Houthis Threaten to Use New Defense System

Houthi Missile launch from Yemen (File Photo/AFP)
Houthi Missile launch from Yemen (File Photo/AFP)
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Houthis Threaten to Use New Defense System

Houthi Missile launch from Yemen (File Photo/AFP)
Houthi Missile launch from Yemen (File Photo/AFP)

Iran-backed Houthi militias have threatened to use a new air defense system, enhancing their military capabilities to counter the legitimate government.

The newly obtained system is most likely Iranian-made.

The threats came after Houthis’ so-called spokesman Yahya al-Saree and foreign minister Mohammad Abdel Salam Felita met in Tehran with commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Sources believe Felita's visit to Tehran may be linked to efforts to acquire new weapons which Iran smuggles into Yemen using its terrorist arms to reach Hodeidah port. The group still refuses to withdraw from Hodeidah according to the Swedish agreement.

The militias admitted to Felita’s meeting with FM Zarif, however, they did not disclose his meeting with IRGC commanders.

Houthi media claimed that during the meeting, they discussed means to strengthen bilateral and diplomatic relations with Tehran and joint cooperation to support the political solution in Yemen, as well as regional developments.

Observers believe the Iranian regime has summoned Felita to assign the group new terrorist missions in the Red Sea in order to ease international pressure in Hormuz Strait.

The Spokesman indicated that soon there will be discussions on the group’s air defense forces, especially with the recent developments in the system, boosting its performance to carry out operational tasks in various areas.

He indicated that the group’s military militias will soon unveil their new developments of the air defense.

Houthis rely on Iranian missiles and drones they receive to carry out terrorist acts and attacks against the Yemeni army and Saudi civilian areas. However, they claim in media reports that the missiles are manufactured in Yemen.

Despite the group's attempts to hide its direct subjection to Tehran orders, its leaders have always been grateful to Iran and its other arms in the region, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iranian militias in Iraq.

Houthi leader Mohammad Ali al-Houthi said that the US Sanctions against Zarif were a sign of weakness. Mohammad Ali al-Houthi is preparing himself to chair the so-called Supreme Political Council.

The announcement of sanctions against Iran’s foreign minister is a sign of weakness and political lightness, he said, asserting the group’s condemnation for such a move.

He called upon Iran to remain vigilant and recalculate its moves before any contact with the US.

The Houthi leader tried to show his support to Zarif against US sanctions against him by saying they could not reach their goal from Hezbollah, nor from Abdul Malik bin Badreddine al-Houthi, nor anyone else, and they will not harm him.



Türkiye Plans First Overseas Deepwater Drilling in Somalia Next Month

Türkiye Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the conference 'Energy Security in the World and Türkiye: Risks and Solutions in Critical Minerals' at the Sabanci University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC), in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 26, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Türkiye Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the conference 'Energy Security in the World and Türkiye: Risks and Solutions in Critical Minerals' at the Sabanci University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC), in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 26, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Türkiye Plans First Overseas Deepwater Drilling in Somalia Next Month

Türkiye Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the conference 'Energy Security in the World and Türkiye: Risks and Solutions in Critical Minerals' at the Sabanci University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC), in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 26, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Türkiye Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the conference 'Energy Security in the World and Türkiye: Risks and Solutions in Critical Minerals' at the Sabanci University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC), in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 26, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Türkiye will send a drilling vessel to Somalia in February to carry out the country's first deepwater exploration project abroad, ‌Energy Minister ‌Alparslan Bayraktar ‌said.

He ‌said the operation with the Cagri Bey vessel will focus on offshore areas ⁠in Somali waters but did not ‍provide ‍details on targeted ‍reserves or investment size.

In 2024, Türkiye signed an energy exploration deal with Somalia. It has been ⁠seeking to diversify its energy sources and reduce reliance on imports, investing in exploration at home and overseas.


Libya Says UK to Analyze Black Box from Crash That Killed General

Military personnel carry portraits of the Libyan chief of staff, General Mohamed al-Haddad (2-R), and his four advisers, who were killed in a plane crash in Türkiye, during an official repatriation ceremony at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tripoli, Libya, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Military personnel carry portraits of the Libyan chief of staff, General Mohamed al-Haddad (2-R), and his four advisers, who were killed in a plane crash in Türkiye, during an official repatriation ceremony at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tripoli, Libya, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
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Libya Says UK to Analyze Black Box from Crash That Killed General

Military personnel carry portraits of the Libyan chief of staff, General Mohamed al-Haddad (2-R), and his four advisers, who were killed in a plane crash in Türkiye, during an official repatriation ceremony at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tripoli, Libya, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Military personnel carry portraits of the Libyan chief of staff, General Mohamed al-Haddad (2-R), and his four advisers, who were killed in a plane crash in Türkiye, during an official repatriation ceremony at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tripoli, Libya, 27 December 2025. (EPA)

Libya said on Thursday that Britain had agreed to analyze the black box from a plane crash in Türkiye on December 23 that killed a Libyan military delegation, including the head of its army.

General Mohammed al-Haddad and four aides died after a visit to Ankara, with Turkish officials saying an electrical failure caused their Falcon 50 jet to crash shortly after takeoff.

Three crew members, two of them French, were also killed.

The aircraft's black box flight recorder was found on farmland near the crash site.

"We coordinated directly with Britain for the analysis" of the black box, Mohamed al-Chahoubi, transport minister in the Government of National Unity (GNU), said at a press conference in Tripoli.

Haddad was very popular in Libya despite deep divisions between west and east.

Haddad was chief of staff for the Tripoli-based GNU.

Chahoubi told AFP a request for the analysis was "made to Germany, which demanded France's assistance" to examine the aircraft's flight recorders.

"However, the Chicago Convention stipulates that the country analyzing the black box must be neutral," he said.

"Since France is a manufacturer of the aircraft and the crew was French, it is not qualified to participate. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, was accepted by Libya and Turkey."

After meeting the British ambassador to Tripoli on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Taher al-Baour said a joint request had been submitted by Libya and Türkiye to Britain "to obtain technical and legal support for the analysis of the black box".

Chahoubi told Thursday's press briefing that Britain "announced its agreement, in coordination with the Libyan Ministry of Transport and the Turkish authorities".

He said it was not yet possible to say how long it would take to retrieve the flight data, as this depended on the state of the black box.

"The findings will be made public once they are known," Chahoubi said, warning against "false information" and urging the public not to pay attention to rumors.


STC Says Handing over Positions to National Shield Forces in Yemen's Hadhramaut, Mahra

National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)
National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)
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STC Says Handing over Positions to National Shield Forces in Yemen's Hadhramaut, Mahra

National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)
National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)

Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces in Yemen began on Thursday handing over military positions to the government’s National Shield forces in the Hadhramaut and al-Mahra provinces in eastern Yemen.

Local sources in Hadhramaut confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the handover kicked off after meetings were held between the two sides.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the National Shield commanders met with STC leaderships to discuss future arrangements. The sourced did not elaborate, but they confirmed that Emirati armored vehicles, which had entered Balhaf port in Shabwah were seen departing on a UAE vessel, in line with a Yemeni government request.

The National Shield is overseen by Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Dr. Rashad al-Alimi.

A Yemeni official described Thursday’s developments as “positive” step towards uniting ranks and legitimacy against a common enemy – the Houthi groups.

The official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, underscored to Asharq Al-Awsat the importance of “partnership between components of the legitimacy and of dialogue to resolve any future differences.”

Meanwhile, on the ground, Yemeni military sources revealed that some STC forces had refused to quit their positions, prompting the forces to dispatch an official to Hadhramaut’s Seiyun city to negotiate the situation.