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Current Peace Initiatives Are the Most Realistic, Says Yemen’s Ex-FM

Former Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Alyemany, AFP
Former Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Alyemany, AFP
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Current Peace Initiatives Are the Most Realistic, Says Yemen’s Ex-FM

Former Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Alyemany, AFP
Former Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Alyemany, AFP

Current peace initiatives offered to Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthi insurgents are as realistic as they can get, according to former Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Alyemany.

“There is no magic recipe for a solution in Yemen,” said Alyemany, who is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

While criticizing Washington’s current policy on Iran, the veteran diplomat pointed out the presence of some contingencies to finding a settlement for the ongoing Yemeni war.

“It depends on the convergence of the will of all Yemenis, political parties, civil society, and the new forces that resulted from the conditions of the protracted Yemeni war,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“If all these forces do not come together to stop the vicious cycle of violence and end the fighting, no one in the world will be able to stop this crazy war,” said Alyemany, emphasizing that unilateralism in conflict resolution is inefficient in Yemen’s case.

“Yemen’s millennia-spanning history is linked to compromises and conciliations,” he stressed in a remark against Houthi militias and warlords seeking to extend the war for personal and strategic gains.

Regarding international community initiatives put forth by the UN, Saudi Arabia, and the US, Alyemany said he believes they are identical in terms of “ending the war and entering into final settlement negotiations.”

Alyemany also explained that future proposals by international envoys would most likely remain within the margins of already tabled settlement packages.

As for the ongoing Houthi offensive against the northeastern Yemeni governorate of Marib, Alyemany condemned the campaign and said it was a “futile jab” at controlling the oil-rich basin.
“Can’t Houthis see the level of killing witnessed during the past two months?” he questioned.

Describing the attempt to control Marib as a nihilistic venture, Alyemany revealed that battles there have killed at least 6,000 Houthi combatants.

“Is this what they want… a homeland built by skulls and blood?!” he exclaimed.

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Arab World

Wife of Iraqi Official Accused of Corruption Allegedly Burns Millions of Dollars in Clay Oven

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AP) 
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AP) 
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Wife of Iraqi Official Accused of Corruption Allegedly Burns Millions of Dollars in Clay Oven

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AP) 
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AP) 

As the Iraqi government intensifies its anti-corruption campaign, the arrests of senior officials across several ministries have been accompanied by allegations that read almost like fiction.

Two senior officials from the Oil and Electricity Ministries have reportedly confessed to embezzling millions of US dollars and billions of Iraqi dinars, as well as participating in what authorities describe as one of the country’s largest money-laundering operations.

The officials and their alleged backers—widely known in Iraq as the “whales of corruption”—are now at the center of a widening investigation.

At the same time, social media platforms and local news outlets have been awash with stories about how illicit wealth was concealed, whether in fortified homes or on private estates.

One of the most widely circulated claims alleges that the wife and sister of former Oil Ministry official Adnan al-Jumaili burned more than $5 million and billions of Iraqi dinars in a traditional clay oven at a family farm in Salahuddin province before security forces arrived to conduct a search.

An Iraqi source told Asharq Al-Awsat that teams from the Integrity Commission, headed by Mohammed Ali al-Lami and operating under directives from Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, have not officially confirmed whether large sums of money were actually destroyed or whether additional cash was found at specific homes and orchards.

According to the source, recovered funds have been deposited in the state treasury pending further investigations into whether the confessed crimes were carried out independently or on behalf of a broader network.

“The scale of these funds and the manner in which they were obtained leave no doubt that those responsible, enjoyed protection from powerful figures,” the source said. “They may have been little more than front men.”

Iraq’s judiciary has issued arrest warrants for the wife and sister of detained former Oil Ministry undersecretary Adnan Mohammed Mahmoud al-Jumaili, accusing them of burning billions of dinars and more than $5 million before security forces reached the property.

According to a statement from the Supreme Judicial Council, headed by Faiq Zaidan, investigators seized assets linked to al-Jumaili valued at roughly $10 million, in addition to real estate, gold and weapons. Al-Jumaili served as undersecretary for refining affairs at the Oil Ministry.

The statement said preliminary investigations uncovered nearly 40 properties in Baghdad, Salahuddin and Erbil, along with approximately $10 million in cash and 3 billion Iraqi dinars.

Authorities also confiscated about 1.5 kilograms of gold jewelry and large quantities of light and medium weapons. Investigations remain ongoing to identify all individuals and entities connected to the case.

From “Most Honest Employee” to Corruption Suspect

Days after al-Jumaili’s arrest, authorities detained Alaa Samir al-Jubouri, director general of the Middle Electricity Distribution Company and the recipient of Iraq’s 2023 “Most Honest Employee” award. Interior Ministry reports said he was caught in possession of tens of billions of Iraqi dinars.

Following al-Jumaili’s arrest, Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad accused him on Facebook of acting as a conduit for political-party corruption and the sale of government posts within the Oil Ministry.

Commenting on the broader anti-corruption drive, Ghaleb al-Daami, a media professor at Mustansiriyah University, said the campaign reflects an unprecedented level of coordination among the government, judiciary and Integrity Commission.

“This is the first time since 2003 that state institutions have worked together in this way,” al-Daami told Asharq Al-Awsat. “In the past, conflicts between executive and judicial authorities often undermined accountability. Today, the process appears markedly different.”

 

 

Arab World

Lebanese President Discusses Israel Truce with Senior US, Qatari Officials

Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel, 21 June 2026. (EPA)
Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel, 21 June 2026. (EPA)
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Lebanese President Discusses Israel Truce with Senior US, Qatari Officials

Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel, 21 June 2026. (EPA)
Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel, 21 June 2026. (EPA)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun spoke with senior US and Qatari officials on Monday about consolidating a ceasefire in Lebanon and forming a "de-confliction cell", his office said, after US-Iran negotiations in Switzerland. 

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran, has repeatedly threatened to derail regional peace efforts. 

After a first round of talks in Switzerland on ending the regional conflict, mediators Pakistan and Qatar said on Monday that Tehran and Washington had agreed to set up a "de-confliction cell" with Lebanon "to ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations" there. 

Aoun received "a telephone call from US Vice President JD Vance, senior adviser to the US president Jared Kushner, and the Qatari Prime Minister" Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a statement from the Lebanese presidency said. 

They discussed "the issue of consolidating the ceasefire in Lebanon, stopping the Israeli military escalation, and steps that should be taken in this regard, including the possibility of forming a cell for this purpose", the statement added. 

After the talks in Switzerland, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X: "1st real test: Lebanon de-confliction cell." 

The talks came after Washington and Tehran last week signed a memorandum of understanding to end the broader Middle East war that includes "an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon". 

Israeli strikes and clashes with Hezbollah late last week threatened to derail the deal, but fighting in Lebanon has been paused since Saturday evening, after Iran said it had closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israel's attacks. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon "as long as necessary", while Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected any Israeli "security zone" inside Lebanon. 

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces had standing orders to act against any threat they encountered inside Lebanon. 

Israel also said all war-related restrictions in its northern border areas were lifted from Monday morning. 

The developments come ahead of a fifth round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington set to begin on Tuesday. 

Lebanese authorities are seeking the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the country and have sought to separate the negotiations from the US-Iran deal, to determine the future of ties between the two nations after decades of hostilities. 

Arab World

Palestinian Media Says Israel Holding Bodies of Two Teens Killed in West Bank

A Palestinian woman walks at a market near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the old city of Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 17, 2026. (Reuters)
A Palestinian woman walks at a market near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the old city of Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 17, 2026. (Reuters)
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Palestinian Media Says Israel Holding Bodies of Two Teens Killed in West Bank

A Palestinian woman walks at a market near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the old city of Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 17, 2026. (Reuters)
A Palestinian woman walks at a market near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the old city of Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 17, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli authorities are holding the bodies of two Palestinian teenagers shot dead near a West Bank settlement, Palestinian media reported Monday, while the military said the pair were killed after throwing Molotov cocktails.

Official Palestinian news agency Wafa identified the two as Reda Sami Awad, 15, and Arafat Ismail Awad, 19.

"Israeli forces are holding their bodies," Wafa said.

According to Israel's military, soldiers opened fire late Sunday on a group of people burning tires and hurling petrol bombs towards the settlement.

Two were killed and a third was "neutralized", the military said.

It said the incident occurred during a "counter-terrorism operation" in the area.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the territory, excluding east Jerusalem, among some three million Palestinians.

The United Nations recently warned that settler violence against Palestinians has reached record levels, with an average of six attacks daily causing casualties or damage.

Violence has escalated in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, which was triggered by an unprecedented attack on Israel by the Palestinian movement Hamas on October 7, 2023.

Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,082 Palestinians since then, including both gunmen and civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data.

Official Israeli figures show at least 46 Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the same period.