Yemen’s PLC Stresses Need for Mobilization of ‘Capabilities’ to End Houthi Coup

Yemen’s National Defense Council gathered in Aden after the Houthi attacks on the oil export ports in Hadramout and Shabwa (Saba News Agency)
Yemen’s National Defense Council gathered in Aden after the Houthi attacks on the oil export ports in Hadramout and Shabwa (Saba News Agency)
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Yemen’s PLC Stresses Need for Mobilization of ‘Capabilities’ to End Houthi Coup

Yemen’s National Defense Council gathered in Aden after the Houthi attacks on the oil export ports in Hadramout and Shabwa (Saba News Agency)
Yemen’s National Defense Council gathered in Aden after the Houthi attacks on the oil export ports in Hadramout and Shabwa (Saba News Agency)

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) has stressed the need for mobilizing “capabilities” and “efforts” to end the coup waged by Houthi militias and restore state institutions. Last Saturday, the Yemeni National Defense Council declared Houthis a terrorist group.

Following the designation, the internationally recognized Yemeni government will take strict measures against people and entities that support Houthis.

The PLC’s call for action and mobilization of capabilities come against the backdrop of expectations for the Yemeni government ordering the sanctioning of senior Houthi leaders and their affiliates in the coming few days.

Moreover, the government will likely make decisions in the telecommunications and transportation sectors to further tighten the noose on Houthi funding channels. 

PLC Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi had convened a meeting that was attended by all PLC members save for Faraj Salmin al-Buhsani, according to Yemeni official sources.

The Yemeni leaders reviewed reports and briefings on the country’s internal affairs. They also examined the repercussions of threats made by Houthi terrorists.

“The meeting checked options for dealing with Houthi threats to protect the interests of the Yemeni people, global energy supplies, and freedom of international navigation,” reported the official news agency, Saba.

The PLC reassured Yemenis, relief organizations, and the private sector that humanitarian and commercial activity will receive special consideration and be kept aside when implementing the procedures and mechanisms entailed by the National Defense Council’s classification of Houthi militias as terrorists. 

Furthermore, the PLC commended the “honorable” positions taken by the Arab Coalition.

Houthi attacks and violations drew massive Arab and international condemnation especially after the Iran-backed group waged an assault with explosive drones on oil terminals in the Hadramout and Shabwa governorates.



Western Wall In Jerusalem Vandalized With Anti-war Message

Laborer injects a type of grout into the gaps and fissures in the stones of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, as part of the Israel Antiquities Authority treatment of the ancient stones, in Jerusalem's Old City February 23, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Laborer injects a type of grout into the gaps and fissures in the stones of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, as part of the Israel Antiquities Authority treatment of the ancient stones, in Jerusalem's Old City February 23, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
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Western Wall In Jerusalem Vandalized With Anti-war Message

Laborer injects a type of grout into the gaps and fissures in the stones of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, as part of the Israel Antiquities Authority treatment of the ancient stones, in Jerusalem's Old City February 23, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Laborer injects a type of grout into the gaps and fissures in the stones of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, as part of the Israel Antiquities Authority treatment of the ancient stones, in Jerusalem's Old City February 23, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

The Western Wall in Jerusalem on Monday was vandalized with graffiti condemning Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, triggering widespread condemnation from religious leaders and politicians.

"There is a holocaust in Gaza," was graffitied in Hebrew on the southern portion of the wall, the holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray.

A similar message was also scrawled on the wall of the Great Synagogue, elsewhere in the city, AFP reported.

Israeli police said a 27-year-old suspect had been arrested and would appear in court later on Monday, with the police requesting that his detention be extended.

The incident sparked immediate outrage in Israel, with the Western Wall's Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch calling it a "desecration".

"A holy place is not a place to express protests... The police must investigate this action, track down the criminals responsible for the desecration and bring them to justice," Rabinovitch said in a statement.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir -- who oversees the country's law enforcement agencies -- said he was shocked and vowed that the police would act "with lightning speed".

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also weighed in, saying the perpetrators "forgot what it means to be Jewish".

Sharp condemnation also came from the opposition.

Former defense minister Benny Gantz, now an opposition leader, called it "a crime against the entire Jewish people".

The Western Wall lies in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem, which Israeli forces captured during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.