Abu Ali Al-Hakim ... The Pawn of the Terrorist Hezbollah

Abu Ali Al-Hakim.
Abu Ali Al-Hakim.
TT

Abu Ali Al-Hakim ... The Pawn of the Terrorist Hezbollah

Abu Ali Al-Hakim.
Abu Ali Al-Hakim.

He is Iran's terrorist arm in Yemen. One of the most prominent war criminal members of the Iran-backed Houthi militias, a fake major-general who has never received any military training or any kind of education. He receives his orders from the terrorist Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). So, who is Abu Ali Al-Hakim?

Hakim currently serves as the illegitimate Houthi authorities' "commander of the republican guard" alongside the "presidency of the military intelligence". He appeared suddenly during the beginning of the Houthi coup against the legitimate government, serving in the rank of major-general with no previous qualifications. He has never received any formal military training.

Hakim is one of the most dangerous war criminals in Yemen. He is the fifth most wanted figure on the list announced by the Saudi-led Arab coalition given his crimes and violations of all rules of war. Hakim is behind barbaric massacres in several Yemeni regions.

The leader of the Houthi militias always tasks Hakim with carrying out criminal military campaigns and playing immoral roles. He has appeared in several leaked recordings where he offensively threatens senior tribal leaders.

The Arab coalition released during a press conference on Sunday a video recording of Hakim showing him receiving orders from a member of the Lebanese terrorist Hezbollah party.

The video shows the terrorist emphasizing to Hakim the importance of capturing the Hodeidah province so that its ports can be used for the shipping of weapons and transportation of terrorists to join the Houthis.

Hakim is seen listening to the orders of his superior, with whom he shares a joint terrorist ideology regardless of their nationality - evidence that the Houthis are just pawns in the hands of the IRGC and Hezbollah.

The recording showed a leading member of Hezbollah saying that the party had stopped its battles in order to stand by the Houthis in Yemen. The following is a transcript of the video that was obtained by the coalition:

"The military sector is very important. If Hodeidah falls, then the support in confronting the aggression will end. The sea is the only gateway to receive support.

"Sayyed Hassan [Nasrallah - the leader of Hezbollah] said yesterday that he hopes to perform jihad in Yemen. He said so when you suffered losses on the fronts and the aggression reached Hodeidah airport. This was due to disputes that erupted among you. Had the United Nations truce not held, Hodeidah would have fallen in our hands.

"Our agenda is greater than these disputes. We have left everything behind to stand with you. The Syrian war is about to end and the majority of the jihadists will come to Yemen.

"If we lose the sea, then no jihadists or support for reconstruction will arrive. We want to bring in a large number of jihadists and want to reorganize our ranks to prevent the fall of Hodeidah.

"We thank Abu Ali Al-Hakim for his efforts in uniting ranks and resolving disputes. The leadership communicated to him the need for us to control the Red Sea and its coasts."



COP29 - How Does $300 Billion Stack up?

A demonstrator sitting on the ground holds a poster during a climate protest in Lisbon, to coincide with the closing of the COP29 Climate Summit Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP)
A demonstrator sitting on the ground holds a poster during a climate protest in Lisbon, to coincide with the closing of the COP29 Climate Summit Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP)
TT

COP29 - How Does $300 Billion Stack up?

A demonstrator sitting on the ground holds a poster during a climate protest in Lisbon, to coincide with the closing of the COP29 Climate Summit Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP)
A demonstrator sitting on the ground holds a poster during a climate protest in Lisbon, to coincide with the closing of the COP29 Climate Summit Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP)

Countries agreed at the UN's COP29 climate conference to spend $300 billion on annual climate finance. Here are some ways of understanding what that sum is worth:

MILITARY MIGHT

In 2023, governments around the globe spent $6.7 billion a day on military expenditure, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

That means the $300 billion annual climate finance target equates to 45 days of global military spending.

BURNING OIL

$300 billion is currently the price tag for all the crude oil used by the world in a little over 40 days, according to Reuters calculations based on global crude oil demand of approximately 100 million barrels/day and end-November Brent crude oil prices.

ELON MUSK

According to Forbes, Elon Musk's net worth stood at $321.7 billion in late November. The world's richest man and owner of social media platform X has co-founded more than half a dozen companies, including electric car maker Tesla and rocket producer SpaceX.

STORM DAMAGE

Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating and deadliest cyclones in US history, caused $200 billion in damage alone in 2005.

This year's climate-fueled Hurricane Helene could end up costing up to $250 billion in economic losses and damages in the US, according to estimates by AccuWeather. While preliminary estimates by Morningstar DBRS suggest Hurricane Milton, also supercharged by ocean heat, could cost both the insured and uninsured nearly $100 billion.

BEAUTY BUYS

The global luxury goods market is valued at 363 billion euros ($378 billion) in 2024, according to Bain & Company.

COPPER PLATED

The GDP of Chile - the world's largest copper producing country - stood at $335.5 billion in 2023, according to World Bank data.

GREECE'S BAIL OUT

Euro zone countries and the International Monetary Fund spent some 260 billion euros ($271 billion) between 2010 and 2018 on bailing out Greece - the biggest sovereign bailout in economic history.

BRITISH BONDS

Britain's new government needs to borrow more to fund budget plans. Gilt issuance is expected to rise to 296.9 billion pounds ($372.05 billion) for the current financial year.

TECH TALLY

A 10% share of tech giant Microsoft is worth just over $300 billion, according to LSEG data. Meanwhile the market cap for US oil major Chevron stood at $292 billion.

CRYPTO

The annual climate finance target amounts to 75% of the total value of the global market for crypto currency Ether, the world's second-largest cryptocurrency.

Alternatively, 3 million Bitcoin would cover the annual climate finance target as the world's largest cryptocurrency closes in on the $100,000 mark following a rally fueled by Donald Trump winning the Nov. 5 US presidential election.