US Imposes Sanctions on International Network Funding Houthis in Yemen

Houthi fighters in Sanaa. (EPA file photo)
Houthi fighters in Sanaa. (EPA file photo)
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US Imposes Sanctions on International Network Funding Houthis in Yemen

Houthi fighters in Sanaa. (EPA file photo)
Houthi fighters in Sanaa. (EPA file photo)

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on a sprawling international network run by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and a Houthi financier that funneled tens of millions of dollars to Yemen’s Houthi militias, the US Treasury said.

The funds were used to support Houthi attacks, the Treasury said in a statement.

"Despite persistent calls for peace from the international community, the Houthis continue their destructive campaign inside Yemen, and have repeatedly launched ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that have struck civilian infrastructure in neighboring states, resulting in civilian casualties," it added.

"Today’s action is taken in close coordination and collaboration with regional Gulf partners."

"Despite pleas to negotiate an end to this devastating conflict, Houthi leaders continue to launch missile and unmanned aerial vehicle attacks against Yemen’s neighbors, killing innocent civilians, while millions of Yemeni civilians remain displaced and hungry," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.

"The United States continues to work with our regional allies to act decisively against those who would seek to prolong this war for their own ambitions. Houthi leaders must cease their campaign of violence and negotiate in good faith to end the conflict."



Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said his administration would announce the new structure of the defense ministry and military within days.

In a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, al-Sharaa said that his administration would not allow for arms outside the control of the state.

An official source told Reuters on Saturday that Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency that toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, had been named as defense minister in the interim government.
Sharaa did not mention the appointment of a new defense minister on Sunday.
Sharaa discussed the form military institutions would take during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA said.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said last week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former opposition factions and officers who defected from Assad's army.

Earlier Sunday, Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt held talks with al-Sharaa in Damascus.

Jumblatt expressed hope that Lebanese-Syrian relations “will return to normal.”

“Syria was a source of concern and disturbance, and its interference in Lebanese affairs was negative,” al-Sharaa said, referring to the Assad government. “Syria will no longer be a case of negative interference in Lebanon," he added.