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.



Fears for Gaza Hospitals as Fuel and Aid Run Low

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said Friday that hospitals have only two days' fuel left before they must restrict services, after the UN warned aid delivery to the war-devastated territory is being crippled. - AFP
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said Friday that hospitals have only two days' fuel left before they must restrict services, after the UN warned aid delivery to the war-devastated territory is being crippled. - AFP
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Fears for Gaza Hospitals as Fuel and Aid Run Low

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said Friday that hospitals have only two days' fuel left before they must restrict services, after the UN warned aid delivery to the war-devastated territory is being crippled. - AFP
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said Friday that hospitals have only two days' fuel left before they must restrict services, after the UN warned aid delivery to the war-devastated territory is being crippled. - AFP

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said Friday that hospitals have only two days' fuel left before they must restrict services, after the UN warned aid delivery to the war-devastated territory is being crippled.

The warning came a day after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant more than a year into the Gaza war.

The United Nations and others have repeatedly decried humanitarian conditions, particularly in northern Gaza, where Israel said Friday it had killed two commanders involved in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war.

Gaza medics said an overnight Israeli raid on the cities of Beit Lahia and nearby Jabalia resulted in dozens killed or missing.

Marwan al-Hams, director of Gaza's field hospitals, told reporters all hospitals in the Palestinian territory "will stop working or reduce their services within 48 hours due to the occupation's (Israel's) obstruction of fuel entry".

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was "deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of 80 patients, including 8 in the intensive care unit" at Kamal Adwan hospital, one of just two partly operating in northern Gaza.

Kamal Adwan director Hossam Abu Safia told AFP it was "deliberately hit by Israeli shelling for the second day" Friday and that "one doctor and some patients were injured".

Late Thursday, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, Muhannad Hadi, said: "The delivery of critical aid across Gaza, including food, water, fuel and medical supplies, is grinding to a halt."

He said that for more than six weeks, Israeli authorities "have been banning commercial imports" while "a surge in armed looting" has hit aid convoys.

Issuing the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, the Hague-based ICC said there were "reasonable grounds" to believe they bore "criminal responsibility" for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, and crimes against humanity including over "the lack of food, water, electricity and fuel, and specific medical supplies".

At least 44,056 people have been killed in Gaza during more than 13 months of war, most of them civilians, according to figures from Gaza's health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable.