Alimi Warns Against Houthi Escalation, Says it Sabotages Peace Efforts

The President of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, chaired the meeting with the ambassadors (Saba)
The President of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, chaired the meeting with the ambassadors (Saba)
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Alimi Warns Against Houthi Escalation, Says it Sabotages Peace Efforts

The President of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, chaired the meeting with the ambassadors (Saba)
The President of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, chaired the meeting with the ambassadors (Saba)

The President of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Rashad al-Alimi, warned that the Houthi terrorist attacks on oil export ports and vital economic structures would undermine peace efforts, stressing that the legitimate government reserves the right to respond to these attacks.

Alimi and council member Faraj al-Bahssani met with the Ambassador of the Permanent Members of the Security Council and the European Countries to Yemen.

The Iranian-backed Houthi militia had launched attacks on oil export ports in Hadhramaut and Shabwa to prevent oil export and blackmail the Yemeni government into sharing oil sales revenues.

The militias refused to extend and expand the truce, according to the proposal of the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg.

The state-run Saba news agency reported that Alimi praised the unified international position on the Yemeni issue, stressing the Council's and the government's adherence to a comprehensive solution to the crisis under national, regional, and international references.

The Chairman recalled to the ambassadors how the militias violated all peace efforts and the ceasefire, revealing to the whole world they were not a serious peace partner.

Alimi praised the coalition's position to support legitimacy led by Saudi Arabia, which facilitated the truce, lauding the Kingdom's initiative to bring peace, security, and stability to Yemen.

Official sources noted that Alimi warned that the Houthi terrorist attacks on the economic infrastructure would eliminate peace efforts and have disastrous humanitarian repercussions that might include the government's inability to pay employees' salaries and failure to meet the population's basic needs.

He said that the Houthi escalation proved that these militias are manipulated by the Iranian regime, whose regional operations are orchestrated by Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) from "one black room."

According to Saba Agency, Alimi informed foreign ambassadors of the government measures to deter Houthi terrorist violations of international law under the National Defense Council's decision to designate the militias as a "terrorist organization."

He reassured the humanitarian actions organizations that the government has taken into account that humanitarian and relief interventions will not be affected all over the country.

The President provided a detailed presentation about the outcomes of the ongoing reforms of the Council and government and the needed international support to bolster the reformative campaign.

Alimi referred to the achievements in institutionalizing services, combating corruption, and protecting rights and freedoms, including activating the role of judicial, parliamentary, and oversight bodies.

He touched on the ongoing efforts to rebuild the army and security institutions and service reforms in various sectors with the support of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Ambassadors praised the government's initiatives to mitigate the humanitarian suffering and its constructive dealing with the de-escalation efforts.

They confirmed their full support for the economic and services reforms in the government-held governorates.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Lieutenant-General Mohsen al-Daeri did not rule out a return to the military option if efforts to renew the UN truce collapsed.

Daeri confirmed, in statements carried by the al-Arabiya channel, that the armed forces and the supporting coalition forces have many alternative and coordinated plans for an unconventional war and battles.

He said that the military committee formed to unify the forces made significant achievements and accomplished most of the theoretical matters. The authorities will organize the field committees to implement everything agreed upon.



Italy Arrests 7 Accused of Raising Millions for Hamas

Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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Italy Arrests 7 Accused of Raising Millions for Hamas

Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Italian police said Saturday that they have arrested seven people suspected of raising millions of euros for Palestinian group Hamas.

Police also issued international arrests for two others outside the country, said AFP.

Three associations, officially supporting Palestinian civilians but allegedly serving as a front for funding Hamas, are implicated in the investigation, said a police statement.

The nine individuals are accused of having financed approximately seven million euros ($8 million) to "associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, or Israel, owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas."

While the official objective of the three associations was to collect donations "for humanitarian purposes for the Palestinian people," more than 71 percent was earmarked for the direct financing of Hamas" or entities affiliated with the movement, according to police.

Some of the money went to "family members implicated in terrorist attacks," the statement said.

Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, according to media reports.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi posted on X that the operation "lifted the veil on behavior and activities which, pretending to be initiatives in favor of the Palestinian population, concealed support for and participation in terrorist organizations."


Türkiye Holds Military Funeral for Libyan Officers Killed in Plane Crash

The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
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Türkiye Holds Military Funeral for Libyan Officers Killed in Plane Crash

The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)

Türkiye held a military funeral ceremony Saturday morning for five Libyan officers, including western Libya’s military chief, who died in a plane crash earlier this week.

The private jet with Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officers and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara, Türkiye’s capital, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, UN-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s military.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli, Libya’s capital, after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

Saturday's ceremony was held at 8:00 a.m. local time at the Murted Airfield base, near Ankara, and attended by the Turkish military chief and the defense minister. The five caskets, each wrapped in a Libyan national flag, were then loaded onto a plane to be returned to their home country.

Türkiye’s military chief, Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, was also on the plane headed to Libya, state-run news agency TRT reported.

The bodies recovered from the crash site were kept at the Ankara Forensic Medicine Institute for identification. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc told reporters their DNA was compared to family members who joined a 22-person delegation that arrived from Libya after the crash.

Tunc also said Germany was asked to help examine the jet's black boxes as an impartial third party.


Syrian Foreign Ministry: Talks with SDF Have Not Yielded Tangible Results

SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)
SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)
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Syrian Foreign Ministry: Talks with SDF Have Not Yielded Tangible Results

SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)
SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)

A source from the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the talks with the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) over their integration into state institutions “have not yielded tangible results.”

Discussions about merging the northeastern institutions into the state remain “hypothetical statements without execution,” it told Syria’s state news agency SANA.

Repeated assertions over Syria’s unity are being contradicted by the reality on the ground in the northeast, where the Kurds hold sway and where administrative, security and military institutions continue to be run separately from the state, it added.

The situation “consolidates the division” instead of addressing it, it warned.

It noted that despite the SDF’s continued highlighting of its dialogue with the Syrian state, these discussions have not led to tangible results.

It seems that the SDF is using this approach to absorb the political pressure on it, said the source. The truth is that there is little actual will to move from discussion to application of the March 10 agreement.

This raises doubts over the SDF’s commitment to the deal, it stressed.

Talk about rapprochement between the state and SDF remains meaningless if the agreement is not implemented on the ground within a specific timeframe, the source remarked.

Furthermore, the continued deployment of armed formations on the ground that are not affiliated with the Syrian army are evidence that progress is not being made.

The persistence of the situation undermines Syria’s sovereignty and hampers efforts to restore stability, it warned.