Hadi Rejects Copying Iran’s Experience in Yemen, Urges Independence of Judiciary

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi meeting with officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba news agency)
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi meeting with officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba news agency)
TT
20

Hadi Rejects Copying Iran’s Experience in Yemen, Urges Independence of Judiciary

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi meeting with officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba news agency)
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi meeting with officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba news agency)

With Iran-backed militias keeping up a fierce offensive against Yemen’s Taiz and Marib governorates and continuing to violate the UN-sponsored Hodeidah Agreement, President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi on Sunday called for unity against attempts for copying the Iranian experience in the war-torn country.

Hadi’s remarks were made during statements he gave after holding separate meetings with the Yemeni vice president, prime minister and senior judiciary officials.

“We feel the magnitude of the suffering and difficulties facing our people,” said Hadi, blaming Iran-aligned Houthis for current challenges and crises facing the country.

“The unjust war imposed by the Houthi coup militia continues to serve Iran's agenda,” reaffirmed Hadi, accusing the group of seeking to impose an alien experience on Yemen.

On importing the Iran process, Hadi said it was “unacceptable no matter what it costs Yemenis in sacrifices.”

The Yemeni leader, according to the state-owned Saba news agency, also thanked states participating in the Saudi-led Arab Coalition for their valuable multi-faceted support.

Arab Coalition countries have fought alongside the internationally-recognized Yemeni government against a violent Iran-backed insurgency spearheaded by Houthi militias which broke out over six years ago.

Other than supporting the Yemeni army, Arab Coalition states have also backed public and development services focused on alleviating burdens faced by Yemenis.

During his meetings with officials, Hadi was briefed on the status quo of battlefronts across Yemen and government efforts for improving services in liberated governorates.

Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed presented a report detailing the practical steps taken by the government in cooperation with Saudi Arabia on the delivery of a fuel grant from the kingdom to ease the suffering of Yemenis during the Islam’s holy month of fasting, Ramadan.

The report also included the Yemeni government’s efforts for securing the salaries of civil servants in the battle-weary country.

As for Hadi’s extraordinary meeting with the Supreme Judicial Council on Sunday, it included senior officials like Justice Minister Badr Al-Arda and Attorney General Ahmed Al-Mousai.

Touching on the complex and difficult reality witnessed in Yemen today, Hadi stressed the importance of the judiciary and its effective role as a fundamental pillar of the state.

He went on to stress the importance of uniting the ranks of the judiciary to serve nation.

Preserving the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and steering it clear from political quarrels is vital, reaffirmed Hadi.

He also stressed the need to stop all forms of obstruction of justice and reiterated the need for commitment to administrative and financial transparency.



Israeli Strike on Gaza Apartment Building Kills at Least 23

09 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Palestinians inspect the rubble of a building following an Israeli strike on a residential area in Gaza City's Shujaiyya neighborhood, on April 9, 2025. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
09 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Palestinians inspect the rubble of a building following an Israeli strike on a residential area in Gaza City's Shujaiyya neighborhood, on April 9, 2025. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
TT
20

Israeli Strike on Gaza Apartment Building Kills at Least 23

09 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Palestinians inspect the rubble of a building following an Israeli strike on a residential area in Gaza City's Shujaiyya neighborhood, on April 9, 2025. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
09 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Palestinians inspect the rubble of a building following an Israeli strike on a residential area in Gaza City's Shujaiyya neighborhood, on April 9, 2025. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Israeli aircraft struck a residential block in war-ravaged northern Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 23 people, health officials said, as the renewed fighting in the devastated Palestinian enclave showed no signs of slowing.

The Al-Ahly hospital said at least 23 people were killed in the strike, including eight women and eight children. The territory's Health Ministry confirmed the figures.

The strike hit a four-story building in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City, and rescue teams were searching for victims under the rubble, according to the Health Ministry’s emergency service. The civil defense, a rescue group that operates under the Hamas-run government, said other neighboring buildings were damaged in the strike.

The Israeli military said it struck a senior Hamas militant who it said was behind attacks emanating from Shijaiyah, but it didn't name him or provide further details. Israel blames the deaths of Palestinian civilians on the Hamas group, because it embeds itself in dense urban areas.

As it ratchets up pressure on Hamas to agree to free hostages, Israel has issued sweeping evacuation orders for parts of Gaza, including Shijaiyah. It imposed a blockade on food, fuel and humanitarian aid that has left civilians facing acute shortages as supplies dwindle. It has pledged to seize large parts of the Palestinian territory and establish a new security corridor through it.

The UN said the Israeli military has denied aid workers permission for more than two-thirds of 170 attempts to move humanitarian supplies within the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire ended. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said efforts to get dwindling aid supplies to Palestinians were “severely strained.”

The Israeli military did not immediately comment.

Earlier this week, Hamas fired its strongest volley of rockets since the ceasefire collapsed, lobbing 10 projectiles toward southern Israel.

Israel resumed its war against Hamas in Gaza last month after an eight-week ceasefire collapsed. The ceasefire brought a much-needed reprieve from the fighting to war-weary Palestinians in Gaza and sent an infusion of humanitarian aid to the territory. It also led to the release of 25 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza and the return of the remains of eight others, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Mediators have since attempted to bring the sides to a bridging agreement that would again pause the war, free hostages and open the door for talks on the war's end, something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he won't agree to until Hamas is defeated. Hamas wants the war to end before it frees the remaining 59 hostages it holds, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

The war, which was sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel, has seen the deadliest fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in their history. It has ignited a humanitarian crisis in already impoverished Gaza, and has sent shockwaves across the region and beyond.

Netanyahu traveled to Washington this week to meet with President Donald Trump. In their public statements, they offered sympathy for the plight of the hostages but shed little light on any emerging deal to suspend the fighting.

Trump has said he wants the war to end. But his postwar vision for Gaza — taking it over and relocating its population — has stunned Middle East allies, who say any talk of transferring the Palestinian population, by force or voluntarily, is a nonstarter. Israel has embraced the idea.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, is under pressure from his far-right political allies to continue the war until Hamas is crushed, an aim Israel has yet to achieve 18 months into the conflict.

French President Emmanuel Macron said France should move toward recognizing a Palestinian state in the coming months. The goal is to do that by June, when France and Saudi Arabia co-host an international conference about implementing a two-state solution, Macron told broadcaster France-5 in an interview aired Wednesday.

The war has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the health ministry there, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count but says more than half of the dead are women and children.

Hamas killed 1,200 people during its Oct. 7 attack, mostly civilians, and took 250 people captive, many of whom have been freed in ceasefire deals.