Yemen Reiterates Security, Military Preparedness to Confront Houthis

Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik (Saba)
Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik (Saba)
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Yemen Reiterates Security, Military Preparedness to Confront Houthis

Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik (Saba)
Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik (Saba)

The Yemeni government asserted the need to raise security and military readiness and called for popular support, hinting at resorting to "difficult choices" in response to Houthi terrorism.

Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik affirmed that the government would continue to take practical and firm measures to combat corruption, activate the rule of law, and reform state institutions within the comprehensive reform program.

Abdulmalik was speaking during a reception with the governors of the liberated governorates, where they discussed the coordination and integration of central and local measures to implement the National Defense Council's decision to classify the Houthi militia as a "terrorist group."

Saba news agency reported that the meeting was held via videoconferencing, with the participation of a member of the Presidential Leadership Council, the governor of Marib, Sultan al-Arada.

The meeting asserted the need to increase security and military readiness and effective communication with political forces and social figures to support "difficult choices" that the leadership and the government may resort to in dealing with Houthi threats.

They indicated that restoring the state and ending the Iranian-backed Houthi coup has become the inevitable option to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, protect international navigation, and regional and global stability.

The meeting held the "terrorist Houthi militia" responsible for the dire consequences of its devastating escalation, including the repercussions on peace efforts.

According to official sources, the Prime Minister stressed that executive offices should adhere to the ministries' directives regarding the executive procedures for classifying the Houthi militia as a "terrorist group," following up on the implementation and submission of periodic reports.

The meeting reviewed the challenges and difficulties in Aden and the liberated governorates.

They agreed on a set of decisions, according to available priorities and capabilities, namely electricity and water, and taking firm measures to combat corruption.

The sources stated that Abdulmalik affirmed the government's full support to the local authorities and provided all possible support for the success of their efforts in improving services.

The state established a set of measures and options to deal with the repeated Houthi terrorist attacks on oil facilities, stressing the need to end the coup and ensure the restoration of the state.

The Prime Minister affirmed that the priority of the state and government, which will determine all political, diplomatic, economic, military, and security tracks, is securing oil exports, meeting the needs of the citizens, and maintaining the minimum level of rights and services.

He described the Houthi attacks on oil ports as a "declaration of open war," warning that this would impact the national economic institutions and the lives and livelihood of citizens.

Abdulmalik renewed his government's commitment to defending national sovereign interests and facilities, securing essential services and livelihoods, and limiting the repercussions of the systematic terrorist targeting of the oil sector and civilian facilities.

He praised the "pivotal role" of the local authorities. He noted the need to rebuild the state institutions and activate their work, considering that a critical factor in limiting corruption.

The Yemeni National Defense Council approved the classification of Houthi militia as a terrorist group following its escalation by targeting the oil export ports in Hadramout and Shabwa through booby-trapped drones.

The approved Yemeni measures include punishing Houthi leaders and individuals involved in a suspicious financing network to provide financial and service support to the Iran-backed group.



Israeli Cabinet Approves Gaza Ceasefire Accord, Due to Take Effect Sunday

A woman speaks on a phone outside a tent pitched by the rubble of a destroyed building at a camp for people displaced by conflict in Bureij in the central Gaza Strip on January 17, 2025 following the announcement of a truce amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
A woman speaks on a phone outside a tent pitched by the rubble of a destroyed building at a camp for people displaced by conflict in Bureij in the central Gaza Strip on January 17, 2025 following the announcement of a truce amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
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Israeli Cabinet Approves Gaza Ceasefire Accord, Due to Take Effect Sunday

A woman speaks on a phone outside a tent pitched by the rubble of a destroyed building at a camp for people displaced by conflict in Bureij in the central Gaza Strip on January 17, 2025 following the announcement of a truce amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
A woman speaks on a phone outside a tent pitched by the rubble of a destroyed building at a camp for people displaced by conflict in Bureij in the central Gaza Strip on January 17, 2025 following the announcement of a truce amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

Israel's cabinet approved a deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Saturday, a day ahead of the agreement's scheduled start.

In the early hours of Saturday after meeting for more than six hours, the government ratified the agreement that would halt fighting and bombardment in Gaza's deadliest-ever war.

It would also enable the release of hostages held in the territory since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
"The Government has approved the framework for the return of the hostages. The framework for the hostages' release will come into effect on Sunday," Netanyahu's office said in a brief statement.

The ceasefire will come into effect at 0630 GMT on Sunday, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman posted on X.

Under the deal, the three-stage ceasefire starts with an initial six-week phase when hostages held by Hamas will be exchanged for prisoners and detainees jailed in Israel.

Thirty-three of the 98 remaining Israeli hostages, including women, children, men over 50 and ill and wounded captives, are to be freed in this phase. In return, Israel will release almost 2,000 Palestinians from its jails.

They include 737 male, female and teen-aged prisoners, some of whom are members of Palestinian militant groups convicted of attacks that killed dozens of Israelis, as well as hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza in detention since the start of the war.

The Israeli Justice Ministry published their details early on Saturday, along with the ceasefire agreement, which said that 30 Palestinian prisoners would be released for each female hostage on Sunday.

With the accord bitterly opposed by some Israeli cabinet hard-liners, media reports said 24 ministers in Netanyahu's coalition government voted in favor of the deal while eight opposed it.
The opponents said the ceasefire agreement represented a capitulation to Hamas. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to resign if it was approved and urged other ministers to vote against it. However, he said he would not bring down the government.

His fellow hard-liner, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also threatened to quit the government if it does not go back to war to defeat Hamas after the first six-week phase of the ceasefire.

After a last-minute delay on Thursday that Israel blamed on Hamas, the Israeli security cabinet voted on Friday in favor of the ceasefire accord, a requirement before the full cabinet vote.

The truce is to take effect on the eve of the inauguration of Donald Trump, who claimed credit for working with outgoing US President Joe Biden's team to seal the deal.