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Yemeni Defense Minister: ‘Excellent’ Coordination with Giants Brigades, Houthis Amassed 15 Brigades for Marib, Al Jawf

Yemeni Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ali Al-Maqdashi, Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemeni Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ali Al-Maqdashi, Asharq Al-Awsat
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Yemeni Defense Minister: ‘Excellent’ Coordination with Giants Brigades, Houthis Amassed 15 Brigades for Marib, Al Jawf

Yemeni Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ali Al-Maqdashi, Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemeni Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ali Al-Maqdashi, Asharq Al-Awsat

The Yemeni army, backed by the Saudi-led Arab Coalition, was able to defeat Houthis in the governorates of Shabwah and Marib, affirmed Yemeni Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ali Al-Maqdashi.

While the minister described coordination with the Giants Brigades as “excellent,” he explained that the Yemeni army is still in the process of liberating districts in Marib.

According to Maqdashi, the Yemeni army advanced more than 27 km in the direction of Safer and international lines.

“Our forces are around the corner from Umm al-Rish and Mala’a and have bypassed the eastern Balaq,” affirmed Maqdashi, adding that Yemeni Army forces were fighting defensive battles everywhere.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Maqdashi revealed that special forces had been deployed around 56 km away from Hajjah governorate’s Harad district.

“The Yemeni Army has not stopped working towards battlefield gains. The Giants Brigades forces have stopped, but they might have future plans,” said Maqdashi.

“Army forces are continuing on all fronts, whether in Marib, Taiz, Al-Jawf, or Harad,” he asserted.

He said that coming days would witness several victories, just like those established with the help of the Giants Brigades on the coast and in the southern governorate of Taiz.

“Our forces are still in Harad and Midi, which are close to Abs. Victory will be achieved with the continuation of the battles, especially if all fronts are opened,” said Maqdashi.

Currently, Yemeni Army forces are stationed 56 km away from Harad and are preparing to fight the battle for freeing the district.

As for future plans to settle battles, Maqdashi pointed out that Yemen is part of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition, which had played a significant role in destroying the Houthi enemy.

“We are confident that we will liberate our country, as we are part of the Arab coalition forces led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Maqdashi.

The minister also talked about the Happy Yemen Brigades, the participation of the first military zone in battles next to Hodeidah, and the challenges facing the Yemeni army.

“The biggest challenge facing us is having capabilities in all fields. Houthis took control of everything, and we started building the state again, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia bore a large part in this matter,” said Maqdashi.

Maqdashi also revealed that when the Yemeni army was approaching Sanaa, Houthis were able to gather 15 brigades to attack the army’s positions in Marib and al-Jawf.

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Arab World

US Puts $10 Million Bounty on Iraq’s Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada Leader

Members of Iraq's pro-Iran Hezbollah Brigades (Kataib Hezbollah) gather in a mourning procession for one of their comrades who was killed the previous day in a strike in Basra, during the funeral in Baghdad on April 8, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Members of Iraq's pro-Iran Hezbollah Brigades (Kataib Hezbollah) gather in a mourning procession for one of their comrades who was killed the previous day in a strike in Basra, during the funeral in Baghdad on April 8, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
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US Puts $10 Million Bounty on Iraq’s Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada Leader

Members of Iraq's pro-Iran Hezbollah Brigades (Kataib Hezbollah) gather in a mourning procession for one of their comrades who was killed the previous day in a strike in Basra, during the funeral in Baghdad on April 8, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Members of Iraq's pro-Iran Hezbollah Brigades (Kataib Hezbollah) gather in a mourning procession for one of their comrades who was killed the previous day in a strike in Basra, during the funeral in Baghdad on April 8, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

The United States has placed a $10 million bounty on the leader of an Iranian-backed Shiite group in Iraq.

The US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program issued a notice it sought the leader of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

It said Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji led the group, whose members “killed
Iraqi civilians and attacked US diplomatic facilities in Iraq.”

It also said Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada attacked US military bases and personnel in Iraq and Syria.

Iraq has several Shiite groups backed by Iran that are part of the country’s Popular Mobilization Forces.

Arab World

Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire Extended by 3 Weeks after White House Meeting

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 23 April 2026. President Trump met with Lebanese and Israeli envoys at the White House for a new round of peace talks. EPA/WILL OLIVER / POOL
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 23 April 2026. President Trump met with Lebanese and Israeli envoys at the White House for a new round of peace talks. EPA/WILL OLIVER / POOL
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Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire Extended by 3 Weeks after White House Meeting

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 23 April 2026. President Trump met with Lebanese and Israeli envoys at the White House for a new round of peace talks. EPA/WILL OLIVER / POOL
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 23 April 2026. President Trump met with Lebanese and Israeli envoys at the White House for a new round of peace talks. EPA/WILL OLIVER / POOL

Lebanon and Israel extended their ceasefire for three weeks after a high-level meeting at the White House, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday.

Trump hosted Israel's ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador to the US Nada Moawad in the Oval Office for a second round of US-facilitated talks.

"The Meeting went very well! The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump added that he looked forward to hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the near future.

Trump also spoke to reporters in the Oval Office alongside the participants in the meeting, saying he hoped the leaders would meet during the three-week cessation of hostilities. He said there was "a great chance" the two countries would reach a peace agreement this year.

Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa also attended the meeting.

The ceasefire, reached after talks between the two nations' ambassadors ⁠to Washington ⁠last week, was set to expire on Sunday. It has yielded a significant reduction in violence, but attacks have continued in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops have seized a self-declared buffer zone.

The Lebanese president said a day earlier that during the talks Moawad would ask for an end to Israeli home demolitions in villages and towns occupied by Israel after the latest war broke out on March 2.

Moawad thanked Trump for hosting the talks. "I think with your help, with your support, we can make Lebanon great again," she said.

Asked how the US would help Lebanon to fight Hezbollah, Trump did not provide details but said Washington had "a great relationship with Lebanon."

Trump said Israel had to be able to defend itself against attacks from Hezbollah.

He also called for Lebanon to abolish laws against engagement with Israel.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that that will be ended very quickly. I'll make sure of that," Trump said.

Arab World

Iraq Ruling Alliance Nears Critical Constitutional Deadline

From a Coordination Framework alliance meeting in Baghdad (INA)
From a Coordination Framework alliance meeting in Baghdad (INA)
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Iraq Ruling Alliance Nears Critical Constitutional Deadline

From a Coordination Framework alliance meeting in Baghdad (INA)
From a Coordination Framework alliance meeting in Baghdad (INA)

Iraq’s Coordination Framework is set to meet on Friday, the final day of the constitutional deadline to name a prime minister-designate, as disputes persist among Shiite factions over both the selection mechanism and the final nominee, threatening to push the country into a new constitutional crisis.

In that context, the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, led by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, denied any US objection to his serving a second term and rejected reports that Ihsan al-Awadi had been proposed as an alternative candidate to form a government, reaffirming its backing for al-Sudani as the “sole candidate.”

The Coordination Framework has postponed its decisive meeting more than once before announcing in an official statement that the session would be moved to Friday “to allow more time for dialogue and to reach a conclusion within the constitutional period.”

Hardening positions

Mushriq al-Furaiji, a member of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, said divisions inside the Framework were marked by “hardening positions.”

He said a proposal to adopt a two-thirds vote of Framework lawmakers to choose the nominee had been rejected by Nouri al-Maliki. He added that about 114 lawmakers backed Sudani’s nomination, compared with around 50 supporting Maliki.

Firas al-Musallamawi, spokesman for the coalition, said Framework leaders had discussed adopting the principle of a two-thirds majority, but disagreement remained over whether that should be calculated from the total number of Framework leaders or from the number of their lawmakers in parliament.

By contrast, Hassan Fadam, a member of the Hikma Movement, said the final contest was likely to narrow to Sudani and Bassem al-Badri, while Zuhair al-Jalabi of the State of Law Coalition said Maliki had “not officially withdrawn,” adding that his continued candidacy was limiting the possibility of putting forward other nominees.

Saqr al-Mohammadawi, a lawmaker from the Sadiqoun bloc, said in a press statement that Framework leaders were moving to settle the nominee’s name at the upcoming meeting, adding that the option of a compromise candidate would remain on the table if differences persisted.

Fallout from the delay

The developments come after Nizar Amidi was elected president, triggering a 15-day constitutional deadline for the designation of a candidate from the largest parliamentary bloc to form a government, under Article 76 of the constitution.

During a meeting with Maliki, Amidi urged Framework forces to quickly settle on their nominee “within the constitutional timelines,” warning of the consequences of delay for political stability.

The dispute within the Framework centers on the definition of the “largest bloc” and the mechanism for choosing the nominee: either relying on a decision by Framework leaders or resorting to a vote by its roughly 185 lawmakers.

A legal debate has also emerged over what would happen if the deadline expired without a nominee being presented, given the absence of any explicit constitutional text addressing such a case.

Observers say failure to reach agreement at Friday’s meeting could return the country to political deadlock and leave the president facing complex constitutional choices, at a time when Shiite factions are confronting, for the first time since 2003, a sharp split that threatens their political cohesion.

The political crisis comes amid US pressure on Baghdad. Sources said Washington had halted a cash shipment worth about $500 million that had been headed to Iraq and had suspended parts of its security cooperation with Baghdad, in a move aimed at pressuring the Iraqi government over the actions of Iran-backed militias, according to Reuters.

Western sources also told Asharq Al-Awsat that coordination between Washington and Baghdad was currently “at its lowest level.”