Lenderking, Grundberg Resume Mobilization to Extend Yemen Truce

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen receives Chargé d'Affairs of the British Embassy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen receives Chargé d'Affairs of the British Embassy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Lenderking, Grundberg Resume Mobilization to Extend Yemen Truce

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen receives Chargé d'Affairs of the British Embassy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen receives Chargé d'Affairs of the British Embassy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The US Department of State announced that the US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking will return to the region to support UN efforts to expand and extend the Yemeni truce.

Lenderking’s return to the Middle East comes at a time when Houthi militias in Yemen have exhibited intransigence. Moreover, the Iran-backed group had presented demands that were labeled as “extremist” by the UN Security Council.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg is also mobilizing to revive the truce, whose second extension expired on Oct. 2. Houthi militias have rejected Grundberg’s proposal regarding the expansion and extension of the ceasefire.

The Diplomatic Advisor to the UAE President, Anwar Gargash, met with Grundberg on Tuesday, according to a statement posted on the UN diplomat’s twitter account.

Grundberg also met with UAE Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Khalifa Almarar.

The officials stressed the need to continue the efforts being made to renew the armistice in Yemen.

“Lenderking will travel to the region starting Oct. 11 to support intensive, UN-led negotiations with the Yemeni parties to reach agreement on a truce extension and expansion, for the sake of Yemenis,” said a statement by the US State Department.

“The Houthis have an opportunity to support an expanded truce agreement that would provide millions of Yemenis with immediate relief, including much-needed civil servant salary payments, opening roads to and through Taiz and across the country, more flight destinations from Sanaa, and a path to a durable, inclusive Yemen-led peace process, that includes Yemenis’ calls for justice, accountability, and redress for human rights violations and abuses,” it added.

“The truce remains the best opportunity for peace Yemenis have had in years. The United States and the international community stand ready to support an expanded truce,” the statement affirmed.



US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump's administration on Monday revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as Washington moves to remove US sanctions on Syria to help the country rebuild following years of a civil war.

In December, opposition factions led by HTS ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive. Then-HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria's president and said he wanted to build an inclusive and democratic Syria.

HTS was previously known as al-Nusra Front when it was al-Qaeda's Syria branch. It broke off ties with al-Qaeda in 2016.

In May, Sharaa met with Trump in Riyadh where, in a major policy shift, the Republican president unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.

"This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, adding that the revocation will come into effect on Tuesday.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order terminating US sanctions program on Syria, a move that aims to end the country's isolation from the international financial system.

Syria's foreign ministry told Reuters that the lifting of sanctions on HTS was a "positive step toward correcting a course that previously hindered constructive engagement."

The written statement said Syria hoped the move would "contribute to the removal of remaining restrictions that continue to impact Syrian institutions and officials, and open the door to a rational, sovereign-based approach to international cooperation."

The ministry also said that Sharaa was planning to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September. The UN Security Council still has sanctions on both HTS and Sharaa himself, which require a Council decision to remove.