Houthis Threaten to End Truce Ahead of Grundberg's Security Council Briefing

Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar al-Eryani with the US ambassador to Yemen Stephen Fagin in Riyadh Thursday (Saba)
Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar al-Eryani with the US ambassador to Yemen Stephen Fagin in Riyadh Thursday (Saba)
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Houthis Threaten to End Truce Ahead of Grundberg's Security Council Briefing

Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar al-Eryani with the US ambassador to Yemen Stephen Fagin in Riyadh Thursday (Saba)
Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar al-Eryani with the US ambassador to Yemen Stephen Fagin in Riyadh Thursday (Saba)

The Houthi militias threatened they would not agree to extending the humanitarian and military truce again without obtaining economic gains.

This came as UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg is scheduled to appear before the Security Council on Monday for the monthly briefing.

Houthi spokesman Mohammad Felita warned in an interview with an Iranian channel that the chances of extending the truce might be the last if a mechanism for paying employees' salaries is not found in the militia-controlled areas.

He claimed that a comprehensive ceasefire would not be implemented if the humanitarian issues were not resolved, noting that the coalition to support legitimacy should end its support for legitimate government.

Felita threatened the return of clashes, warning that the militias would target oil facilities and ports in the liberated areas seeking to pressure the legitimacy to share oil and gas proceeds.

The spokesman confirmed that the group would continue to mobilize its forces to confront any development.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni Minister of Information, Muammar al-Eryani, accused Houthis of escalating the situation and prolonging the blockade on Taiz.

Eryani asserted during his meeting with US Ambassador Stephen Fagin that Iran's support of the militias contributes to undermining the truce and obstructing peace efforts.

The Minister reiterated the government's adherence to peace based on the three references, noting that the Yemeni political leadership made many concessions to ensure the success of the truce.

He explained that the government implemented all its obligations under the ceasefire terms, accusing the militias of reneging on their commitments and refusing to end the siege of Taiz.

Eryani noted that Houthis were indifferent to the suffering of citizens in Taiz, increased the recruitment of children, and used Hodeidah port revenues to mobilize fighters and weapons.

He warned against the Houthi militia's exploitation of the truce to organize its ranks and launch a new round of military escalation, stressing the need to exert real international pressure on the militias to force them to engage in good faith in efforts to calm and establish peace.

He condemned the Iranian role in his country, saying it undermines truce efforts, uses the Houthi militia as a tool to destabilize Yemen, undermines regional security and stability, and threatens the safety of ships.

The US administration's decision to remove the Houthi militia from the lists of terrorism did not contribute to advancing calm efforts, said the Minister, noting that the militia escalated its military operations and aggressive approach.

He called on the US administration and the international community to pressure the Houthi militia, reclassify it as a terrorist group, prosecute its leaders, and bring them to trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Minister accused the militias of violating human rights, recalling their displacement of minorities such as Bahais and Jews and journalists' continued kidnapping and torture.

The Yemeni government is working to end the war, establish sustainable peace, build a safe country for all Yemeni, and enhance confidence with neighboring countries, the region, and the world said the Minister.

Eryani stressed that peace would only be achieved by disarming the Houthi militia's medium and heavy weapons, stopping the smuggling of Iranian weapons, targeting the region, and threatening international interests.



Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
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Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

A Lebanese security source said the target of a deadly Israeli airstrike on central Beirut early Saturday was a senior Hezbollah official, adding it was unclear whether he was killed.

"The Israeli strike on Basta targeted a leading Hezbollah figure," the security official told AFP without naming the figure, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

The early morning airstrike has killed at least 15 people and injured 63, according to authorities, and had brought down an eight-storey building nearby, in the second such attack on the working-class neighbourhood of Basta in as many months.

"The strike was so strong it felt like the building was about to fall on our heads," said Samir, 60, who lives with his family in a building facing the one that was hit.

"It felt like they had targeted my house," he said, asking to be identified by only his first name because of security concerns.

There had been no evacuation warning issued by the Israeli military for the Basta area.

After the strike, Samir fled his home in the middle of the night with his wife and two children, aged 14 and just three.

On Saturday morning, dumbstruck residents watched as an excavator cleared the wreckage of the razed building and rescue efforts continued, with nearby buildings also damaged in the attack, AFP journalists reported.

The densely packed district has welcomed people displaced from traditional Hezbollah bastions in Lebanon's east, south and southern Beirut, after Israel intensified its air campaign on September 23, later sending in ground troops.

"We saw two dead people on the ground... The children started crying and their mother cried even more," Samir told AFP, reporting minor damage to his home.

Since last Sunday, four deadly Israeli strikes have hit central Beirut, including one that killed Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif.

Residents across the city and its outskirts awoke at 0400 (0200 GMT) on Saturday to loud explosions and the smell of gunpowder in the air.

"It was the first time I've woken up screaming in terror," said Salah, a 35-year-old father of two who lives in the same street as the building that was targeted.

"Words can't express the fear that gripped me," he said.

Saturday's strikes were the second time the Basta district had been targeted since war broke out, after deadly twin strikes early in October hit the area and the Nweiri neighbourhood.

Last month's attacks killed 22 people and had targeted Hezbollah security chief Wafiq Safa, who made it out alive, a source close to the group told AFP.

Salah said his wife and children had been in the northern city of Tripoli, about 70 kilometres away (45 miles), but that he had to stay in the capital because of work.

His family had been due to return this weekend because their school reopens on Monday, but now he has decided against it following the attack.

"I miss them. Every day they ask me: 'Dad, when are we coming home?'" he said.

Lebanon's health ministry says that more than 3,650 people have been killed since October 2023, after Hezbollah initiated exchanges of fire with Israel in solidarity with its Iran-backed ally Hamas over the Gaza war.

However, most of the deaths in Lebanon have been since September this year.

Despite the trauma caused by Saturday's strike, Samir said he and his family had no choice but to return home.

"Where else would I go?" he asked.

"All my relatives and siblings have been displaced from Beirut's southern suburbs and from the south."