100 Houthi-Bound Drone Parts Seized in Yemen

The busted shipment of drone parts. (Twitter)
The busted shipment of drone parts. (Twitter)
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100 Houthi-Bound Drone Parts Seized in Yemen

The busted shipment of drone parts. (Twitter)
The busted shipment of drone parts. (Twitter)

Yemeni security agencies seized on Monday a shipment of some one hundred drone parts that were bound to the terrorist Iran-backed Houthi militias.

The shipment was busted in the eastern al-Mahra province.

Yemeni official sources said security forces seized the shipment while inspecting a truck at a crossing point.

The owner of the truck claimed that his shipment was loaded with clothes, but after inspection, the smuggled goods were uncovered and seized.

Deputy head of the Consultations and Reconciliation Commission Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi confirmed that the shipment was loaded with some 100 drone parts that were bound to the Houthis.

In a tweet, he said one hundred drone engines were bound to a terrorist group that has been barred from arming in line with United Nations resolutions.

“How many people could these drones have killed? How many have been smuggled over the past eight years? Doesn’t this demand an international probe?” he wondered.

A report by UN experts had revealed that a land route that stretches from the eastern border is being used by smugglers to the Houthis. They also spoke of marine routes used by smuggling networks in Iran.

The US Navy had in the past two months alone seized a number of vessels that were smuggling weapons and ammunition to the Houthis believed to be provided by Iran.

In November, the US Navy's Fifth Fleet intercepted a fishing vessel smuggling "massive" amounts of explosive material while transiting from Iran along a route in the Gulf of Oman that has been used to traffic weapons to the Houthis.

In early December, the Fleet said it intercepted a fishing trawler smuggling "more than 50 tons of ammunition rounds, fuses and propellants for rockets" in the Gulf of Oman along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen.

Earlier in January, the US Navy seized over 2,100 assault rifles from a ship in the Gulf of Oman it believes came from Iran and were bound for the Houthis.



Lebanese President: Israeli Occupation Prevents Army Deployment in the South

This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel shows an Israeli army tank being positioned along the Israel-Lebanon border, on July 1, 2026. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP) /
This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel shows an Israeli army tank being positioned along the Israel-Lebanon border, on July 1, 2026. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP) /
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Lebanese President: Israeli Occupation Prevents Army Deployment in the South

This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel shows an Israeli army tank being positioned along the Israel-Lebanon border, on July 1, 2026. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP) /
This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel shows an Israeli army tank being positioned along the Israel-Lebanon border, on July 1, 2026. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP) /

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that the continued Israeli "occupation" of southern Lebanon is preventing the deployment of the Lebanese army, as the two sides prepare to implement a framework agreement providing for a gradual Israeli military withdrawal followed by the phased deployment of Lebanese armed forces.

Aoun stressed, according to a statement carried by the presidency, "the importance of pressuring Israel to withdraw from the areas it occupies in Lebanon," adding that "the continued occupation undermines the state's legitimacy, prevents the army's deployment, and obstructs the foundations for achieving a just and lasting peace."

Lebanon entered the war on March 2 after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, saying the attack was in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

Israel responded with an extensive bombing campaign and a ground offensive while intensifying calls for the evacuation of large areas of southern Lebanon.

Under a framework agreement reached between Lebanon and Israel in the United States on June 26, the Lebanese army is to reassert its authority across southern Lebanon, provided Hezbollah is disarmed, beginning with "pilot areas" from which Israeli forces will withdraw.


4 People Killed in Israeli Strike in South Lebanon’s Nabatieh

This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel shows an Israeli army tank being positioned along the Israel-Lebanon border, on July 1, 2026. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)
This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel shows an Israeli army tank being positioned along the Israel-Lebanon border, on July 1, 2026. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)
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4 People Killed in Israeli Strike in South Lebanon’s Nabatieh

This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel shows an Israeli army tank being positioned along the Israel-Lebanon border, on July 1, 2026. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)
This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel shows an Israeli army tank being positioned along the Israel-Lebanon border, on July 1, 2026. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Four people were killed when an Israeli drone ⁠targeted a vehicle ⁠in ⁠Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon's state news agency.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes days earlier.

Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, where its troops still occupy swathes of territory near the border.

At the end of June, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a US-backed framework aiming to pave the way for a permanent end to hostilities.


Hamas to Dissolve Gaza Governing Body, Say Officials

Palestinians walk along a road in Gaza City on July 3, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinians walk along a road in Gaza City on July 3, 2026. (AFP)
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Hamas to Dissolve Gaza Governing Body, Say Officials

Palestinians walk along a road in Gaza City on July 3, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinians walk along a road in Gaza City on July 3, 2026. (AFP)

Hamas is preparing to dissolve the body that has governed the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades, officials from the group said Monday, clearing the way for a Palestinian technocratic committee to implement civilian rule.

The move marks a significant political shift by the Hamas group, which has run Gaza since its fighters seized control from rival Palestinian movement Fatah in 2007.

Since a ceasefire took effect in Gaza last October between Hamas and Israel, the group has repeatedly said it is prepared to step aside from day-to-day governance, but the thorny issue of its disarmament remains unresolved.

"The movement has decided to dissolve the Gaza government committee and to appoint a nationally accepted figure to oversee the committee's work until the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza formally assumes its responsibilities," a Hamas official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk publicly on the matter.

Hamas's media office in Gaza said it would hold "an important press conference" later on Monday, without providing details.

A second Hamas official said the group had already informed other Palestinian factions of the move at a recent meeting in Cairo.

"The factions welcomed Hamas's decision, describing it as a serious step towards enabling the National Committee to take up its governing role," the official said.

The dissolution of the Hamas body paves the way for the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), headed by Palestinian official Ali Shaath, to assume administrative responsibilities.

The NCAG was established by the Board of Peace, which was in turn set up by US President Donald Trump when he brokered the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel last October.

But it has remained based outside Gaza for months, reportedly due to Israeli objections to its entry into the war-devastated territory.

Hamas and other Palestinian factions have held several rounds of talks in Cairo with mediators to narrow differences, particularly over the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.

The first phase involved the release of the last Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.

The transition to the second phase, which was to involve Hamas's disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, has been stalled for months.

Israeli forces have actually expanded their presence in the territory in recent months, taking control of nearly 70 percent.

Meanwhile, Hamas is demanding the establishment of a Palestinian administration before it will consider handing over any part of its arsenal.

The question of Gaza's post-war governance remains one of the main sticking points in negotiations on implementing phase two.

Israel rejects any return of Hamas to power, but also rejects a direct takeover by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority at this stage.