Arab Colation Succeeds in Ending Yemen's Crisis

A fighter from the separatist Southern Transitional Council walks with smoke billowing in the background in the government's de facto capital Aden (AP)
A fighter from the separatist Southern Transitional Council walks with smoke billowing in the background in the government's de facto capital Aden (AP)
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Arab Colation Succeeds in Ending Yemen's Crisis

A fighter from the separatist Southern Transitional Council walks with smoke billowing in the background in the government's de facto capital Aden (AP)
A fighter from the separatist Southern Transitional Council walks with smoke billowing in the background in the government's de facto capital Aden (AP)

The efforts of Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen led to the re-establishment of security in Aden and stabilizing the situation after it managed to defuse the armed clashes that broke out last Sunday between government forces and loyalists of the so-called "Southern Transitional Council".

Saudi-led Arab coalition spokesman, Colonel Turki al-Maliki, denied rumors circulated by some media outlets that Houthi militias managed to successfully target sites or military camps in Aden.

"All armed presence in Aden had been terminated," he told Saudi "Ekhbareyya" news channel.

Yemeni government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that "Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid Bin Daghr and his cabinet members are in the presidential palace in al-Maasheeq."

The source confirmed that the cabinet is performing its usual activities and cooperating with the coalition leadership to end all aspects of the military tension in the city and restore stability.

The armed factions loyal to the so-called "Southern Transitional Council" led by former Aden governor Aidroos al-Zubaidi clashed on Sunday with brigades of "presidential services" during an escalation against the legitimate government headed by Bin Daghr, which resulted in the control of a number of governmental institutions and sites.

In a brief statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, Yemeni government spokesman Rajih Badi indicated that situation had been restored in Aden thanks to the efforts of the coalition. He also pointed that militants of the so-called "Transitional Council" had succumbed to the truce and handed over the sites and headquarters they had taken over.

Field sources in Aden reported that gunmen of the "Transitional Council" handed over the headquarters of the fourth brigade of presidential services in Dar Saad neighborhood, north Aden, to other neutral government forces led by Hamdi Shukri al-Soubehi. They also handed over the weapons they had seized and other locations.

The sources stressed that efforts of the coalition to contain the crisis in Aden led to the release of prisoners from all parties.

"A committee composed of a number of military figures visited al-Naqel, al-Sawlaban camps and other detention sites, received the prisoners and released all of them," added the sources.

The situation in the city gradually improved and roads were re-opened after civilians spent three days in fear of clashes that led to the deaths of 21 people and injury of dozens others, according to the Yemeni Ministry of Health.

Sources close to "Southern Transition Council" said the leadership of the council, led by Zubaidi, is flexible in its demand for the dismissal of the government.

The government stated it had abode by the cease-fire which the "Transitional" forces used as a chance to continue breaking into military camps and government offices.

Yemen Airways canceled its scheduled flights for the third consecutive day due to security concerns, but it announced it will resume the flights as of Thursday, Saba reported.

Earlier Wednesday, UN warned that due to the violent standoff, its teams are unable to deliver humanitarian aid to more than 40,000 Yemenis recently displaced to Aden, saying planned aid distributions had been postponed with cargo stuck at Aden port.

In another security incident, witnesses in Ataq city, center of Shabwa province, said the forces of the so-called "Shabwaneyah Elite" trained by the coalition forces increased its deployment in the city following al-Qaeda suicide attack at a security checkpoint east of the city which killed about 22 soldiers.

The sources said that the forces deployed in the streets of the city and at the main entrances and set up checkpoints as part of a security campaign to pursue wanted persons linked to the organization.



Shibani Meets Barrack in Riyadh

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani during his meeting with US Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack in Riyadh (SANA)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani during his meeting with US Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack in Riyadh (SANA)
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Shibani Meets Barrack in Riyadh

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani during his meeting with US Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack in Riyadh (SANA)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani during his meeting with US Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack in Riyadh (SANA)

Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shibani, met on Monday in Riyadh with US Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, the Syrian Foreign Ministry reported via its Telegram channel.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the meeting took place on the sidelines of the meeting of political leaders of the International Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

Al-Mikdad, accompanied by General Intelligence Chief Hussein al-Salama, arrived in Riyadh on Sunday to participate in the Coalition’s discussions.

On February 4, the UN Security Council warned during a session on threats to international peace and security that the terrorist group remains adaptable and capable of expansion.

The council emphasized that confronting this evolving threat requires comprehensive international cooperation grounded in respect of international law and human rights.


Israel Announces Arrest of Prominent Jamaa Islamiya Member in Southern Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Announces Arrest of Prominent Jamaa Islamiya Member in Southern Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana on February 2, 2026. (AFP)

The Israeli army announced on Monday the arrest of a member of the Jamaa al-Islamiya group in Lebanon.

The military said a unit carried out a night operation in Jabal al-Rouss in southern Lebanon, arresting a “prominent” member of the group and taking him to Israel for investigation.

Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adree revealed that the operation took place based on intelligence gathered in recent weeks.

The military raided a building in the area where it discovered combat equipment, he added, while accusing the group of “encouraging terrorist attacks in Israel”.

He vowed that the Israeli army will “continue to work on removing any threat” against it.

Also on Monday, an Israeli drone struck a car in the southern Lebanese village of Yanouh, killing three people, including a child, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. 

Adree confirmed the strike, saying the army had targeted a Hezbollah member.

The Jamaa al-Islamiya slammed the Israeli operation, acknowledging on Monday the kidnapping of its official in the Hasbaya and Marjeyoun regions Atweh Atweh.

In a statement, the group said Israel abducted Atweh in an overnight operation where it “terrorized and beat up his family members.”

It held the Israeli army responsible for any harm that may happen to him, stressing that this was yet another daily violation committed by Israel against Lebanon.

“Was this act of piracy a response to Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s tour of the South?” it asked, saying the operation was “aimed at terrorizing the people and encouraging them to leave their villages and land.”

The group called on the Lebanese state to pressure the sponsors of the ceasefire to work on releasing Atweh and all other Lebanese detainees held by Israel. It also called on it to protect the residents of the South.

Salam had toured the South over the weekend, pledging that the state will reimpose its authority in the South and kick off reconstruction efforts within weeks.

After the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, the Jamaa al-Islamiya's Fajr Forces joined forces with Hezbollah, launching rockets across the border into Israel that it said were in support of Hamas in Gaza.

Hezbollah started attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel, triggering the latest Israel-Hamas war. Israel later launched a widespread bombardment of Lebanon that severely weakened Hezbollah, followed by a ground invasion.

The conflict ended with a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024, and since then, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes and ground incursions into Lebanon. Israel says it is carrying out the operations to remove Hezbollah strongholds and threats against Israel.

The Israel-Hezbollah war killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and caused an estimated $11 billion in damage and destruction, according to the World Bank. In Israel, 127 people died, including 80 soldiers. 


Israel Says Killed Four Militants Exiting Tunnel in Gaza’s Rafah

Boys walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on February 8, 2026. (AFP)
Boys walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on February 8, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Says Killed Four Militants Exiting Tunnel in Gaza’s Rafah

Boys walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on February 8, 2026. (AFP)
Boys walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on February 8, 2026. (AFP)

Israel's military said it killed four suspected militants who attacked its troops as the armed men emerged from a tunnel in southern Gaza on Monday, calling the group's actions a "blatant violation" of the ceasefire.

Despite a US-brokered truce entering its second phase last month, violence has continued in the Gaza Strip, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaching the agreement.

"A short while ago, four armed terrorists exited an underground tunnel shaft and fired towards soldiers in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip.... Following identification, the troops eliminated the terrorists," the military said in a statement.

It said none of its troops had been injured in the attack, which it called a "blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement" between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli troops "are continuing to operate in the area to locate and eliminate all the terrorists within the underground tunnel route", the military added.

Gaza health officials have said Israeli air strikes last Wednesday killed 24 people, with Israel's military saying the attacks were in response to one of its officers being wounded by enemy gunfire.

That wave of strikes came after Israel partly reopened the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on February 2, the only gateway to the Palestinian territory that does not pass through Israel.

Israeli forces seized control of the crossing in May 2024 during the war with Hamas, and it had remained largely closed since.

Around 180 Palestinians have left the Gaza Strip since Rafah's limited reopening, according to officials in the territory.

Israel has so far restricted passage to patients and their accompanying relatives.

The second phase of the Gaza ceasefire foresees a demilitarization of the territory -- including the disarmament of Hamas -- along with a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Hamas has repeatedly said that disarmament is a red line, although it has indicated it could consider handing over its weapons to a future Palestinian governing authority.

Israeli officials say Hamas still has around 20,000 fighters and about 60,000 Kalashnikovs in Gaza.

A Palestinian technocratic committee has been set up with a goal of taking over day-to-day governance in the strip, but it remains unclear whether, or how, it will address the issue of demilitarization.