Growing Houthi Violations Threaten to End Truce

A shell fired by the Houthi militia explodes near a Yemeni army site (Saba News Agency)
A shell fired by the Houthi militia explodes near a Yemeni army site (Saba News Agency)
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Growing Houthi Violations Threaten to End Truce

A shell fired by the Houthi militia explodes near a Yemeni army site (Saba News Agency)
A shell fired by the Houthi militia explodes near a Yemeni army site (Saba News Agency)

Houthi truce violations in Yemen have resulted in the death of over a thousand Yemenis, including soldiers and civilians, revealed Yemeni officials, adding that breaches by the Iran-backed militia threaten ending the ongoing, but fragile, UN-sponsored ceasefire.

Although the UN and its envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, underrate the danger of Houthi violations on battlefronts in Taiz, Dhale and Marib, a return to fighting on a larger scale is still a possibility in light of the recent Houthi mobilization on multiple fronts.

In a recent report, the Yemeni army stated that Iran-backed Houthi militias have committed more than 167 violations within 48 hours on Monday and Tuesday.

Truce breaches, according to the report, took place on the fronts of Hodeidah, Taiz, Dhale, Hajjah, Saada, Al-Jawf and Marib.

Army forces have also thwarted more than three Houthi infiltration attempts. The Houthis tried to infiltrate army positions west of Marib twice and once in Dhale.

In their attacks, Houthis have used artillery shelling, rocket-propelled grenades, and explosive drones.

At least 10 soldiers have been wounded or killed because of recent Houthi violations.

The Yemeni army accused the Houthi militia of escalating its activity in mobilizing reinforcements, digging trenches, and building fortifications, as well as deploying reconnaissance drones on various fronts.

“Houthis deliberately commit violations in blatant defiance of all UN and international resolutions,” said Captain Fadel al-Jalal, the 83rd Brigade’s morality supervisor.

Jalal confirmed that the truce on the fronts of Dhale was upheld by one party only, which is the army and the pro-government popular resistance forces.

Meanwhile, Houthis continued violations with heavy weapons such as artillery shelling and the use of medium weapons, as well as drones.

Jalal believes that “the most effective way to curb the arrogance of the Houthi terrorist organization lies in launching a broad and comprehensive military operation on all fronts in Yemen.”

Such an operation, according to Jalal, would achieve military resolution and help in restoring the state and its hijacked institutions.



Syria and Neighbors Urge Israel to Stop Bombings

Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
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Syria and Neighbors Urge Israel to Stop Bombings

Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)

The foreign ministers of Syria, Türkiye and Jordan, meeting Monday in Ankara, called on Israel to cease attacks on Syria and to withdraw troops from the country.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on Syria since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December, often targeting military sites and killing dozens of people.

Israeli officials have also described Syria's new authorities as extremists and claimed to defend the country's Druze minority with a recent spate of attacks.

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference with his Jordanian and Syrian counterparts that "Israel's expansionism poses a significant threat to the security, stability and future of Syria."

"This must come to an end. And we are on the same page about this. Syria needs to be supported to prevent terrorist organizations from settling in this region," Fidan added, noting that Syria shares a 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Türkiye.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told the joint press conference that "our borders are constantly violated by Israeli attacks".

The Israeli strikes are "calculated escalations aimed at destabilizing Syria and dragging the region into a new cycle of conflict", Shaibani said, decrying "systematic violations of international law and explicit provocations".

He called on the international community to put Israel under "increased pressure" to halt the bombings.

Jordan's top diplomat, Ayman Safadi, said attacks on Syrian soil "will not bring security to Israel and will bring nothing to Syria except ruin and destruction".