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Hadi Meets with UN, US Envoys and Stresses Need to End Houthi Terrorism

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Reuters
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Reuters
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Hadi Meets with UN, US Envoys and Stresses Need to End Houthi Terrorism

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Reuters
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Reuters

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi stressed on Tuesday the need to stop the terrorism of Iranian-backed Houthi militias and affirmed his country’s commitment to reaching a sustainable peace solution based on the Gulf initiative, its executive mechanism, outcomes of the national dialogue and relevant UN resolutions, mainly resolution 2216.

Hadi’s remarks came during his reception of the US Envoy for Yemen, Timothy Lenderking, and UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

His meeting with Lenderking and Grundberg followed the UN Security Council passing a resolution that imposed an arms embargo on the Houthis as an entity.

Hadi affirmed to the envoys Yemen’s keenness on peace in line with the three references that are inevitable to achieve a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace.

The president reiterated his full support for Grundberg and his efforts to reach a comprehensive ceasefire.

The UN envoy to Yemen and Lenderking had returned to the region again in the context of efforts to find a UN plan to bring peace.

For his part, Hadi clarified that the militias are waging their war against the Yemeni people, who are defending their country against hostile acts that affect innocent people and the displaced in cities and camps.

Houthi attacks often target civilian sites in Yemen and neighboring countries.

The Yemeni president highly praised the envoys’ efforts to achieve peace the Yemeni people are desperately waiting for.

“We’re peace-seekers. We have made huge sacrifices and offered significant concessions to stop the bloodshed, establish security and stability that maintain Yemen’s unity, security and stability,” Hadi said.

Hadi pointed out to the miserable humanitarian situation Yemen has been experiencing due to the war and its disastrous consequences. He squarely put the blame on the militias for prolonging the conflict and worsening the Yemeni peoples’ suffering.

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Arab World

Southern Yemen United in Welcoming Riyadh Conference

National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (Reuters)
National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (Reuters)
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Southern Yemen United in Welcoming Riyadh Conference

National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (Reuters)
National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (Reuters)

Parties in southern Yemen welcomed on Sunday Saudi Arabia’s call to hold a comprehensive conference on the issue of the South.

The conference will be held in Riyadh at an official request by Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Dr. Rashad al-Alimi. The meeting will help shape the path of the southern issue, meeting the ambitions of southern and eastern Yemen governorates.

Local authorities in Hadhramaut, al-Mahra, Lahj, Shabwah and Socotra welcomed the conference, as did prominent political leaderships in the south. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) also notably welcomed the conference.

Saudi Arabia’s move to host the meeting was welcomed by Gulf and Arab countries and the international community over the weekend. It was viewed as a necessary step towards restoring dialogue in the South, overcoming efforts to eliminate the other and viewing the southern issue within a national and regional framework that would lead to a fair and sustainable solution.

Member of the PLC Dr. Abdullah al-Alimi expressed his deep appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s stance, calling all southern components, starting with the STC, to positively approach the conference and comprehensive dialogue that prioritizes the interests of the South above all else.

Serious dialogue is the only way to bridge divides, achieve rapprochement and unify southern ranks to serve security and stability, he stressed.

Shura Council Speaker Ahmed bin Dagher underlined the importance of the Riyadh conference, saying dialogue will help defuse strife.

The meeting will present realistic solutions to pending issues in the South, he added.

The STC welcomed Saudi Arabia’s call to hold the conference, saying it is in line with its policies that are based on dialogue.

It did place conditions, however, underscoring the “will of the people of the south” and demanding international guarantees, a clear timeframe, and popular referendum.

Observers said the conditions are an attempt by the STC to preserve its political position.

They noted that the very fact that it agreed to join the conference is an acknowledgment that the southern issue is greater than one party that is taking unilateral decisions.

The regional and international climate do not allow unilateral actions, they added.

Arab World

Two Dead in Israeli Strike on South Lebanon

The wreckage of a car at the site after an Israeli strike on Al-Khiyam, in the Nabatieh governorate, southern Lebanon, 03 January 2026. (EPA)
The wreckage of a car at the site after an Israeli strike on Al-Khiyam, in the Nabatieh governorate, southern Lebanon, 03 January 2026. (EPA)
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Two Dead in Israeli Strike on South Lebanon

The wreckage of a car at the site after an Israeli strike on Al-Khiyam, in the Nabatieh governorate, southern Lebanon, 03 January 2026. (EPA)
The wreckage of a car at the site after an Israeli strike on Al-Khiyam, in the Nabatieh governorate, southern Lebanon, 03 January 2026. (EPA)

Lebanon said a strike in the south killed two Sunday while Israel said it had struck a Hezbollah operative, the latest raids as Beirut seeks to disarm the Iran-backed group.

Despite a year-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel carries out regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives, and has maintained troops in five areas it deems strategic.

Lebanon's health ministry said two people were killed in an "Israeli enemy strike that targeted a vehicle" near the town of Jmaijmeh, around 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border.

An Israeli military statement said that "in response to Hezbollah's continued violations of the ceasefire understandings", it had struck an operative from the group in the area.

Under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Beirut has committed to disarming Hezbollah, which was badly weakened after more than a year of hostilities with Israel including two months of open war that ended with the November 2024 ceasefire.

Lebanon's army was expected to complete the disarmament south of the Litani River -- about 30 kilometers from the border with Israel -- by the end of 2025, before tackling the rest of the country.

Lebanon's cabinet is to meet on Thursday to discuss the army's progress, while the ceasefire monitoring committee -- comprising Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and UN peacekeepers -- is also set to meet this week.

On Sunday, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar acknowledged on X that the Lebanese government and army had made efforts to disarm Hezbollah but said "they are far from sufficient", citing "Hezbollah's efforts to rearm and rebuild, with Iranian support".

Israel has previously questioned the Lebanese military's effectiveness and has accused Hezbollah of rearming, while the group itself has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.

At least 350 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry reports.

Arab World

Syrian Media Say Govt and Kurdish-Led SDF Meet on Military Merger without Progress

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a deal in Damascus last March with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi on integrating the force into state institutions (AP)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a deal in Damascus last March with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi on integrating the force into state institutions (AP)
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Syrian Media Say Govt and Kurdish-Led SDF Meet on Military Merger without Progress

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a deal in Damascus last March with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi on integrating the force into state institutions (AP)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a deal in Damascus last March with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi on integrating the force into state institutions (AP)

Syrian government officials held talks Sunday with the commander of the main Kurdish-led force in the country over plans to merge it with the national army, state media reported, adding that no “tangible results” had been achieved. 

The leadership in Damascus under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa inked a deal in March with the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which control much of the northeast. The SDF was to merge with the Syrian army by the end of 2025, but there have been disagreements on how it would happen. 

A major sticking point has been whether the SDF would remain a cohesive unit in the new army or whether it would be dissolved and its members individually absorbed. 

The SDF said in a statement Sunday that a delegation led by top commander Mazloum Abdi held talks with government officials in Damascus related to the military integration process. 

The SDF later said talks had ended, with details to be released later. The SDF has tens of thousands of fighters and is the main force to be absorbed into Syria's military. 

State TV said the meeting did not produce "tangible results” that would accelerate implementation of the agreement. It said the sides agreed to hold further meetings at a later date. 

The deal signed in March also would bring all border crossings with Iraq and Türkiye and airports and oil fields in the northeast under the central government’s control. Prisons holding about 9,000 suspected members of the ISIS group also are expected to come under government control. 

Türkiye has been opposed to the SDF joining the army as a single unit. Ankara considers the SDF a terrorist organization because of its association with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Türkiye, although a peace process is now underway. 

In late December, clashes broke out between security forces and SDF fighters in the northern city of Aleppo during a visit to Syria by Türkiye’s foreign minister. 

Sunday's meetings in Damascus came hours after three rockets struck a western neighborhood of the capital, causing some damage to a mosque and a telecommunications center without inflicting casualties, state media said. 

The state news agency called the rockets “random” without giving details on where they were fired from or who was behind it.