Yemen’s Hadi Says Riyadh Agreement Would Unite Front against Coup Militias

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, AFP
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, AFP
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Yemen’s Hadi Says Riyadh Agreement Would Unite Front against Coup Militias

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, AFP
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, AFP

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi stressed the need to expedite the process of implementing the Riyadh Agreement, signed between the internationally recognized government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

Hadi argued that implementing the Riyadh Agreement would unite Yemeni parties and efforts to confront the Houthi coupist militias.

In his address on the 57th anniversary of the 14th October revolution on Tuesday, Hadi revealed that work is underway on a strategy for resuming the activities of all public institutions.

“Despite the woes of the war, work is underway to implement an integrated strategy aimed at restoring state agencies and institutions by implementing the Riyadh Agreement,” Hadi said.

The president also praised Saudi Arabia for spending great efforts to sponsor and ensure the implementation of the deal.

In July, Saudi Arabia presented a mechanism to accelerate the implementation of the agreement between the government and the STC. The two sides had agreed to form a power-sharing government and pull forces out of main cities.

Hadi said he hoped that the terms of the Riyadh Agreement are swiftly implemented to better focus and unite efforts against Houthi insurgent militias.

Implementing the agreement, according to Hadi, would also give state institutions the opportunity to carry out their responsibilities in serving Yemenis.

“The suffering of the people requires that everyone rises to the level of responsibility,” he noted.

Ever since he assumed office, Hadi has worked to consolidate the bonds of national unity and overcome the repercussions of the country’s political crisis.

“Everyone's dream was embodied in leaving conflict in the past and building a just federal state,” he affirmed.

Hadi accused Iran-backed Houthis of seeking to abort the national project through rebelling against the state and popular consensus in the country.

Houthis have gone far in waging war against multiple Yemeni governorates in hopes of emboldening Iran-inspired Houthi dynasty rule.



Lebanon Urges Greece to Help Implement Truce with Israel

Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas (R) talks next to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (L) during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, 31 August 2026. (EPA)
Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas (R) talks next to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (L) during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, 31 August 2026. (EPA)
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Lebanon Urges Greece to Help Implement Truce with Israel

Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas (R) talks next to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (L) during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, 31 August 2026. (EPA)
Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas (R) talks next to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (L) during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, 31 August 2026. (EPA)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asked Greece on Monday for support to help implement a ceasefire agreement with Israel and end Israeli attacks on his country, hours after Greece and Israel announced a multibillion arms deal.

The June 26 accord, brokered by the United States, says both sides must cease hostilities and allow the Lebanese army to restore control over the entire country.

Beirut wants Israel to withdraw from all territory it has occupied in southern Lebanon. Israel first wants Lebanese group Hezbollah evacuated from the sector.

"Lebanon and the Lebanese people are tired of wars, and from the start of the negotiations with Israel the aim was to put an end to the state of hostility," Aoun told a press conference in Athens alongside Greek President Konstantinos Tassoulas.

"The framework agreement ... cannot be implemented unilaterally. It needs to be implemented on both sides," he insisted.

"We request Greece's assistance as much as possible to help Lebanon."

Lebanon was dragged into the US-Israeli war against Iran in March, when Israel launched a massive bombardment of its neighbor and invaded, while Hezbollah fired missiles at Israeli territory.

Since then, Aoun said, Israeli strikes have killed 4,300 Lebanese, wounded 12,000 and destroyed 60-70 villages.

"Solving the problem by military force will not succeed," he said, insisting on the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from his country.

After a later meeting, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece supported "the sovereignty, independence and unity of Lebanon" and would support "all efforts aimed at de-escalation and mutual comprehension".

On Monday, Greece and Israel announced Athens was buying a $3.5-billion aerial defense system from Israel.


Iraq Sentences Kidnapper of US Journalist to 15 Years in Prison

American freelancer Shelly Kittleson. (Facebook)
American freelancer Shelly Kittleson. (Facebook)
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Iraq Sentences Kidnapper of US Journalist to 15 Years in Prison

American freelancer Shelly Kittleson. (Facebook)
American freelancer Shelly Kittleson. (Facebook)

Iraq's judiciary has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for the kidnapping of an American journalist who was abducted earlier this year by a powerful Iran-backed group, a judicial source said Monday.

At the height of the Middle East war, on March 31, Kataeb Hezbollah kidnapped journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad, holding her for several days before setting her free just hours before the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire.

Iraqi authorities arrested one member of the group at the time.

According to a document shared by local media, a criminal court on Sunday sentenced Amir Rahim Jabbar to 15 years in prison under an "anti-terrorism law... for the crime of kidnapping" Kittleson.

A judicial source verified to AFP the document's authenticity, and a Kataeb Hezbollah source confirmed the ruling against one of its members.

Kittleson, who shared a copy of the ruling on X, said she was "grateful to the Iraqi judiciary".

Kataeb Hezbollah is among several pro-Iran armed groups that intervened in support of Tehran during the Middle East war, claiming attacks on US facilities in Iraq and across the region.

Under mounting US pressure to curb Tehran's influence, the new Iraqi government of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi says it is committed to ensuring that pro-Iran armed groups, which Washington designates as terrorist organisations, hand over their weapons to the state.

The issue has fuelled tensions in Iraq, with several groups, including Kataeb Hezbollah, refusing to disarm.

Earlier this month, Kataeb Hezbollah accused Zaidi of engaging in "provocative and irresponsible actions".

Baghdad was once notorious for kidnappings and attempted abductions, but they have decreased as the security situation in Iraq improved in recent years.


Israeli Fire Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics Say

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike at the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on August 24, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike at the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on August 24, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Fire Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics Say

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike at the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on August 24, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike at the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on August 24, 2026. (AFP)

An Israeli strike killed at least two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, health officials said.

Medics said two people were killed and several others wounded when an Israeli airstrike hit a crowd of people near the municipal public ‌park in ‌Gaza City, an ‌area ⁠densely populated with displaced ⁠families.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.

An October 2025 US-backed ceasefire halted major fighting in the shattered territory, but it ⁠failed to end strikes ‌by ‌the Israeli military, which says such actions ‌are aimed at thwarting attacks ‌by Hamas and other Gaza fighters.

Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire and undermining efforts to ‌implement a broader plan by US President Donald Trump ⁠to ⁠end the Gaza conflict, which also includes Israeli withdrawals and Hamas disarmament.

More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect last October, according to Gazan health officials, while the Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed.