Arab Coalition Targets Houthis in Marib, Destroys 22 Military Vehicles

Houthi militants ride on the back of a patrol truck near Sanaa (Reuters)
Houthi militants ride on the back of a patrol truck near Sanaa (Reuters)
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Arab Coalition Targets Houthis in Marib, Destroys 22 Military Vehicles

Houthi militants ride on the back of a patrol truck near Sanaa (Reuters)
Houthi militants ride on the back of a patrol truck near Sanaa (Reuters)

The Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced that it carried out 35 operations against the Houthi militia on the fronts of Marib and Hajjah.

In a tweet carried out by Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Coalition explained that the operations resulted in the destruction of 22 military vehicles and inflicted causalities among Houthis.

Yemeni sources estimated the strikes killed and injured dozens of Houthi militants.

The Yemeni military media reported that the forces, backed by the popular resistance, thwarted a Houthi attack on several military sites south of the Marib governorate.

The media center of the Yemeni armed forces quoted a military source as saying that the Houthi militia fled the area after many of its members were killed or wounded.

The military source indicated that the Yemeni armed forces recovered two vehicles with their equipment left by the militia members, while Coalition fighters targeted militia reinforcements, destroying their vehicles and killing militants on board.

Meanwhile, Yemeni media reported that eight Houthi members were killed and others injured in clashes with the National Army forces north of Taiz city.

Saba news agency quoted a military source as saying that the National Army forces attacked militia sites, killing eight militants, including a sniper, in the Kabab Building on al-Arbaeen Street.

The coalition air force also targeted Houthi sites in the al-Madradat Ghorab area, west of the city.



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.