Security Council Says Houthis Are Responsible for Not Renewing Yemen Truce

The UN Security Council (Reuters)
The UN Security Council (Reuters)
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Security Council Says Houthis Are Responsible for Not Renewing Yemen Truce

The UN Security Council (Reuters)
The UN Security Council (Reuters)

The UN Security Council said the Houthi militias were responsible for not renewing the truce agreement in Yemen, stressing that the last-minute demands of negotiations to extend the truce in the country impeded the UN mediation efforts.

The Security Council stressed the need to avoid the resumption of hostilities inside Yemen and attacks in the region and the Red Sea.

In a press statement, members of the Security Council urgently called on the Yemeni parties, especially the Houthis, to refrain from provocation, prioritize the Yemeni people, return to constructive engagement in negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations, and work urgently to extend the truce.

The members expressed their deep disappointment that the UN-mediated truce in Yemen expired on October 2 without the parties agreeing to extend it.

They stressed their expectation that the parties would find a way to restore the armistice, noting that the past six months saw the most extended period of calm since the war began and a dramatic reduction in civilian casualties.

The statement indicated that the expanded truce proposal would provide salaries to teachers, nurses, and civil servants in Yemen, open roads in Taiz and across the country, boost international flights, and ease the clearance process for fuel ships entering Hodeidah port.

The Council members renewed their support for the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, stressing that the extension would also provide an opportunity to reach a ceasefire.

They hoped it would lead to a comprehensive Yemeni-led political settlement with the fair and meaningful participation of women, under the auspices of the United Nations, based on the agreed references and under Security Council Resolutions.

They indicated that returning to negotiations and restoring the armistice is the way toward permanently ending this war and resolving Yemen’s humanitarian and economic crises, expressing deep concern over rhetoric threatening negotiations and actions impeding financial stability in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee recently announced new sanctions on three Yemeni people for their involvement in terrorist activities.

The council indicated that the Commander of the Houthi Air Force and Air Defense, Ahmed al-Hamzi, was named for his activities and his role in the military efforts that directly threaten peace, security, and stability in Yemen.

The committee, established according to Resolution 2140, also named Houthi naval chief Mansour al-Saadi, who orchestrated lethal attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea and played a leading role in Houthi naval efforts that directly threatened the peace, security, and stability of Yemen.

The sanctions also included the former deputy head of its National Security Bureau, Mutlaq al-Marani, who was added for his role in the “torture and other ill-treatment” of detainees under his supervision.

Marani was also accused of directing the National Security Bureau to illegally arrest and detain humanitarian workers and planning the diversion of humanitarian aid in breach of international law.



US Reports Constructive Talks with Israel's Netanyahu on Gaza Plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, August 10, 2025. ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, August 10, 2025. ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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US Reports Constructive Talks with Israel's Netanyahu on Gaza Plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, August 10, 2025. ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, August 10, 2025. ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

US officials' discussions with Israeli Prime ​Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the second phase of President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan for ‌Gaza were ‌constructive, ‌Special ⁠Envoy ​Steve ‌Witkoff said on Sunday.

"The United States and Israel maintain a strong and longstanding relationship ⁠built on close ‌coordination and shared priorities, Reuters reported.

‍The ‍discussion was ‍constructive and positive, with both sides aligned on next steps ​and the importance of continued cooperation on ⁠all matters critical to the region," Witkoff said in an X post. The talks were held on Saturday, he said.


Iraqi Lawmakers to Elect President Tuesday, PM Appointment Next

 A photograph shows Iraq's parliament building in Baghdad as newly elected lawmakers are due to hold their first session on Dec. 29, 2025. (AFP)
A photograph shows Iraq's parliament building in Baghdad as newly elected lawmakers are due to hold their first session on Dec. 29, 2025. (AFP)
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Iraqi Lawmakers to Elect President Tuesday, PM Appointment Next

 A photograph shows Iraq's parliament building in Baghdad as newly elected lawmakers are due to hold their first session on Dec. 29, 2025. (AFP)
A photograph shows Iraq's parliament building in Baghdad as newly elected lawmakers are due to hold their first session on Dec. 29, 2025. (AFP)

Iraq's parliament will meet on Tuesday to elect the country's new president, who will then appoint a prime minister expected to be Nouri al-Maliki after he was endorsed by the largest Shiite bloc.

By convention, a Shiite holds the post of prime minister, the parliament speaker is Sunni and the largely ceremonial presidency goes to a Kurd.

Parliamentary speaker Haibat al-Halbousi announced on Sunday that the new parliament will convene on Tuesday to elect a president, according to the official INA press agency.

The president will then have 15 days to appoint a prime minister, who is usually nominated by the largest Shiite bloc formed through post-election alliances.

On Saturday, the Coordination Framework alliance -- whose Shiiite factions have varying links to Iran -- endorsed former prime minister and powerbroker Maliki as the country's next premier.

The alliance, to which Maliki belongs, spoke of his "political and administrative experience and his record in running the state".

Kurdish parties have yet to agree on a presidential candidate, who must be endorsed by other blocs and win a two-thirds majority in parliament.

The presidency is usually held by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). This year, the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) named its own candidate: Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

Although Maliki's endorsement effectively guarantees him the post, forming a new government remains a daunting challenge that could drag on for months and still fail.

The designated premier has one month to form a government and present it to parliament for a vote of confidence.

The 75-year-old Maliki, a shrewd politician, is set to return to power at a time of seismic changes in the Middle East, as Tehran's regional influence wanes and tensions with Washington rise.

Government formation in Iraq must balance internal political dynamics and power-sharing among major parties, all under the continued influence of Iraq's two main allies: Iran and the United States.

A close Iran ally, Maliki will be expected to address Washington's longstanding demand that Baghdad dismantle Tehran-backed factions, many of which are designated terrorist groups by the US.

Last month, Iraqi officials and diplomats told AFP that Washington demanded the eventual government exclude Iran-backed armed groups, even though most of them hold seats in parliament, and have seen their political and financial clout increase.

But Iraq is struggling with weak economic growth and cannot risk punitive measures by the US, which has already sanctioned several Iraqi entities, accusing them of helping Tehran evade sanctions.


Baghdad Says It Will Prosecute ISIS Militants Being Moved from Syria to Iraq

 Iraqi Border Guards patrol in armored vehicles along the border with Syria, in Sinjar, northern Iraq, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP)
Iraqi Border Guards patrol in armored vehicles along the border with Syria, in Sinjar, northern Iraq, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP)
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Baghdad Says It Will Prosecute ISIS Militants Being Moved from Syria to Iraq

 Iraqi Border Guards patrol in armored vehicles along the border with Syria, in Sinjar, northern Iraq, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP)
Iraqi Border Guards patrol in armored vehicles along the border with Syria, in Sinjar, northern Iraq, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP)

Baghdad will prosecute and try militants from the ISIS group who are being transferred from prisons and detention camps in neighboring Syria to Iraq under a US-brokered deal, Iraq said Sunday.

The announcement from Iraq’s highest judicial body came after a meeting of top security and political officials who discussed the ongoing transfer of some 9,000 ISIS detainees who have been held in Syria since the extremist group's collapse there in 2019.

The need to move them came after Syria's nascent government forces routed Syrian Kurdish-led fighters — once top US allies in the fight against ISIS — from areas of northeastern Syria they had controlled for years and where they had been guarding camps holding IS prisoners.

Syrian troops seized the sprawling al-Hol camp — housing thousands, mostly families of ISIS militants — from the Kurdish-led force, which withdrew as part of a ceasefire. Troops last Monday also took control of a prison in the northeastern town of Shaddadi, from where some ISIS detainees had escaped during the fighting. Syrian state media later reported that many were recaptured.

Now, the clashes between the Syrian military and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) sparked fears of ISIS activating its sleeper cells in those areas and of ISIS detainees escaping. The Syrian government under its initial agreement with the Kurds said it would take responsibility of the ISIS prisoners.

Baghdad has been particularly worried that escaped ISIS detainees would regroup and threaten Iraq’s security and its side of the vast Syria-Iraq border.

Once in Iraq, ISIS prisoners accused of terrorism will be investigated by security forces and tried in domestic courts, Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said.

The US military started the transfer process on Friday with the first ISIS prisoners moved from Syria to Iraq. On Sunday, another 125 ISIS prisoners were transferred, according to two Iraqi security officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

So far, 275 prisoners have made it to Iraq, a process that officials say has been slow as the US military has been transporting them by air.

Both Damascus and Washington have welcomed Baghdad's offer to have the prisoners transferred to Iraq.

Iraq’s parliament will meet later on Sunday to discuss the ongoing developments in Syria, where its government forces are pushing to boost their presence along the border.

The fighting between the Syrian government and the SDF has mostly halted with a ceasefire that was recently extended. According to Syria's Defense Ministry, the truce was extended to support the ongoing transfer operation by US forces.

The ISIS group was defeated in Iraq in 2017, and in Syria two years later, but ISIS sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in both countries. As a key US ally in the region, the SDF played a major role in defeating ISIS.

During the battles against ISIS, thousands of extremists and tens of thousands of women and children linked to them were taken and held in prisons and at the al-Hol camp. The sprawling al-Hol camp hosts thousands of women and children.

Last year, US troops and their partner SDF fighters detained more than 300 ISIS militants in Syria and killed over 20. An ambush in December by ISIS militants killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in Syria.