Yemeni Government Responds to Houthi Allegations on Taiz Negotiations

Former meeting of the military committee in Amman (UN)
Former meeting of the military committee in Amman (UN)
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Yemeni Government Responds to Houthi Allegations on Taiz Negotiations

Former meeting of the military committee in Amman (UN)
Former meeting of the military committee in Amman (UN)

Yemeni military officials will meet in Amman, under the auspices of the UN envoy to Yemen, to discuss violations and the UN-sponsored ceasefire, said a Yemeni official.

Member of the government team concerned with opening the crossings, Nabil Jamel denied Houthi claims that there is a new round of negotiations regarding the reopening of crossings and roads, asserting that the Amman meeting will only address the violations and truce.

In an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Jamel pointed out that the Houthi allegations are baseless, claiming the group wants to deviate attention from its rejection to agree to the UN envoy's proposals to open the Taiz crossings and other areas.

He added, "It seems that the recent mission of the UN envoy in Muscat did not yield any new results," noting that Houthis still refuse to open roads and crossings and continue to evade the implementation of any provision of the truce.

Jamel reiterated that there would be no new round of negotiations regarding the opening of Taiz roads.

The official indicated that time has passed without progress, which would put the UN envoy and the international community in front of real challenges.

The envoy and the international community must compel the Houthis to implement the armistice, he said.

"Actual steps must be taken," Jamel asserted.

Earlier, Houthi official Yahya al-Razami said the legitimacy delegation did not attend the negotiation, saying it is not serious about alleviating the suffering of the people of Taiz.

Head of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Rashad al-Alimi affirmed to the UN envoy to Yemen that the government delegation will not discuss any new issues with the Houthi militias before lifting the siege on Taiz and opening roads.

Meanwhile, a Yemeni government source confirmed that the military committee team concerned with monitoring the ceasefire and violations had already left Aden for Amman.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the committee had nothing to do with reopening the crossings and roads.



Israel Wants to Set up Buffer Zone in Southern Lebanon Until Army Is Deployed

 Smoke rise next to damaged buildings on an area of a village in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Kibbutz Manara, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP)
Smoke rise next to damaged buildings on an area of a village in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Kibbutz Manara, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP)
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Israel Wants to Set up Buffer Zone in Southern Lebanon Until Army Is Deployed

 Smoke rise next to damaged buildings on an area of a village in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Kibbutz Manara, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP)
Smoke rise next to damaged buildings on an area of a village in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Kibbutz Manara, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP)

The Israeli army has been preventing the residents of southern Lebanon’s villages from returning to their homes, warning them against going back.

In a statement to the residents, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said they are barred from returning home “until further notice.”

He warned that anyone heading to the barred areas would be putting their lives in danger.

However, the majority of the villages and towns mentioned by the Israeli army are located north of the Litani River.

A security sources said the army’s warning “is confusing and unacceptable, especially since it is continuing its razing of agricultural lands in Khiam city and other villages near the border.”

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The only explanation for this is that Israel is trying to impose a buffer zone in the 60-day period offered by the ceasefire until the Lebanese army and United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers can continue their deployment along the southern border and the monitoring committee can begin its work.”

The Israeli actions are a violation of the ceasefire, which went into effect on Wednesday, added the source.

The violations demand immediate political effort sand contacts with US officials so that they can put a stop to them and speed up the formation of the five-member committee that will be chaired by an American officer, he stated.

Military and strategic expert General Nizar Abdel Qader said: “Israel’s gains on the ground and its success in imposing its conditions in the ceasefire agreement have led it to believe that it has the final say” in the South.

“True, it did not achieve a crushing victory against Hezbollah, but it proved its military superiority and achieved major gains,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.”

“It is preventing the residents of the South from returning home because it fears that Hezbollah members may be among them. It has learned lessons from its withdrawal from the South in 2000 when Hezbollah imposed its total and sole control of the border,” he remarked.

“It also learned its lesson from its withdrawal in 2006 when it let the Lebanese state oversee the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and soon after Hezbollah built a much more powerful military arsenal,” he noted.

Moreover, Abdel Qader said the Israeli violations cannot be separated from what is happening in Israel itself. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believed that it was too soon to declare a ceasefire and he instead said that Israel did not stop the war and can launch it all over again.

The violations in the South are part of political maneuvers that Netanyahu is using to hide his “embarrassment in front of the Israeli opposition and are attempts to calm the extremist ministers in his government,” he explained.

Residents of the South have acknowledged that Israel is in fact dictating their return to their homes. They said that Hezbollah was the one who called the shots in 2006, but this is not the case now.

Sami, a resident of Yohmor north of the Litani, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel has been relentlessly attacking his town.

It is dangerous for people to return to their homes, he warned, revealing that Israel has imposed a no-go zone 5 km deep into Lebanon.

Israel has so far not fulfilled its side of the ceasefire, he noted.