Yemen Condemns Mocha Attack, Urges Firm Int’l Stance against Houthis

Yemen's PM meets with the Dutch ambassador to Yemen in Riyadh. (Saba)
Yemen's PM meets with the Dutch ambassador to Yemen in Riyadh. (Saba)
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Yemen Condemns Mocha Attack, Urges Firm Int’l Stance against Houthis

Yemen's PM meets with the Dutch ambassador to Yemen in Riyadh. (Saba)
Yemen's PM meets with the Dutch ambassador to Yemen in Riyadh. (Saba)

The Yemeni government condemned on Sunday the attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militias against the Mocha port that left massive destruction at the facility.

The Houthis attacked the port, located west of the Taiz province, with missiles and armed drones on Saturday days after it had resumed operations that had come to a halt during the conflict. The attack destroyed warehouses that were being used by relief agencies to deliver humanitarian aid and others that were used by importers.

The Houthis launched the assault hours before a government delegation was set to arrive at the facility to officially kick off the resumption of its operations. No human casualties were reported.

The government urged the international community to take a firm stance against the Houthis.

Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalek accused the Houthis of insisting on deepening the humanitarian disaster that they caused when they revolted against the legitimate authority and sparked the war in late 2014.

He said the attack is an extension of the militias’ targeting of civilian locations and their systematic destruction of Yemen’s economic infrastructure.

Meeting in Riyadh with the Dutch ambassador to Yemen, he called on the international community to condemn the Houthi crimes and the militias’ constant escalation.

The crimes must not be met with silence, the PM demanded.



Egypt Seeking to Activate its Strategic Partnership with Europe

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
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Egypt Seeking to Activate its Strategic Partnership with Europe

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty kicked off on Sunday a visit to Brussels and Strasbourg for talks with European officials aimed at following up on activating the strategic partnership between Cairo and the European Union.

A Foreign Ministry statement said that meetings during his first stop in Brussels aim to bolster cooperation with the EU. The FM is scheduled to hold talks with senior European officials, including head of the European Council and chief of foreign policy.

He will also meet with heads of major Belgian companies and members of the Egyptian diaspora.

Egypt and Europe are keen on strengthening and developing their relations to the level of “comprehensive strategic partnership,” as announced during a summit in Cairo in March that was attended by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, head of the European Commission, and the presidents and prime ministers of Cyprus, Italy, Austria and Greece.

In Strasbourg, the home of the European Parliament, Abdelatty will meet with its speaker and heads of various parliamentary political groups and committees concerned with following up on the development of ties between Egypt and EU, added the Foreign Ministry statement.

Former Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Gamal Bayoumi underscored to Asharq Al-Awsat the importance of the timing of the visit given the developments in the region and the success of international mediation, including Egypt’s, in reaching a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza.

Egypt is hoping the EU would pressure Israel to forge ahead with peace and implement the two-state solution to support stability in the region, he added.

Egypt is also hoping to boost coordination with Europe over developments in the Horn of Africa, Red Sea and other regions, as well as in counterterrorism and in deepening bilateral ties, especially in the economy and investment, he continued.