Clashes Erupt between Transitional Council Factions in Aden

Members of Yemen's southern separatist leaders in Aden, Yemen (Reuters)
Members of Yemen's southern separatist leaders in Aden, Yemen (Reuters)
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Clashes Erupt between Transitional Council Factions in Aden

Members of Yemen's southern separatist leaders in Aden, Yemen (Reuters)
Members of Yemen's southern separatist leaders in Aden, Yemen (Reuters)

Violent clashes erupted between factions of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), killing five and injuring 11 others in Crater district in Aden.

Local authorities described the events as confrontations to eliminate "terrorist groups."0

Witnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat that houses, shops, and cars were damaged during the clashes.

Informed sources said that the clashes were between forces affiliated with the security forces in Aden backed by the "storm forces" against troops affiliated with Imam al-Nubi and all forces affiliated with the Transitional Council.

Sources revealed that the clashes erupted as gunmen affiliated with Nubi stormed the Crater Police Station to release one of their detained members. They also kidnapped the deputy head of the investigation department Lieutenant Awad al-Sayed to an unknown destination.

The police department issued a statement, accusing individuals affiliated with al-Nubi of closing all entrances and exits of Crater Police station with armored vehicles.

Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik returned to the temporary capital of Aden last week, where he resides with several ministers in the presidential palace in Crater.

The Security Committee in Aden, headed by Governor Ahmed Lamlas, issued a statement asking residents of Crater to remain in their homes.

The statement said Aden's "security and counter-terrorism forces are clearing the city from some terrorist groups and outlaws."

The Security Committee in Aden will not tolerate any party that tries to harm the city's security and its citizens, the statement said.

It also accused those groups of seeking to destabilize the country's security and stability, using heavy and medium weapons.

The statement said that the committee asserted its aim to protect private and public properties that have been subject to looting during the past days at the hands of these groups bringing chaos and sabotage into the city.

Governor Lammas said in statements carried by al-Ghad Channel that the security committee will maintain the security and stability of citizens, pointing out that "outlawed armed groups" are dealt with firmly to ensure the safety of the citizens.

He asserted that the area would be completely secured, noting that there is no need to worry.

"We hope the people of Aden will be of assistance and support to the security forces."

Observers believe that stability will not be achieved in the city until the implementation of security and military articles of the Riyadh Agreement.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.