Yemen Quint Meeting Backs Truce Extension

A Yemeni man walks next to his three-year-old daughter in Sanaa (UN)
A Yemeni man walks next to his three-year-old daughter in Sanaa (UN)
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Yemen Quint Meeting Backs Truce Extension

A Yemeni man walks next to his three-year-old daughter in Sanaa (UN)
A Yemeni man walks next to his three-year-old daughter in Sanaa (UN)

A quint meeting, which included Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, the US and the UK, has affirmed its support for extending the UN-sponsored truce in Yemen as a step towards reaching a permanent ceasefire and achieving a comprehensive political settlement.

While the five nations expressed concern about the continuation of the siege of Taiz, they called on Houthi militias to show flexibility in negotiations.

Apart from open roads immediately, the group stressed on Tuesday that Houthis must allow the use of state revenues, including the revenues of the port of Hodeidah, to pay the wages of civil servants.

UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg was warmly welcomed as a guest at the meeting, as was David Grisley, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, to discuss the derelict oil tanker, Safer.

The quint meeting reaffirmed strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Yemen, as well as his commitment to support the people of Yemen.

The five nations also hailed the continuation of the truce, which has brought tangible benefits to the Yemeni people since it was concluded on April 2. They stressed the need to maintain and develop this progress, which requires compromise on all sides.

The quint meeting fully supported the efforts of Grundberg to extend and expand the truce on August 2, as well as to fully implement all the conditions of the truce.

It agreed that a final ceasefire and a permanent political settlement should be the end goals of the UN-led process and that such a settlement should be based on previous agreements and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Moreover, the group of five welcomed the continued implementation of the confidence-building measures agreed by the Government of Yemen, including facilitating the delivery of fuel to the port of Hodeidah and the resumption of some commercial flights to and from Sanaa Airport.

They underlined the need to improve the freedom of movement of civilians throughout Yemen, stressing that constructive engagement with the UN is essential to a sustainable solution to the issue of road reopening.



Israel Says Apprehended Members of Iran-backed Cell in Syria

06 July 2025, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarm: An Israeli soldier enforces a ban as he attempts to enter the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank. Photo: Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
06 July 2025, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarm: An Israeli soldier enforces a ban as he attempts to enter the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank. Photo: Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
TT

Israel Says Apprehended Members of Iran-backed Cell in Syria

06 July 2025, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarm: An Israeli soldier enforces a ban as he attempts to enter the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank. Photo: Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
06 July 2025, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarm: An Israeli soldier enforces a ban as he attempts to enter the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank. Photo: Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Israel's military said Monday it had apprehended members of an Iran-backed cell in southern Syria, the second such operation it has announced in the past week.

Since the December overthrow of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes primarily on military sites and carried out cross-border ground raids.

In a statement, the military said troops "completed an overnight operation to apprehend a cell that was operated by the Iranian Quds Force in the Tel Kudna area of southern Syria."

"For the second time in the past week... troops completed a targeted overnight operation and apprehended several operatives who posed a threat in the area," the statement added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Israeli forces raided early Monday a village in the Quneitra countryside of southern Syria and "carried out searches targeting several homes, which ended with the arrest of two brothers".

On Wednesday, Israel's military said its forces had apprehended members of an Iranian-backed "terrorist cell" in southern Syria and seized weapons.