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Yemeni Government Seeks to Raise Combat Forces Readiness

General view of Aden, Yemen, August 12, 2019. (Reuters)
General view of Aden, Yemen, August 12, 2019. (Reuters)
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Yemeni Government Seeks to Raise Combat Forces Readiness

General view of Aden, Yemen, August 12, 2019. (Reuters)
General view of Aden, Yemen, August 12, 2019. (Reuters)

The Yemeni government has announced that it was working to raise the readiness of armed forces to confront outlaws and pursue terrorist elements.

The decision was made during a cabinet meeting in the city of Aden amid a campaign led by security and military forces in separate areas of Abyan and Shabwa to track down members of extremist organizations.

An official statement noted that the Council of Ministers “called on all the military and security services in the temporary capital and the liberated governorates, to raise their readiness to confront terrorist acts” and to implement proactive plans to maintain security and stability.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government welcomed the statement issued by the UN Security Council, and the international positions that clearly condemned the obstacles set by the Houthi militia to hinder the arrival of fuel ships at the ports of Hodeidah.

In the same context, the Yemeni cabinet renewed its commitment to a comprehensive and sustainable peace approach in accordance with locally agreed and supported regional and international references, calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities regarding the Houthi militia’s violations of the humanitarian truce, its continued refusal to deal with all peaceful efforts, and its rejection to lift its siege on the city of Taiz and the opening of roads under the terms of the armistice.

Meanwhile, Yemeni Defense Minister Lieutenant-General Mohsen al-Daari held several meetings with Western military officials in Riyadh.

He also met with the Commander of the Joint Forces, Deputy Chief of the Saudi General Staff, Lieutenant-General Mutlaq bin Salem Al-Azima.

Yemeni official sources noted that Al-Daari discussed with Al-Azima the readiness of the combat forces, stressing that the next stage was crucial in the history of Yemen, its armed forces in particular, and the region in general.

The Yemeni Minister of Defense affirmed the commitment of the armed forces to the UN truce, despite the Houthi violations. He also accused the militia of coordinating “with elements of Al-Qaeda and ISIS to carry out terrorist operations in the liberated areas.”

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At Least 3 Dead, over 1,000, Including Hezbollah Members, Wounded in Pager Blasts in Lebanon

Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah members gather outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) after an incident involving Hezbollah members' wireless devices in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 September 2024. (EPA)
Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah members gather outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) after an incident involving Hezbollah members' wireless devices in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 September 2024. (EPA)
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At Least 3 Dead, over 1,000, Including Hezbollah Members, Wounded in Pager Blasts in Lebanon

Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah members gather outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) after an incident involving Hezbollah members' wireless devices in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 September 2024. (EPA)
Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah members gather outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) after an incident involving Hezbollah members' wireless devices in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 September 2024. (EPA)

At least three people were killed and more than 1,000 others including Hezbollah fighters, medics and Iran's envoy to Beirut were wounded on Tuesday when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, security sources told Reuters.

A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the detonation of the pagers was the "biggest security breach" the group had been subjected to in nearly a year of conflict with Israel.

Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been engaged in cross-border warfare in parallel with the Gaza war which erupted last October, the worst such escalation in years.

The Israeli military declined to comment on Reuters enquiries about the detonations.

Hezbollah confirmed in a statement the deaths of at least three people, including two of its fighters. The third person killed was a girl, it said, adding that an investigation was being conducted into the causes of the blasts.

One of the fighters killed was the son of a Hezbollah member of the Lebanese parliament, two security sources told Reuters.

Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, suffered a minor injury when a pager exploded, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"Amani has a superficial injury and is currently under observation in a hospital," Fars quoted a source as saying.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

The pagers that detonated were the latest model brought in by Hezbollah in recent months, three security sources said.

A Reuters journalist saw ambulances rushing through the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, amid widespread panic. A security source said that devices were also exploding in the south of Lebanon.

SCREAMING IN PAIN

At Mt. Lebanon hospital, a Reuters reporter saw motorcycles rushing to the emergency room, where people with their hands bloodied were screaming in pain.

The head of the Nabatieh public hospital in the south of the country, Hassan Wazni, told Reuters that around 40 wounded people were being treated at his facility. The wounds included injuries to the face, eyes and limbs.

The wave of explosions lasted around an hour after the initial detonations, which took place about 3:45 p.m. local time (1345 GMT). It was not immediately clear how the devices were detonated.

Lebanese internal security forces said a number of wireless communication devices were detonated across Lebanon, especially in Beirut's southern suburbs, leading to injuries.

Groups of people huddled at the entrance of buildings to check on people they knew who may have been wounded, the Reuters journalist said.

Regional broadcasters carrying CCTV footage which showed what appeared to be a small handheld device placed next to a grocery store cashier where an individual was paying spontaneously exploding.

In other footage, an explosion appeared to knock out someone standing at a fruit stand at a market area.

Lebanon’s crisis operations center, which is run by the health ministry, asked all medical workers to head to their respective hospitals to help cope with the massive numbers of wounded coming in for urgent care. It said health care workers should not use pagers.

The Lebanese Red Cross said more than 50 ambulances and 300 emergency medical staff were dispatched to help in the evacuation of victims.

Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel immediately after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas gunmen on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire constantly ever since, while avoiding a major escalation.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced from towns and villages on both sides of the border by the hostilities.