Qard al-Hassan's branches in Beirut were closed on Monday, according to witnesses. 

In Lebanon's southern city of Sidon, an area outside of Hezbollah's traditional strongholds, an AFP correspondent saw ambulances and civil defense vehicles gather around another branch. 

Israel also bombed the firm's branches during its last war with Hezbollah in 2024, including the one in Sidon. The company is under US sanctions. 


Pro-Iran Factions in Iraq Welcome New Supreme Leader as Symbol of Continuity

 Protesters wave Iranian flags as another holds up an image of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed by a US airstrike in Tehran, during a symbolic funeral in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP)
Protesters wave Iranian flags as another holds up an image of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed by a US airstrike in Tehran, during a symbolic funeral in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP)
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Pro-Iran Factions in Iraq Welcome New Supreme Leader as Symbol of Continuity

 Protesters wave Iranian flags as another holds up an image of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed by a US airstrike in Tehran, during a symbolic funeral in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP)
Protesters wave Iranian flags as another holds up an image of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed by a US airstrike in Tehran, during a symbolic funeral in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP)

Iraq's pro-Iran groups welcomed on Monday the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new supreme leader after his predecessor and father was killed in US and Israeli strikes.

The Badr organization said the new leadership represents a "blessed continuity of the path of the Islamic revolution".

The Asaib Ahl al-Haq faction said choosing Mojtaba Khamenei shows continuity and "reinforcement of the Islamic republic's role as a central pillar in the axis of resistance".

Armed faction Kataeb Hezbollah said it reflects a profound understanding "of the existential challenges confronting the nation".

"The best successor to the best predecessor," said Kataeb Hezbollah, which is part of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq -- a pro-Iran alliance that has been claiming attacks on US bases since the start of the war in the Middle East.

Iran wields significant influence in Iraqi politics, and also backs armed groups whose power has grown both politically and financially.

Iraq has for decades been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran.

Senior Iraqi politician and moderate cleric Ammar al-Hakim wished the new supreme leader "success in following the path of his martyred father".