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Jordan’s King Abdullah, Yemen’s Al-Alimi Discuss Regional Security

Jordanian King Abdullah II receives the head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, in Amman yesterday (Saba News Agency)
Jordanian King Abdullah II receives the head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, in Amman yesterday (Saba News Agency)
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Jordan’s King Abdullah, Yemen’s Al-Alimi Discuss Regional Security

Jordanian King Abdullah II receives the head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, in Amman yesterday (Saba News Agency)
Jordanian King Abdullah II receives the head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, in Amman yesterday (Saba News Agency)

Jordan's King Abdullah II met the head of Yemen's presidential council, Rashad Al-Alimi, in Amman on Monday and discussed with him regional developments following Houthis escalating their terrorist attacks on Yemeni oil terminals.

Yemeni sources stated that Al-Alimi arrived in Amman on an official visit, accompanied by two members of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Tariq Saleh and Abdullah Al-Alimi.

According to Saba news agency, talks between Al-Alimi and the Jordanian monarch touched on “developments in Yemeni affairs and regional security, in light of the increase in terrorist activities by the Houthi militia backed by the Iranian regime.”

The two sides also reviewed areas of cooperation between Jordan and Yemen, including bilateral coordination to face common security challenges.

Al-Alimi commended Jordan’s efforts to end the Yemeni crisis, expressing appreciation for the Kingdom’s support at the international stage for a political solution that restores security and stability to Yemen.

King Abdullah “reaffirmed Jordan’s keenness to support Yemen, its people, the unity and integrity of its territory and its legitimate national institutions.”

He also affirmed “Jordan's openness to all available forms of support to alleviate the human suffering of the Yemeni people and restore peace and stability in Yemen according to the relevant national, regional and international references.”

Yemen’s PLC had also stressed the implementation of deterrent punitive measures against Houthi militias in response to their terrorist actions. The PLC held the Iran-backed militias fully responsible for the repercussions of their attacks on the humanitarian level and the arrival of life-saving goods.

PLC measures include punishing Houthi leaders, affiliated entities, and individuals involved in financing the terrorist group.

The PLC also held Houthi militias responsible for what it described as “the dire consequences of devastating terrorist escalation, including the repercussions on life-saving humanitarian supplies, as well as the repercussions of employing a hostile approach to efforts to establish peace and stability in Yemen.”

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Arab World

Lebanon’s Salam Wins Enough Support to Become PM, Angering Hezbollah

Judge Nawaf Salam, president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) speaks at the ICJ at the start of a hearing in The Hague Netherlands May 16, 2024. (Reuters)
Judge Nawaf Salam, president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) speaks at the ICJ at the start of a hearing in The Hague Netherlands May 16, 2024. (Reuters)
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Lebanon’s Salam Wins Enough Support to Become PM, Angering Hezbollah

Judge Nawaf Salam, president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) speaks at the ICJ at the start of a hearing in The Hague Netherlands May 16, 2024. (Reuters)
Judge Nawaf Salam, president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) speaks at the ICJ at the start of a hearing in The Hague Netherlands May 16, 2024. (Reuters)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun summoned Nawaf Salam, head of the International Court of Justice, to designate him prime minister after most lawmakers nominated him on Monday, a big blow to Hezbollah, which accused opponents of seeking to exclude it.

The choice of Salam underlined the major shift in the power balance among Lebanon's sectarian factions since the Iran-backed Shiite group Hezbollah was pummeled in a war with Israel last year, and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad was toppled.

The presidency said Salam, currently outside the country and due to return on Tuesday, had secured the backing of 84 out of parliament's 128 lawmakers, and Aoun had summoned him to assign him to form the government.

Salam won backing from Christian and Druze factions, and prominent Sunni Muslim MPs, including Hezbollah allies and opponents of the group who have long demanded it give up its arsenal, arguing it has undermined the state.

But lawmakers from Hezbollah and its Shiite ally the Amal Movement, which hold all the seats reserved for Shiites in parliament, did not name anybody, indicating they currently do not intend to participate in Salam's government and raising the prospect of a sectarian rift if they remain outside cabinet.

Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad, whose Iran-backed group had wanted incumbent Najib Mikati to stay in the post, said Hezbollah's opponents were working for fragmentation and exclusion. He said the group had "extended its hand" by electing Joseph Aoun as president last week only to find the "hand cut".

"Any government at odds with coexistence has no legitimacy whatsoever," Raad said. The group would act calmly and wisely "out of concern for the national interest", he added.

Last week's election of army commander General Aoun was another sign of shifts in the political landscape, in which Hezbollah had long held decisive sway.

Aoun's election and the designation of a new premier are steps towards reviving Lebanese government institutions which have been paralyzed for more than two years, with the country having neither a head of state nor a fully empowered cabinet.

Faisal Karami, a Sunni lawmaker aligned with the group, said he had nominated Salam, citing demands for "change and renewal" and pledges of Arab and international support for Lebanon.

Head of the Christian Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil said Salam was the "face of reform". "Hope is in change," said the lawmaker, who was once allied with Hezbollah.

The new administration faces huge tasks including rebuilding areas levelled by Israeli airstrikes during the war with Hezbollah, and launching long-stalled reforms to revive the economy and address the root causes of the collapse of Lebanon's financial system in 2019.

Aoun said he hoped for a smooth and fast government formation because "we have great opportunities abroad", a reference to pledges of foreign support.

HEZBOLLAH MPS ARRIVE LATE

The prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim according to Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, which parcels out state positions on the basis of religious affiliation. The presidency goes to a Maronite Christian and the speaker of parliament must be a Shiite Muslim.

Hezbollah lawmakers attended their meeting with Aoun later than scheduled, delaying their arrival as they saw the momentum building behind Salam, a Hezbollah source said, according to Reuters.

Hezbollah believed a political understanding had been reached on Mikati's election before the group agreed to elect Aoun last week, the source said.

Salam took over the presidency of the ICJ, which is based in The Hague, as it held its first hearing in 2024 on a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip, which Israel has dismissed as baseless.

Aoun, in his former role as commander of the US-backed army, played a critical role in the implementation of a US-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah.

The terms require the Lebanese army to deploy into south Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw forces.