Yemeni Govt Condemns Houthi Bombing of School in Hajjah

Houthi drone downed by the Yemeni army in Marib (Military media)
Houthi drone downed by the Yemeni army in Marib (Military media)
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Yemeni Govt Condemns Houthi Bombing of School in Hajjah

Houthi drone downed by the Yemeni army in Marib (Military media)
Houthi drone downed by the Yemeni army in Marib (Military media)

The Houthi militia in Yemen continued its violations by bombing a school in Hajjah governorate, left a child dead and two others injured, according to official sources.

Yousef Abdoh Bishi, 11, was killed in the Houthi drone attack on the school in the al-Deir village.

The Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Moammar al-Eryani, condemned the attack in the strongest terms, warning that the terrorist Houthi militia's targeting of the school reaffirmed its disregard for calls and efforts for peace.

The Yemeni minister urged the international community, including the UN and US envoys and human rights organizations to condemn this heinous crime and classify it as a war crime and crime against humanity.

He called for the prosecution and accountability of Houthis leaders and elements behind the attack, including those on international terrorist lists.

UNICEF reported that more than 11,000 children have now been killed or maimed due to the conflict in Yemen, an average of four a day since the escalation of the conflict in 2015.

According to a report, the United Nations confirmed that 3,774 children were killed, and 3,995 children, including 91 girls, were recruited into fighting.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms documented more than 127,000 Houthi violations, which caused the death and injury of about 48,000 civilians over eight years.

In a report issued on Human Rights Day, the Network reported the death and injury of 9,808 civilians, including 1,388 children, by Houthi mines since their coup against legitimacy.

It accused the militias of arresting and kidnapping 16,804 civilians, including 4,201, who are still in detention.

The report stated that 1,317 citizens were still forcibly disappeared, including 84 women and 76 children, in Houthi prisons, and revealed that 671 abductees were killed inside prisons.

The Network for Rights and Freedoms held the international community and the Security Council responsible for protecting Yemenis from Houthi terrorism and demanded that the group be quickly classified on the terrorist list.

It also called on the international community and the Security Council to subject the group to United Nations and Security Council resolutions, human rights treaties and charters, and international humanitarian law.



EU Announces 235 Mn Euro Aid Package for Syria, Neighboring Countries

This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with EU crisis management chief Hadja Lahbib in Damascus, on January 17, 2025. (Photo by SANA / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with EU crisis management chief Hadja Lahbib in Damascus, on January 17, 2025. (Photo by SANA / AFP)
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EU Announces 235 Mn Euro Aid Package for Syria, Neighboring Countries

This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with EU crisis management chief Hadja Lahbib in Damascus, on January 17, 2025. (Photo by SANA / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with EU crisis management chief Hadja Lahbib in Damascus, on January 17, 2025. (Photo by SANA / AFP)

EU crisis management chief Hadja Lahbib announced a 235-million-euro aid package for Syria and neighboring countries on Friday during the first visit by a senior EU official since Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

The trip comes two weeks after foreign ministers from France and Germany visited, calling for a peaceful, inclusive transition, amid a flurry of diplomatic activity by countries seeking to engage with war-torn Syria's new authorities.

"I come here to announce a new package of humanitarian aid of 235 million euros ($242 million) in Syria and in neighbouring countries," Lahbib told a press conference in Damascus after meeting Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

"Our funding will contribute to basic needs like shelter, food, clean water, sanitation, health care, education and emergencies among others," she said.

Neighboring countries have taken in millions of Syrian refugees over the years.

"We count on the authorities to ensure unrestricted and safe access for humanitarian actors to all regions of Syria including those in hard-to-reach and conflict-affected areas" in the east, Lahbib added.

"We are at a turning point and the decisions that will be taken in the coming days and months will be crucial," Lahbib said.

According to AFP, her meetings were expected to focus on the future of the sweeping economic sanctions that the 27-nation bloc imposed on Syria during Assad's rule.

The transitional government has been lobbying to have the sanctions lifted, but some European governments have been hesitant, wanting time to see how the new authorities exercise their power.

"We want to see a bright future for Syria and for that, we need to see the rule of law being respected, human rights, women's rights," Lahbib said.

"What I've heard from the mouth of the current authorities (is) really encouraging... Now we need action.

"Let's help Syria but without being naive," she said.