Yemen Minister Questions UNMHA Silence over Houthi Violations

Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Moammar Al-Eryani. (Reuters)
Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Moammar Al-Eryani. (Reuters)
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Yemen Minister Questions UNMHA Silence over Houthi Violations

Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Moammar Al-Eryani. (Reuters)
Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Moammar Al-Eryani. (Reuters)

Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Moammar Al-Eryani questioned on Saturday the silence of the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) over the violations committed by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in the country.

“We are surprised to see UN Head of Mission in Hodeidah and Chairman of Redeployment Coordination Committee, General Abhijit Guha silent towards the Houthi militias’ continued violations of the Sweden Agreement and their attack on the Mocha port, which is a civilian facility and on aid warehouses, endangering the lives of workers,” the minister said in a series of tweets.

He strongly denounced the “treacherous and cowardly terrorist attack”, saying the militias used four Iranian-made drones in their attack against the historic port of Mocha, where they burned the warehouses of a number of relief organizations operating on the west coast.

The attack took place a few weeks after the port had resumed operation.

“It represents a continuation of Houthi attacks against civilian location and the systematic destruction of infrastructure with an aim to take Yemen centuries back,” said the minister.

He noted that the attack coincides with the anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States. It again confirms that the Houthis are a terrorist organization similar to al-Qaeda and ISIS.

“The intensification of political and military pressure, in addition to designating the Houthis as terrorists remain the only way to establish security and stability in Yemen and the region,” Eryani said.

He called on the international community, the UN and US envoys to clearly condemn the Mocha attack, which comes days after the new UN envoy assumed his duties.

The attack must be deemed a war crime and part of the militias’ continued destruction of infrastructure and obstruction of aid to deepen the country’s humanitarian crisis, he added.



The Head of the Arab League Slams Israel's Occupation of a Syrian Buffer Zone

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab League's foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, Egypt April 21, 2019. Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab League's foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, Egypt April 21, 2019. Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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The Head of the Arab League Slams Israel's Occupation of a Syrian Buffer Zone

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab League's foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, Egypt April 21, 2019. Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab League's foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, Egypt April 21, 2019. Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

The head of the Arab League is warning against Israel’s “expansionist greed” in Syria and the exploitation of the current “delicate moment” following the ouster of Syria's President Bashar Assad.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit urged the UN Security Council on Thursday to remain committed to the 1974 Israel-Syria truce following the 1973 Mideast war. The truce established a UN-patrolled demilitarized buffer zone between the two countries.

After Assad’s ouster on Dec. 8, Israeli forces occupied the buffer zone inside Syria, calling it a temporary move to block hostile forces.

Aboul Gheit emphasized that “the occupation of the Golan is illegal and unjustified except by the expansionist desires of Israel.”

The Arab League secretary-general said the 22-member organization supports the Syrian people’s aspirations “for a better life after long suffering at the hands of the previous regime.”

“We hope that Syria will undergo a successful transition that will pave the way to an end of the crisis without any foreign intervention, while preserving the Syrian unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.