US Senator Urges Houthis to Halt Military Escalation in Marib

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking and US Senator Chris Murphy in Jordan (Twitter)
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking and US Senator Chris Murphy in Jordan (Twitter)
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US Senator Urges Houthis to Halt Military Escalation in Marib

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking and US Senator Chris Murphy in Jordan (Twitter)
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking and US Senator Chris Murphy in Jordan (Twitter)

US Senator Chris Murphy, member of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, said he visited Oman to push for a ceasefire in Yemen’s Marib.

In a series of tweets, Murphy called on Houthis to stop their assault on the city of Marib.

“If the Houthis enter Marib, a new humanitarian nightmare will ensue as legions of Yemenis will flee the violence,” he said, adding that he asked Omanis to convince the Houthis to stand down.

He discussed his recent visit to Qatar, which has not yet made a contribution this year to the United Nations aid program to Yemen, urging it to step up in this regard.

“The UN needs to be resourced to provide food, water, and health care to those in dire need. Right now, the 2021 UN appeal is only a third funded. I went to Qatar to ask the Qataris, who have not yet made a contribution this year, to step up.”

Murphy further stressed the importance of delivering food and fuel aid to the war-torn country.

“Without the ability to freely import food, fuel, and other goods, Yemen's economy has come to a grinding halt, causing disease and starvation,” his tweet read, pointing to the need to end blockade of key ports and the Sanaa airport.

Once these factors are implemented, a ceasefire could be reached and would eventually lead to a peace process, he noted.

“But any prospect of a ceasefire/ peace process needs active US engagement,” the Senator said, hailing the presence of so many US officials in the region.

Murphy’s remarks were in reference to the US delegation, which kicked off a visit to the region, led by special envoy Tim Lenderking.

According to Murphy, Yemenis will ultimately dictate the future of their country.

“So the peace process shouldn't include only the same power brokers who have caused decades of endless wars. New voices need to be at the table, to ensure that all Yemenis have a say on the country’s future.”

Meanwhile, a group of influential US legislators called on Joe Biden’s administration to help raise $2.5bn in aid for Yemenis suffering amid what they described as “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”

In an open letter on May 4, four US senators urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide more aid for Yemen and rally other countries to contribute after a recent United Nations fundraising appeal for the war-torn country fell short.



Syria’s New Rulers Name Abu Qasra as Defense Minister

Head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa sits next to Murhaf Abu Qasra, who according to an official source has been appointed as Defense Minister in Syria's interim government, in Damascus, Syria in this handout image released on December 21, 2024. (Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham/Handout via Reuters)
Head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa sits next to Murhaf Abu Qasra, who according to an official source has been appointed as Defense Minister in Syria's interim government, in Damascus, Syria in this handout image released on December 21, 2024. (Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria’s New Rulers Name Abu Qasra as Defense Minister

Head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa sits next to Murhaf Abu Qasra, who according to an official source has been appointed as Defense Minister in Syria's interim government, in Damascus, Syria in this handout image released on December 21, 2024. (Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham/Handout via Reuters)
Head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa sits next to Murhaf Abu Qasra, who according to an official source has been appointed as Defense Minister in Syria's interim government, in Damascus, Syria in this handout image released on December 21, 2024. (Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham/Handout via Reuters)

Syria's new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the opposition which toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday.

Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group which led the campaign that ousted Assad this month. He led numerous military operations during Syria's revolution, the source said according to Reuters.

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed "the form of the military institution in the new Syria" during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported.

Abu Qasra during the meeting sat next to Sharaa, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, photos published by SANA showed.

Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said this week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former opposition factions and officers who defected from Assad's army.

Bashir, who formerly led an HTS-affiliated administration in the northwestern province of Idlib, has said he will lead a three-month transitional government. The new administration has not declared plans for what will happen after that.

Earlier on Saturday, the ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step "comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability".

Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously led the political department of the opposition’s Idlib government, the General Command said.

Sharaa's group was part of al-Qaeda until he broke ties in 2016. It had been confined to Idlib for years until going on the offensive in late November, sweeping through the cities of western Syria and into Damascus as the army melted away.

Sharaa has met with a number of international envoys this week. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.

Syrian opposition fighters seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family's decades-long rule.

Washington designated Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al-Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad's rule in Syria. US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.

The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.