Yemen PM: Iran Uses Yemen as Base for Attacking Neighbors

The Yemeni prime minister receives the British Ambassador in Aden (Saba News Agency)
The Yemeni prime minister receives the British Ambassador in Aden (Saba News Agency)
TT
20

Yemen PM: Iran Uses Yemen as Base for Attacking Neighbors

The Yemeni prime minister receives the British Ambassador in Aden (Saba News Agency)
The Yemeni prime minister receives the British Ambassador in Aden (Saba News Agency)

Yemen’s prime minister on Tuesday accused the Houthi militia of allowing Iran to use the war-torn country as a base for attacking other states, the official news agency SABA reported.

Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed told British Ambassador to Yemen Richard Oppenheim that the Houthis have shunned peace efforts to end the war and have served as a stooge for the Iranian regime to launch attacks against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and undermine international maritime navigation through the Red Sea.

He repeated his government’s appeals to the international community to name and shame the Houthis for inflaming violence, aggravating the humanitarian crisis, attacking the country’s neighbors, and rejecting peace initiatives.

Saeed also reviewed with the British ambassador the government’s efforts to achieve economic stability and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.

They also went over the financial and administrative reforms the Yemeni government is implementing and the international support required to support its efforts.

The two officials also discussed completing the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement in all its aspects.

Saeed praised the UK’s role in supporting Yemen’s internationally-recognized government and people.

He said the Kingdom has made active and vital moves in support of the Yemeni government, and valued Britain's backing of the push for peace based on the three agreed references.

The prime minister also referred to the government’s efforts that resulted in curbing the deterioration of Yemen’s national currency, and restoring the stability of goods and services.

For his part, Oppenheim affirmed support for the government’s efforts to achieve economic stability, meet the needs of the Yemeni people, and complete the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement.

He also stressed the importance of relations between Britain and Yemen and keenness to strengthen these relations in various fields.



Syria Detains Damascus-Based Leader of Prominent Palestinian Faction

Members of the Syria's security forces deploy during an operation in the edge of the town of Sharaya, south of Damascus, Wednesday April 30, 2025. (AP)
Members of the Syria's security forces deploy during an operation in the edge of the town of Sharaya, south of Damascus, Wednesday April 30, 2025. (AP)
TT
20

Syria Detains Damascus-Based Leader of Prominent Palestinian Faction

Members of the Syria's security forces deploy during an operation in the edge of the town of Sharaya, south of Damascus, Wednesday April 30, 2025. (AP)
Members of the Syria's security forces deploy during an operation in the edge of the town of Sharaya, south of Damascus, Wednesday April 30, 2025. (AP)

Syria on Saturday detained a prominent Damascus-based Palestinian official whose group was close to the government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Talal Naji, 79, the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, or PFLP-GC, was detained Saturday morning shortly after he left his house with a driver and two guards, a Palestinian official told The Associated Press.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, added that shortly after Naji was detained near his home in the Mazze neighborhood, security officials came to his home and questioned two unarmed guards for about an hour.

A Syrian government official told the AP that Naji was taken for questioning and should be released later. The official spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The PFLP-GC became known for dramatic attacks against Israel, including the hijacking an El Al jetliner in 1968 and the machine gunning of another airliner at Zurich airport in 1969. In 1970, it planted a bomb on a Swissair jet that blew up on a flight from Zurich to Tel Aviv, killing all 47 on aboard.

Naji’s arrest comes nearly two weeks after Syrian authorities detained two members of the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. The group identified the two officials arrested at the time as its leader in Syria Khaled Khaled and another senior official Yasser Zafari. The Islamic Jihad took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that triggered the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Under Assad, several Palestinians factions were based in Syria and some of them remained after the fall of his 54-year Assad family in December.