Yemen FM Says Houthi Practices Are a Threat to Int’l Security

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak addresses the media during a joint press conference with his German counterpart prior to a meeting in the German Foreign Office in Berlin, on 30 June 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)
Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak addresses the media during a joint press conference with his German counterpart prior to a meeting in the German Foreign Office in Berlin, on 30 June 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)
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Yemen FM Says Houthi Practices Are a Threat to Int’l Security

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak addresses the media during a joint press conference with his German counterpart prior to a meeting in the German Foreign Office in Berlin, on 30 June 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)
Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak addresses the media during a joint press conference with his German counterpart prior to a meeting in the German Foreign Office in Berlin, on 30 June 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)

Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa called for continuing the joint work aimed at reinforcing international and regional security and stability.

He received the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on the sidelines of the 18th edition of the IISS Manama Dialogue.

Prince Salman noted that Bahrain remains a beacon of peace, emphasizing the Kingdom's commitment in supporting international efforts that consolidate security, and peace.

During the Manama Dialogue, Yemen's Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Awad bin Mubarak denounced the practices of the Iran-backed Houthi militias, saying they are “a threat to the international security and peace”.

He urged the international community to exert more pressure on the Houths by endorsing the political solution based on the three references – the Gulf Initiative, the outcomes of Yemen's National Dialogue Conference, and UN Resolution 2216.

Yemen News Agency (SABA) reported that

Bin Mubarak and his UK counterpart met in Manama to discuss Houthi attacks on Yemen’s economic installations and oil ports.

Addressing the conference, bin Mubarak said the Iranian project has become clear and that the militias supported by it have become a threat jeopardizing the security of the Arabian Peninsula, region and world.

He stressed that the Yemeni government is committed to achieving peace to end the war and the bloodshed in Yemen.

“Any peaceful settlement in Yemen can't succeed unless the Yemenis agree on resolving their internal issues according to the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, and on a fair distribution of power and wealth,” he stated.

Moreover, the minister noted that the more the Houthis advance militarily the more they reject peace.

He stressed the importance of implementing the Riyadh Agreement as a pillar to achieving stability and peace, as well as uniting all political forces that oppose the Iranian agenda.

Furthermore, he demanded that the international and regional communities provide more support to the Yemeni government in its efforts to overcome economic challenges.



Lebanon: At Least 2 Hurt as Israeli Troops Fire on People Returning South after Truce with Hezbollah

A South Korean UN peacekeeper patrol drive past destroyed buildings in Chehabiyeh village, southern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A South Korean UN peacekeeper patrol drive past destroyed buildings in Chehabiyeh village, southern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
TT

Lebanon: At Least 2 Hurt as Israeli Troops Fire on People Returning South after Truce with Hezbollah

A South Korean UN peacekeeper patrol drive past destroyed buildings in Chehabiyeh village, southern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A South Korean UN peacekeeper patrol drive past destroyed buildings in Chehabiyeh village, southern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

At least two people were wounded by Israeli fire in southern Lebanon on Thursday, according to state media. The Israeli military said it had fired at people trying to return to certain areas on the second day of a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group.

The agreement, brokered by the United States and France, includes an initial two-month cease-fire in which Hezbollah militants are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded by Israeli fire in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. It said Israel fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.

The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”

Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.

A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.

Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.

More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.

Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.

In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.