Houthi Attack Repelled in Yemen's Hajjah

Yemeni tribesmen hold positions during fighting against the Houthis in Marib city on June 27, 2016. (Getty Images)
Yemeni tribesmen hold positions during fighting against the Houthis in Marib city on June 27, 2016. (Getty Images)
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Houthi Attack Repelled in Yemen's Hajjah

Yemeni tribesmen hold positions during fighting against the Houthis in Marib city on June 27, 2016. (Getty Images)
Yemeni tribesmen hold positions during fighting against the Houthis in Marib city on June 27, 2016. (Getty Images)

The Yemeni military declared on Thursday that it has repelled an attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militias on the Abs front in the northwestern Hajjah province.

Several Iran-made armed drones were downed during the fighting, it added.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition offered air support during the operation. It carried out 15 raids in the Marib and Hajjah provinces in the past 24 hours, destroying eleven Houthi military vehicles.

On Wednesday, the coalition said it carried out 17 strikes against the Houthis in the same provinces, destroying 14 of their vehicles and leaving dozens of casualties among their ranks.

Yemeni sources said the Houthis in Hajjah were trying to regroup and recapture lost territories in the Abs district. They even forced hundreds of civilians to take up arms.

Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani slammed the militias for forcing civilians to join the fighting and "leading them to their death in suicide missions on various fronts."

"This is the systematic murder and genocide of the people of those regions," he added, saying it was yet another crime that can be added to the Houthis' long list of atrocities against the Yemeni people.

He accused the terrorist Houthis of exploiting the "poverty and ignorance" of some communities to further their agenda and violations in the country, including the looting of salaries and humanitarian aid, driving students out of school and recruiting children to their ranks.

The minister called on the international community to condemn the Houthis, designate them as terrorist and put their leaders on trial for war crimes.

Meanwhile, the military said it was sweeping recently liberated areas in the al-Safra district in Saada for mines planted by the Houthis.

The northern Saada province is the main Houthi stronghold in Yemen.

On Wednesday, the army announced that its forces had liberated new positions in the Safra district.

The Saba news agency reported that the military liberated the positions of Sharqan, Tibab al-Azabi and al-Hadiby in a rapid attack that left several Houthis dead and injured.



Egypt Welcomes Tehran’s Renaming of ‘Islamabouli Street’ as a Turning Point in Relations with Iran

Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt Welcomes Tehran’s Renaming of ‘Islamabouli Street’ as a Turning Point in Relations with Iran

Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt has welcomed Iran’s decision to rename a Tehran street once dedicated to Khalid al-Islamabouli - the Egyptian army officer who assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981 - describing the move as a significant step toward resetting bilateral relations.

In the first official Egyptian response to the development, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Tamim Khallaf told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Renaming the street is a positive step in Egyptian-Iranian relations. It helps put matters back on the right track.”

The street, long a source of tension between Cairo and Tehran, has now been renamed after Hassan Nasrallah, the former Secretary-General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, following a decision by the Tehran City Council.

Iranian media reported that a formal ceremony was held to unveil the new name, attended by officials, intellectuals, and civil society figures. The change was part of a wider initiative that saw 11 streets in the capital renamed last month.

Dr. Hoda Raouf, a Cairo-based expert on Iranian affairs, said the move reflects “a meaningful shift and a clear sign of Iran’s serious intent to restore relations with Egypt.”

She noted that Egyptian-Iranian ties have two key dimensions: regional security - particularly Egypt’s opposition to Iranian interference in countries such as Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen - and the bilateral relationship, which has long been strained over symbolic gestures such as honoring Sadat’s assassin.

Political philosopher and Iran specialist Dr. Mohamed Khairy echoed that assessment, calling the street name change “a significant development.”

He emphasized that the decision was passed by majority vote and attended by influential figures from Iran’s political establishment, which he said reflects a genuine desire within Iran to repair ties with Cairo.

The gesture comes amid signs of warming relations between the two nations. Iranian top diplomat Abbas Araghchi recently visited Cairo, where he met President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and senior officials.

His visit included a symbolic walk through the historic Khan el-Khalili bazaar, prayers at the Al-Hussein Mosque, and dinner at the famed Naguib Mahfouz restaurant.

Sisi also held a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the recent Israeli escalation against Iran, in which he affirmed Egypt’s rejection of Israeli attacks on Iranian territory.