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Saudi Arabia Aspires to Reach a Comprehensive Political Resolution in Yemen

Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman
Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman
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Saudi Arabia Aspires to Reach a Comprehensive Political Resolution in Yemen

Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman
Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman

Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman asserted the Kingdom’s “aspiration for reaching a comprehensive political resolution to the crisis” in Yemen.

Prince Khalid met with the US Special Envoy for Yemen, Timothy Lenderking, in Washington to discuss the latest developments in Yemen.

Prince Khalid said on his Twitter account that he “affirmed to him [Lenderking] the Saudi-led Coalition’s backing of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and its supporting entities, and our aspirations for reaching a comprehensive political resolution to the crisis that will lead Yemen into peace and prosperity.”

He reiterated to the US envoy that “although the momentum of the truce remains high,” the United Nations and the international community should pressure the Houthis into reopening the roads of Taiz, deposit revenues of the Hodeidah port, and engage with peace proposals.

Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammad Al Jaber, said on Twitter that he accompanied the Deputy Defense Minister during his visit to Washington and met Lenderking.

Al Jaber stated that they discussed advancing humanitarian efforts in Yemen, namely Houthis’ reopening of Taiz crossings and depositing the revenues at the Central Bank to pay the salaries of civilians.

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Qatari Mission Searches for Bodies of Americans Killed by ISIS in Syria

A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
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Qatari Mission Searches for Bodies of Americans Killed by ISIS in Syria

A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)

A Qatari mission has begun searching for the remains of US hostages killed by ISIS in Syria a decade ago, two sources briefed on the mission told Reuters, reviving a longstanding effort to recover their bodies.

ISIS, which controlled swathes of Syria and Iraq at the peak of its power from 2014-2017, beheaded numerous people in captivity, including Western hostages, and released videos of the killings.

Qatar's international search and rescue group began the search on Wednesday, accompanied by several Americans, the sources said. The group, deployed by Doha to earthquake zones in Morocco and Türkiye in recent years, had so far found the remains of three bodies, the sources said.

One of the sources - a Syrian security source - said the remains had yet to be identified. The second source said it was unclear how long the mission would last.

The US State Department had no immediate comment.

The Qatari mission gets under way as US President Donald Trump prepares to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar next week and as Syria's new rulers seek relief from US sanctions.

The Syrian source said the mission's initial focus was on looking for the body of aid worker Peter Kassig, who was beheaded by ISIS in 2014 in Dabiq in northern Syria. The second source said Kassig's remains were among those they hoped to find.

US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff were among other Western hostages killed by ISIS. Their deaths were confirmed in 2014.

US aid worker Kayla Mueller was also killed in ISIS captivity. Her death was confirmed in 2015.

"We’re grateful for anyone taking on this task and risking their lives in some circumstances to try and find the bodies of Jim and the other hostages," said Diane Foley, James Foley's mother. "We thank all those involved in this effort."

Two ISIS members, both former British citizens who were part of a cell that beheaded American hostages, are serving life prison sentences in the United States.