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)
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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.



Israel’s Defense Minister Says Troops Will Remain in Syrian Buffer Zone Indefinitely

Israeli soldiers patrol the top of Mount Hermon near the border with Lebanon in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights on 20 November 2023. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers patrol the top of Mount Hermon near the border with Lebanon in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights on 20 November 2023. (AFP)
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Israel’s Defense Minister Says Troops Will Remain in Syrian Buffer Zone Indefinitely

Israeli soldiers patrol the top of Mount Hermon near the border with Lebanon in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights on 20 November 2023. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers patrol the top of Mount Hermon near the border with Lebanon in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights on 20 November 2023. (AFP)

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz visited the Syrian summit of Mount Hermon, currently occupied by Israeli forces, on Tuesday and said Israel will remain there and in the buffer zone for an “unlimited time.”

Katz said Israel must stay in the zone to ensure “hostile forces” will not gain a foothold on the Israeli border nor anywhere within 50 kilometers (30 miles) beyond the zone, citing security for Israeli residents in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

For decades, the Syrian-Israeli border remained largely quiet under a 1974 agreement that established a UN-patrolled demilitarized buffer zone after the 1973 Mideast war.

But after Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ouster in December, Israeli forces entered the 400-square-kilometer (155-square mile) buffer zone, calling it a temporary move to block hostile forces.

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said Israel will stay in the zone until another arrangement is in place “that ensures Israel’s security.” That drew criticism from residents of the zone and Arab countries.