Yemen Urges Support for Legitimate Govt, Ending Houthi Ties to Iran

Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Awad bin Mubarak meets with Director of the Middle East and North Africa of German Foreign Office Dr. Tobias Tunkel.
Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Awad bin Mubarak meets with Director of the Middle East and North Africa of German Foreign Office Dr. Tobias Tunkel.
TT

Yemen Urges Support for Legitimate Govt, Ending Houthi Ties to Iran

Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Awad bin Mubarak meets with Director of the Middle East and North Africa of German Foreign Office Dr. Tobias Tunkel.
Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Awad bin Mubarak meets with Director of the Middle East and North Africa of German Foreign Office Dr. Tobias Tunkel.

Yemen’s legitimate government reiterated on Friday its call on the international community to provide it with political and economic support.

Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Awad bin Mubarak met on Friday with Director of the Middle East and North Africa of German Foreign Office Dr. Tobias Tunkel to discuss the latest developments in Yemen.

They addressed the efforts to end the war "caused by the Houthi aggression against the Yemeni people," the FM was quoted as saying by the state news agency Saba.

He underscored the need to provide the suitable conditions to achieve peace and support the legitimate government.

The officials tackled Iran’s obstructive role in Yemen and "the need for the Houthi militias to end their affiliations with it so that security and stability can be restored in the country."

Tunkel stressed Germany’s support to peace efforts in Yemen, saying it "stands by the country’s unity and territorial integrity."

Meanwhile, the government intensified efforts to combat the smuggling of Iranian weapons to the Houthis.

Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik met with the central bank governor, defense minister, commander of the second military zone, customs officials and others to address the smuggling.

The PM hailed the concerned authorities on their efforts and ordered that rewards be offered to the border employees and soldiers who seized the latest smuggled shipment.

He ordered that a mechanism be put in place to encourage employees and offer rewards for busting smuggling attempts.

The gatherers announced that more measures to combat the smuggling will be introduced.



Israeli Strike on a Gaza Apartment Building Kills at Least 7 People, Including 4 Children

A Palestinian carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, December 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A Palestinian carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, December 20, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Strike on a Gaza Apartment Building Kills at Least 7 People, Including 4 Children

A Palestinian carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, December 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A Palestinian carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, December 20, 2024. (Reuters)

An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in central Gaza killed at least seven Palestinians, including four children, and injured 16 other people on Friday afternoon, health officials said.

The strike hit an apartment in the Jaffa residential tower in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp. The dead and wounded were taken to Aqsa and Awda hospitals.

The Israeli military did not immediately offer comment on the strike. Israel says it only strikes fighters and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in residential areas.

Israel faces heavy international criticism over the unprecedented levels of civilian casualties in Gaza and questions about whether it has done enough to prevent them.