Yemen Reviews Options to Counter Houthi Escalation, Vows Punishment

The Yemeni government meeting in the interim capital, Aden. (Saba News Agency)
The Yemeni government meeting in the interim capital, Aden. (Saba News Agency)
TT

Yemen Reviews Options to Counter Houthi Escalation, Vows Punishment

The Yemeni government meeting in the interim capital, Aden. (Saba News Agency)
The Yemeni government meeting in the interim capital, Aden. (Saba News Agency)

Yemen’s government vowed to punish Houthi militias for stepping up terrorist activities in the governorates of Marib, Shabwah and Taiz. This came during a meeting in the interim capital Aden on Monday.

Late last week, Houthis staged an assassination attempt targeting the governor of Taiz. Moreover, the militia’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, threatened another year of naval and aerial terror attacks against Yemenis and neighboring countries using Iranian drones and missiles.

At the meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik, the Yemeni cabinet reviewed local and foreign developments considering the Houthi escalation. It also discussed issues related to improving public services and the economy.

“The cabinet extensively discussed available options for dealing with the military escalation of terrorist Houthi militias in the Hareb district in Marib, Merkhah district in Shabwa, and other fronts,” reported the official Saba News Agency.

The meeting, according to Saba, also tackled dealing with Houthi crimes and repeated attacks on civilian targets and public roads.

Warning Houthis against their hostile behavior, the cabinet said that the group’s crimes will not go “unpunished” and that it is unacceptable for Yemenis to remain hostage to crimes and violations of terrorist militias.

The cabinet advised against betting on the militias yielding to peace and said that the Houthis’ history affirms that the group will not submit to reconciliation efforts.

Additionally, the cabinet reiterated that the sole solution to the crisis in Yemen lies in restoring the state and ending the Houthi-waged coup.

Abdulmalik briefed cabinet members on the latest developments at the political, military, security, economic and service levels.

The premier stressed the importance of everyone shouldering their responsibilities and the need to redouble efforts from ministries and relevant authorities to overcome exceptional challenges and focus on implementing tasks that affect the lives and livelihood of citizens.



Syria's Foreign, Defense Ministers Arrive in UAE

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani. (X)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani. (X)
TT

Syria's Foreign, Defense Ministers Arrive in UAE

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani. (X)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani. (X)

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and Head of Intelligence Anas Khattab arrived on Monday in the United Arab Emirates on their first official visit to the Gulf country to discuss prospects for cooperation and coordination, the Syrian state news agency (SANA) reported.
During his visit to Qatar on Sunday, Shaibani reiterated his government's call for the United States to lift sanctions on Syria.
"These sanctions constitute a barrier and an obstacle to the rapid recovery and development of the Syrian people who await services and partnerships from other countries," Shibani told reporters after meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister.

Since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8th, the new Syrian administration has been working to reassure Arab countries and the international community that it will govern on behalf of all Syrians.