Israeli PM: We Want to Mend Relations with Regional Countries

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. (AFP file photo)
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. (AFP file photo)
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Israeli PM: We Want to Mend Relations with Regional Countries

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. (AFP file photo)
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. (AFP file photo)

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he would meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah a-Sisi soon, adding that relations with Jordan are moving on a very positive path.

At the start of a weekly cabinet meeting, Bennett said: “I will travel to Egypt to meet President Abdel Fattah a-Sisi, who extended his invitation to solidify and bolster relations with nations in the Middle East.”

The Prime Minister’s office had announced last week that Sisi had invited Bennett to an official visit to Egypt in the coming weeks.

Egypt’s intelligence minister conveyed the invitation from Sisi during a meeting with Bennett in Jerusalem last week.

The PM also addressed strained relations with Jordan, saying they are on a very positive path, after years of crisis, which were “completely unjustified”, under former PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We are now mending relations” with all regional countries, he added, citing efforts by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and other ministers.

The efforts aim to form a coalition of nations to confront Iran’s extremism, said the premier.

Bennett’s predecessor, Netanyahu, was the last Israeli prime minister to pay an official visit to Egypt. He met with late President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 when he was still in power.



Yemeni Army Warns of Houthi Attempts to Reignite War

Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi (c) with the Marib governor and chief of staff during a past visit to the frontlines in Marib. (Saba news agency)
Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi (c) with the Marib governor and chief of staff during a past visit to the frontlines in Marib. (Saba news agency)
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Yemeni Army Warns of Houthi Attempts to Reignite War

Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi (c) with the Marib governor and chief of staff during a past visit to the frontlines in Marib. (Saba news agency)
Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi (c) with the Marib governor and chief of staff during a past visit to the frontlines in Marib. (Saba news agency)

The Yemeni army has warned of the Iran-backed Houthi militias’ constant mobilization and readiness to reignite the war.

Yemen Armed Forces Spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdo Majali told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthis have been firing artillery and drones at residential areas and military positions at various battlefronts.

He interpreted the actions as part of the militias’ preparations to return to war, accusing them of aborting “all regional and international efforts to end the conflict in Yemen and achieve peace.”

Defense Minister Mohsen Al-Daeri had told Asharq Al-Awsat previously that the war could erupt at any moment, stressing that the armed forces “were ready for all options.”

Observers interpreted the Houthi preparations and statements by its senior leaders as a reflection of their concern over the legitimate Yemeni army launching a military campaign - with international backing - to liberate Hodeidah and its ports.

The theory is backed by the Houthis’ mobilization of reinforcements to areas under their control in Hodeidah.

Majali stressed that the armed forces are at the “highest level of combat readiness and their morale is high.”

“Comprehensive strategies are in place to liberate the nation from the terrorist Houthi crimes and violations against our Yemeni people,” he declared.

The legitimate Yemeni government has for months since the Houthis started targeted international shipping in the Red Sear been calling on the international community to support its armed forces.

The end of the Houthi attacks on international shipping lies in backing the government, not western strikes against the militias, it has reiterated on numerous occasions.

Majali said the Houthis are continuing their violations against the people in various regions, notably in Taiz, Dhale and Marib.

The main goal for the armed forces is the liberation of the nation, starting with Sanaa, Hodeidah and Hajjah, he added, saying the Houthi “demise is near.”