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Guterres Discusses Jerusalem Tensions with Israeli, Palestinian Leaders

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gestures during an interview with Reuters at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, US, September 15, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gestures during an interview with Reuters at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, US, September 15, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
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Guterres Discusses Jerusalem Tensions with Israeli, Palestinian Leaders

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gestures during an interview with Reuters at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, US, September 15, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gestures during an interview with Reuters at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, US, September 15, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres discussed the ongoing flare-up of tensions around Jerusalem's holy sites in separate calls Saturday with the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian president.

In statements released after both calls, the UN said Guterres discussed "efforts to lower tensions, end provocations and unilateral steps, and restore calm".

More than 200 people, mostly Palestinians, have been wounded over the past week in clashes in and around the Al-Aqsa compound, a holy site for both Muslims and Jews.

Palestinians have been outraged by a massive Israeli police deployment and repeated visits by Jews to the holy site, which is governed through a tenuous power-sharing agreement.

Guterres "reiterated that the status quo at the Holy Sites must be upheld and respected," both statements read, according to AFP.

The clashes at Al-Aqsa come amid a wave of deadly violence, which has sparked fears of a wider conflict.

Rocket launches from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday and Thursday prompted retaliatory strikes from Israel.

But after similar attacks from Gaza on Friday night and Saturday morning, Israel decided not to launch counterattacks, instead saying it would close its only border to the enclave on Sunday.

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Yemen’s Houthis Move Weapons to Saada to Avoid More US Attacks

A protester carries a mock rocket during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, at Sanaa University, in Sanaa, Yemen, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
A protester carries a mock rocket during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, at Sanaa University, in Sanaa, Yemen, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
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Yemen’s Houthis Move Weapons to Saada to Avoid More US Attacks

A protester carries a mock rocket during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, at Sanaa University, in Sanaa, Yemen, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
A protester carries a mock rocket during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, at Sanaa University, in Sanaa, Yemen, 15 January 2025. (EPA)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias have moved large amounts of their weapons to their main stronghold of Saada in northern Yemen to protect them against US strikes that have intensified on the Amran province in a bid to destroy the militias’ underground arms caches.

Informed Yemeni sources said the Houthis have moved rockets and drones from Amran to Saada in the north, fearing they may be targeted by US strikes.

Western strikes have already destroyed several arms depots.

The US conducted its latest strikes against Houthi positions on Friday, targeting the Harf Sufyan district in northern Amran bordering Saada.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthi “weapons engineers and military maintenance” personnel moved sophisticated rockets and drones and other types of weapons to fortified caches throughout Saada.

The process was carried out in utmost secrecy and in stages to avoid detection, they added.

In Amran, the Houthis carried out a series of kidnappings against the local population, even its own supporters, on suspicion the people were collaborating with the US and Israel.

The US has carried out dozens of attacks on military positions in Harf Sufyan, destroying facilities that have been used to launch attacks against ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Harf Sufyan is considered the Houthis’ second major stronghold after Saada given its large area that spans around 2,700 square kms. It also borders four other provinces: Hajjah, al-Jawf, Saada and Sanaa.

Moreover, sources in Amran told Asharq Al-Awsat that Harf Sufyan is a major recruitment center for the Houthis, including the forced recruitment of Yemenis.

They revealed that the US strikes in the area dealt the Houthis heavy blows because they directly targeted their military positions, including a drone factory.

The sources suspected that the Americans intensified their strikes on Harf Sufyan after receiving intelligence information that the Houthis had dug tunnels and underground facilities there to hold meetings and recruit new members.