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Houthis Draft, Deploy 85 Child Soldiers from Yemen’s Ibb

A Yemeni child drafted by Houthi militias carrying a weapon (AFP)
A Yemeni child drafted by Houthi militias carrying a weapon (AFP)
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Houthis Draft, Deploy 85 Child Soldiers from Yemen’s Ibb

A Yemeni child drafted by Houthi militias carrying a weapon (AFP)
A Yemeni child drafted by Houthi militias carrying a weapon (AFP)

Houthi militias are gathering fresh batches of recruits from different districts to deploy them to battlefronts in the oil-rich Marib governorate, reported local sources based in southern Yemeni governorate of Ibb.

At least 85 minors are among the fighters Houthis deployed over the last 14 days, sources revealed, adding that the Iran-backed group had collected the child soldiers from villages and forced them to train for a week before being used as cannon fodder in Marib.

Despite some of the children being kidnapped and forcibly drafted into Houthi ranks, a number of minors were traded off to the Iran-backed group by some of Yemen’s poorest families in exchange for monthly financial and food support.

It is worth noting that Houthi recruitment campaigns are ongoing, intensifying and have spread to multiple districts across the war-torn country. Houthis have been trying to replenish their ranks after having sustained heavy losses in fighters and armaments on different battlefronts.

Local sources reported Houthis losing hundreds of combatants in the last few weeks.

As part of their aggressive drafting campaign, Houthis have issued an order forcing all public workers in Ibb to enlist as prospect fighters to receive training and eventually be assigned to a post in the battlefield.

According to a circular published by Houthi leader Mohammed Abdullah al-Shabibi, all civil servants must prepare to spend a minimum of 14 days on battlegrounds.

“This is the fifth time in under two months that Houthis have called for recruitment,” Ibb-based sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Local reports spoke of dozens of military vehicles loaded with hundreds of fighters leaving the southern governorate.

Houthis have found themselves embroiled in a costly military quagmire in Marib as their month-long offensive has stalled and they have not been able to recapture the governorate’s capital.

The military deadlock has prompted the Iran-backed militia into shifting their goal from taking Marib city to potentially using the offensive as a bargaining chip in future peace talks.

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Arab World

UNHCR Chief Calls for ‘Urgent’ Support to Lebanon During War

Displaced children queue to get toys at a shelter in Tyre, south Lebanon, April 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Displaced children queue to get toys at a shelter in Tyre, south Lebanon, April 14, 2026. (Reuters)
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UNHCR Chief Calls for ‘Urgent’ Support to Lebanon During War

Displaced children queue to get toys at a shelter in Tyre, south Lebanon, April 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Displaced children queue to get toys at a shelter in Tyre, south Lebanon, April 14, 2026. (Reuters)

United Nations refugee chief Barham Salih on Wednesday called on the international community to provide urgent support to Lebanon, with a fifth of the country's population displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah war.

"I call upon the international community to provide urgent support and relief to Lebanon," he said after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

"The humanitarian consequences of this war are immense, and I emphasize the need to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure from the ravages of attack. Lebanon does not deserve to be trapped in a recurring cycle of violence, it deserves support and stability."

He added that UNHCR has received "a portion" of the $61 million it had appealed for during the war to support Lebanon in its "unprecedented" displacement crisis, as more than a million people, or a fifth of the Lebanese population, are displaced by the conflict.

Of them, more than 140,000 are in government shelters.

The $61 million is part of the Lebanon Flash Appeal, launched by UN chief Antonio Guterres last month to gather $308 million to help the country.

War-ravaged Lebanon has been dealing with an unprecedented financial crisis since 2019 and was still reeling from the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war when the Iran-backed group drew it into the Middle East conflict last month.

Arab World

Israeli Army Strikes South of Beirut as Hezbollah Launches Rockets at Israel

First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Army Strikes South of Beirut as Hezbollah Launches Rockets at Israel

First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)

Two Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit vehicles south of Beirut, state media reported, while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations.

Israel is continuing its strikes on southern Lebanon in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but has not targeted the Lebanese capital since a series of attacks across the country on April 8 that killed more than 350 people.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported two separate Israeli strikes on two vehicles, one in the seafront town of Saadiyat and another on a coastal highway in neighboring Jiyyeh, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Beirut and outside Hezbollah's traditional strongholds.

NNA also reported several other strikes across southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military meanwhile said it had detected "approximately 30 launches" by Hezbollah towards Israel since the early hours, a spokesman told AFP.

Hezbollah said it launched rockets at 10 northern Israeli areas.

The attacks come a day after Lebanon and Israel's ambassadors to the United States held their first direct talks in decades in Washington and agreed to hold further direct negotiations, with the Lebanese envoy calling for a ceasefire.

Hezbollah strongly rejected the talks.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than a million since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities.

Arab World

Damascus to Take Over Prisons under SDF Control

People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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Damascus to Take Over Prisons under SDF Control

People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Syrian authorities are set to take control of prisons run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a government official said, as part of efforts to resolve the detainee issue under an agreement reached on January 29.

Ahmad al-Hilali, spokesman for the presidential team overseeing implementation of the deal, said all SDF-run prisons would be handed over to the justice and interior ministries.

He noted that detainees held by the SDF are being released without conditions, with a new batch expected next week.

“The SDF is committed to the full release of detainees linked to the uprising,” Hilali said, adding that the Justice Ministry would review the cases of those accused of criminal offenses.

He revealed that about 1,500 detainees had already been released, while around 500 others would have their cases examined.

Hilali said the transfer of prisons, particularly in Hasakeh province, would ensure that no detentions remain outside state oversight. He described the issue as humanitarian and said the SDF is moving toward integration into state institutions.

The presidential team, headed by Brig. Gen. Ziad al-Ayesh, arrived on Saturday at the Melbiya Regiment base in the Hasakeh countryside to oversee the release of a third batch of detainees under the agreement. The process included releases by both sides.

On Monday, the SDF freed a fourth group of detainees, according to Hasakeh’s media directorate, in a move carried out under the supervision of the presidential team, Syria TV reported.

Hilali said the government is moving to take over management of SDF-run prisons to end what he described as unregulated and ad hoc releases in recent months.

In a separate development, Hilali said a convoy carrying 800 families displaced from the Afrin region set off from Hasakeh province on Wednesday toward their home areas.

He described it as the largest organized return so far, reflecting progress in preparing conditions and basic services for returns, and underscoring what he said was the state’s commitment to addressing displacement.