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Houthis Mobilize Fighters in Sanaa After Heavy Losses in Marib

A Houthi fighter operates a machine gun mounted on a military truck on the outskirts of Sanaa. (File photo: Reuters)
A Houthi fighter operates a machine gun mounted on a military truck on the outskirts of Sanaa. (File photo: Reuters)
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Houthis Mobilize Fighters in Sanaa After Heavy Losses in Marib

A Houthi fighter operates a machine gun mounted on a military truck on the outskirts of Sanaa. (File photo: Reuters)
A Houthi fighter operates a machine gun mounted on a military truck on the outskirts of Sanaa. (File photo: Reuters)

Houthi militias have incurred heavy losses in Marib, prompting the militia leaders to mobilize new fighters to compensate for the shortage on battlefronts.

Military media of the Yemeni army had reported earlier that the Houthi militia lost more than 10,000 men since last January on various fronts, especially in Marib, which the group has been desperate to control to no avail.

Since the beginning of this year, the Yemeni army and the popular resistance have managed to thwart more than 300 Houthi attacks on various fronts.

Well-informed sources in Sanaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that the group's efforts to mobilize recruits were unsuccessful in Sanaa and the tribal areas.

In the past few days, several reports stated that dozens of Houthi recruits left the battlefronts in Marib and al-Jawf after a dispute over financial allocations and low food supplies.

Meanwhile, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthi leader Khaled al-Madani, who is close to the group leader and directly responsible for the local authority in the capital, intensified his movements to mobilize recruits, especially in schools, mosques, and government departments.

Madani held several meetings in various city directorates and neighborhoods, including one with the capital's mayor, Hammoud Abbad, to discuss mobilization efforts.

Houthi's Saba news agency reported that the meeting, which included the group's supervisors in the directorates, touched on the priorities for following up on the mobilization plan and strengthening the steadfastness and cohesion of the home front.

Informed sources had previously told Asharq Al-Awsat that the group's leaders in the tribal, rural districts surrounding Sanaa held several meetings with notables and tribal leaders to urge them to push recruits to Marib.

The Houthi media admitted that several recruitment campaigns had been launched, and extensive meetings were held in the directorates of Sanaa, which discussed mechanisms for strengthening mobilization efforts on the fronts.

Meanwhile, during the latest briefing to the UN Security Council, Assistant Secretary-General at the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and Peace Operations, Mohamed Khiari, said that no progress had been made in the UN efforts to reach an agreement based on the four-point plan.

The plan includes a nationwide ceasefire, the re-opening of Sanaa airport, the easing of restrictions on the flow of fuel and other commodities through Hodeidah port, and the resumption of face-to-face political negotiations between the Yemeni parties, he said.

Khiari called on all parties to prioritize civilian needs and abstain from weaponizing the economy, particularly in light of the critical humanitarian situation in the country.

The new UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, is scheduled to officially begin his work in the coming few days, and resume the efforts made by his predecessor, Martin Griffiths, to bring peace and persuade the Houthis to end the war.

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Arab World

Flash Floods Hit Western Libyan Cities, Destroy Bridges in North

Floodwaters submerge the Libyan city of Mizda (Verified social media pages)
Floodwaters submerge the Libyan city of Mizda (Verified social media pages)
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Flash Floods Hit Western Libyan Cities, Destroy Bridges in North

Floodwaters submerge the Libyan city of Mizda (Verified social media pages)
Floodwaters submerge the Libyan city of Mizda (Verified social media pages)

Flash floods swept across southern, western and northern Libya, destroying roads and bridges, sweeping away cars and leaving people dead by drowning. Rescue teams raced to evacuate stranded families as the interim Government of National Unity (GNA) declared a state of emergency.

Mizda and Nesma, in southwestern Libya, have faced dire conditions since Thursday. Floodwaters from overflowing valleys surged into homes, tore through roads and brought down high-voltage transmission towers, causing extensive damage to public and private property.

GNA’s Ministry of Local Government sent bulldozers and heavy trucks to both cities to help with rescue operations. A bridge between Mizda and the Tininai area collapsed, severing the road and isolating the area beyond it.

The ministry urged Mizda residents to stay home. The municipal council mobilized humanitarian aid and other support, including an air ambulance, to meet urgent needs in the city and its outskirts.

Heavy rains flood a street in the Libyan city of Mizda on September 24 (Municipal Media Center)

Nesma’s municipal media center declared the city a disaster area on Friday. Emergency teams were evacuating families trapped in flooded homes and searching for missing people, it said, warning that severe weather could continue in the coming hours.

Mizda General Hospital appealed for essential medical supplies on Friday morning, saying most had run out. It warned that it could not keep providing emergency care without an immediate delivery.

The Ambulance and Emergency Service said families in Nesma had fled to mountains and other high ground as water rushed through their homes.

Two people had been recovered dead and others were still missing, it said. All roads into the city were closed.

The General Water and Sanitation Company sent emergency crews from Khoms, in western Libya, on Friday to pump out floodwater and reopen roads.

In Ghadames, an emergency team rescued a Filipino engineer working for the Man-Made River Company after his vehicle broke down in a valley as floodwater began flowing through it, the Emergency Medicine and Support Center said on Thursday evening. He had been inspecting wells.

In northwestern Libya, the Bani Walid security directorate closed the road to Tarhuna because of flooding in Wadi Washtata. It warned drivers not to cross or approach the wadi.

Bani Walid - Tarhuna road closed due to floods (Bani Walid Security Directorate)

Bani Walid General Hospital said it had urgently treated several people who had nearly drowned in the flood-hit Tininai area. It put its departments on heightened alert to handle emergencies around the clock.

The General Electricity Company in Tripoli activated its emergency operations room and put maintenance crews on alert to address faults that could affect the power grid.

Minister of State for Prime Minister and Cabinet Affairs Mohamed Ben Ghalboun said on Friday that he had ordered maximum readiness after heavy rain sent water into neighborhoods and homes and caused some valleys to overflow.

His instructions called for urgent coordination with affected municipalities, emergency medical care, drainage and road reopening, and steps to keep electricity, communications and water services running while protecting lives and property.

The Libyan Red Crescent said its central emergency operations room was monitoring the floods around the clock. Field teams were updating reports from its branches to assess humanitarian needs and coordinate the response.

It urged residents to heed weather warnings, avoid unnecessary travel during heavy rain and stay clear of valleys and flood channels.

Arab World

Washington Pushes for Lebanese Army to Secure Southern Border Alone

A UNIFIL soldier aboard a military vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL)
A UNIFIL soldier aboard a military vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL)
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Washington Pushes for Lebanese Army to Secure Southern Border Alone

A UNIFIL soldier aboard a military vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL)
A UNIFIL soldier aboard a military vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL)

Lebanon fears a vacuum in its south when the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force expires late this year. The United States and Europe agree that the Lebanese army should ultimately secure the border, but differ over whether it can do so alone now.

Washington last week blocked a Lebanese proposal to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) by six months.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is due in Beirut next week to discuss ways to avoid a vacuum with President Joseph Aoun and other Lebanese officials.

Lebanese ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Beirut was waiting to hear Lacroix’s proposals. Options raised so far include a European force to replace UNIFIL and more personnel for the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO).

The sources also cited a French-Italian initiative to form a replacement force after European and Asian countries contributing to UNIFIL said they were willing to stay in Lebanon to continue the mission.

Most UN Security Council members support extending UNIFIL’s mandate or forming a replacement force, but Washington opposes both options. Western diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US position is that the Lebanese army alone should secure the border. On that basis, they said, “there should be no need for any other force in the area.”

Europe agrees that the army should eventually protect the border and maintain security on its own. It says the army cannot yet do the job without international support.

“The Lebanese army should ultimately take on the mission by itself, but at present it cannot do so alone and needs international support during this transitional phase,” the diplomatic sources said.

The European position rests on two factors. The first is Israel’s occupation of Lebanese territory and the failure of security talks to reach understandings that would allow direct coordination between the Lebanese and Israeli armies.

The second is the Lebanese army’s need for more personnel and weapons. That issue was not settled at meetings in Paris last week, despite international willingness to support the army and official security forces.

Lebanon backs the European approach. Its army “needs weapons, ammunition and vehicles,” Lebanese sources said. “Without the support it needs, the army cannot carry out the mission alone.”

“Washington must begin equipping and strengthening the army before talking about leaving it solely responsible for border security,” the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Beirut’s insistence on an international force also reflects a concern about direct coordination with Israel. Lebanese officials believe Washington’s opposition to a force in the south is meant to push the Lebanese army toward such coordination. Beirut, meanwhile, wants an international witness to Israeli violations.

“Beirut wants a witness to any violations Israel commits in the south, because Tel Aviv will dispute the Lebanese army’s reports and campaign against it,” Lebanese sources following the issue said.

“What is needed is an international force that can testify to Israeli violations before the world and help the Lebanese army deploy.”

Lebanon also wants the force to help clear mines and remnants of war, reopen roads, and provide electricity, ambulance services and health care at clinics, the sources said. The army’s duties in the south include securing the return of residents under current conditions.

Several countries, particularly in Europe, have expressed interest in a replacement force if efforts to extend UNIFIL’s mandate fail.

Representatives of European countries discussed an alternative mission at meetings early this month, Western diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. They focused on bringing together countries that could work well together and securing the approval of Lebanon and Israel. Funding was also discussed.

France, Italy, Spain and Britain are among the countries willing to join any replacement force, Lebanese sources following the issue said.

UNIFIL currently has 8,100 personnel in the south. Its French contingent continues to patrol the border area occupied by Israel and escort convoys of Lebanese residents from three predominantly Christian border villages on journeys to and from other parts of Lebanon.

Lebanon has raised the need for an international presence in the south with visiting officials.

Aoun most recently discussed it in Beirut with Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren, Britain’s senior defense adviser for the Middle East.

Aoun said that allowing UNIFIL’s mandate to lapse without forming a replacement international force would create a vacuum that would not serve security or stability, particularly while Israel continues to occupy a number of southern villages and towns.

Lebanon’s efforts have met US opposition. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam plans to seek a way through the impasse with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio when they meet in Washington next Monday.

Salam also raised the issue with several officials he met in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

They included UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, whom he met on Thursday.

“We discussed the importance of maintaining an international presence under the UN umbrella in the south after UNIFIL’s mission ends, to prevent any vacuum and support stability and the process of extending state authority,” Salam said.

Arab World

How Egypt Benefits From Expanding Nile Basin Power, Water Projects

Tanzania’s president and Egypt’s prime minister attend the inauguration of the Julius Nyerere Dam in Tanzania last month. (Egyptian Cabinet/Facebook)
Tanzania’s president and Egypt’s prime minister attend the inauguration of the Julius Nyerere Dam in Tanzania last month. (Egyptian Cabinet/Facebook)
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How Egypt Benefits From Expanding Nile Basin Power, Water Projects

Tanzania’s president and Egypt’s prime minister attend the inauguration of the Julius Nyerere Dam in Tanzania last month. (Egyptian Cabinet/Facebook)
Tanzania’s president and Egypt’s prime minister attend the inauguration of the Julius Nyerere Dam in Tanzania last month. (Egyptian Cabinet/Facebook)

Egypt is seeking funding for 36 projects in the southern Nile Basin, expanding its role in the region through hydropower, electricity and water schemes that experts say could benefit both Cairo and its neighbors.

The projects include power interconnections, transmission lines, water supplies and multipurpose schemes. Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that Egypt’s growing involvement was guided by a principle of mutual benefit.

The southern Nile Basin countries are Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. They are among the Nile’s upstream countries and, together with the eastern Nile countries of Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea, make up the Nile River Basin region.

Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam said on Friday that Cairo had agreed to support efforts to mobilize funding for the 36 projects after studying them, exchanging information, assessing their impacts and reaching agreement through consultations.

Sewilam pointed to Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere Dam as a practical example of cooperation among Nile Basin countries. The Egyptian-Tanzanian partnership had brought gains to both sides, he said.

The dam provides electricity for Tanzania, Sewilam said, and its power could also support regional integration, cross-border connections and electricity trade with neighboring countries.

He also cited the Grand Fula Dam project in South Sudan, saying Egypt supported Juba’s development goals, including that project.

Tanzania inaugurated the Julius Nyerere hydropower dam and plant in late August. The Egyptian consortium of Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric built it over five years, with 1,700 Egyptian engineers and technicians among a workforce of about 12,000.

Hussein al-Buheiri, an African affairs expert at the National Center for Middle East Studies, said Egypt had the resources and capabilities to play a central role in developing Nile Basin and Horn of Africa countries, particularly through hydropower dams and irrigation and agricultural projects.

He said Egyptian companies’ work on the Julius Nyerere Dam and Egypt’s help in building power plants in countries such as Djibouti showed how the country could act as a strategic development partner.

African countries gained development, while Egypt gained investment and thousands of jobs, he said.

That approach also advanced Egyptian foreign policy and helped protect its Nile water security by drawing basin countries closer to Cairo and countering Ethiopian moves, al-Buheiri said.

Salah Halima, deputy chairman of the Egyptian Council for African Affairs and a former assistant foreign minister, said Egypt’s support for development projects reflected a broader commitment to shared interests and sustainable development across the basin.

Egypt had long supported water and electricity projects in Nile Basin countries, approving and helping carry out dozens of them, he said. That record showed Cairo’s support for those countries’ right to develop without harming others.

Halima described current water projects as an expression of partnership and mutual investment between Egypt and its African neighbors. Their expansion, he said, was part of longstanding collective action and close cooperation.

The message, he said, was clear: understanding and cooperation, rather than confrontation or dispute, should guide the management of international rivers.