Yemen Threatens to Punish Shipping Companies Cooperating with Houthis

Shipping vessels in Hodeidah port (Reuters)
Shipping vessels in Hodeidah port (Reuters)
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Yemen Threatens to Punish Shipping Companies Cooperating with Houthis

Shipping vessels in Hodeidah port (Reuters)
Shipping vessels in Hodeidah port (Reuters)

The Yemeni government threatened to revoke the licenses and block any shipping company cooperating with the Houthi militia.

Ports of Aden Corporation sent a letter to two shipping companies, warning against shipping towards Hodeidah port, stressing that the two companies approval to divert their shipping routes to Hodeidah "is a clear and explicit violation of the directives of the legitimate government."

The letter warned it might cancel the permits granted to the companies, stopping their activities in the ports, noting that any navigational activity not approved by the legitimate government is a recognition of the coup militias.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik asserted the need to take all measures that preserve public funds and implement decisions regulating imports, consistent with the government's obligations in combating money laundering and financing terrorism.

Abdulmalik chaired the ministerial committee meeting in Aden to discuss economic developments and develop solutions to secure trade in land and sea ports.

According to the Saba news agency, the committee discussed the measures and decisions to facilitate imports.

The committee also reviewed the plans and procedures to regulate trade movement, which could facilitate and ensure ease of arrival of goods and reduce the cost of transportation and insurance in the ports of the liberated areas.

The committee stressed the need to take all procedures and measures to preserve public funds, implement government decisions regulating imports, and comply with the government's obligations in combating money laundering and terrorism financing.

It emphasized taking the necessary steps to prevent transgressions or violations of local and international laws and mechanisms, including communicating with countries and export destinations.

According to the Yemeni official media, ministers briefed the committee on implementing previous decisions and the required mechanisms and procedures.

The Ministries of Transport and Trade denied any change in the ship's movement heading to Yemeni ports, including Hodeidah port, under the Houthi control.

They confirmed the ongoing coordination with the UN and the coalition supporting legitimacy of imposing the mechanisms.

Earlier, the Houthi militia claimed a change in the navigation movement heading to Hodeidah ports against the UN mechanism used to enter ships.

The Transport Minister, Abdulsalam Hameed, confirmed that the ship's movement to the ports in liberated areas and Aden had stayed the same.

Hameed assured major merchants, importers, and shipping companies there were solutions to the difficulties facing trade activity and organizing transportation of the goods according to the regulatory frameworks.

The government is in full coordination with the UN and the coalition led by Saudi Arabia, asserted the minister, accusing the militias of spreading lies.

He vowed that the government and its competent agencies would take all legal measures against commercial ships, cargo owners, and navigational agencies that violate the law and the mechanisms.



LF Organizes National Conference to Outline ‘Roadmap to Save Lebanon’

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
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LF Organizes National Conference to Outline ‘Roadmap to Save Lebanon’

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)

The Lebanese Forces party has called for a national conference to address the Israeli war on Lebanon.

The conference, which will take place at the party’s headquarters in Maarab, aims to establish a political framework to halt the war, in cooperation with Arab nations and the international community, according to sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.

The sources said invitations have been sent to opposition parties, independent MPs, and national figures, though key groups such as Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, and the Marada Movement have not been invited.

They also noted that the goal is to “create a roadmap to rescue Lebanon from the destruction caused by its involvement in the conflict and to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people, who have endured violence, displacement, and destruction.”

The conference will emphasize the need for peace, prosperity, and the reconstruction of Lebanon, reflecting the will of the majority of the Lebanese population who feel powerless in the face of ongoing turmoil, the sources stressed.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, a source within the LF said that the party has remained “strategically silent out of respect for the war’s victims” but now believes it is time to speak up. The party’s leader, Dr. Samir Geagea, will outline key solutions, including an immediate ceasefire, full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and the urgent election of a president. These proposals are intended to appeal to both domestic and international audiences, including Iran and Israel, according to the same source.

The call for a conference follows an earlier initiative by opposition MPs, including those from the Lebanese Forces, which called for the Lebanese state to reclaim control, distance Lebanon from regional conflicts, and commit to a ceasefire and the full implementation of international resolutions. However, that initiative did not yield significant results.

While there are no guarantees that the Maarab conference will lead to immediate solutions, the source in the LF said that the party is determined to push forward, pointing that a follow-up committee will be formed to engage with political forces in Lebanon and key international stakeholders, including the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.