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Arab World

US Keeps Houthi Leaders on Terror List, Vows No Let up on Pressure

A Houthi militant in Yemen.
A Houthi militant in Yemen.
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US Keeps Houthi Leaders on Terror List, Vows No Let up on Pressure

A Houthi militant in Yemen.
A Houthi militant in Yemen.

The United States announced that it would not lift sanctions off the leaders of the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen.

State Department spokesman Ned Price declared on Wednesday that Houthi leaders Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim “remain designated under the UN sanctions regime and are sanctioned under a US authority, Executive Order 13611, related to acts that threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen.”

“We do not intend to let up the pressure on those who are responsible for these attacks [on Saudi Arabia], who are responsible for seeking to do harm to American citizens, who are responsible for seeking to do harm to our Saudi partners,” he stressed during a press briefing.

“The Houthi leadership will find themselves sorely mistaken if they think that this administration is going to let off the pressure – is going to let them off the hook for the reprehensible conduct that they continue to undertake. They will find themselves under significant pressure, and I suspect we may have more to say about that in the coming days,” he added.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a second telephone call in less than a week with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah.

Blinken condemned the Houthi attack against Saudi Arabia’s Abha international airport on Wednesday and also discussed efforts to boost Saudi defenses against such attacks.

In a tweet, the American official said: “Saudi Arabia is an important security partner. We won’t stand by while the Houthis attack Saudi Arabia. We remain committed to bolstering Saudi Arabia’s defenses and finding a political settlement to the conflict in Yemen.”

A State Department statement, said Blinken “outlined diplomatic outreach to find a negotiated political settlement to the war in Yemen, including through the US Special Envoy to Yemen recent engagements with regional partners, humanitarian aid organizations, the UN Special Envoy, and other stakeholders.”

Price, meanwhile, noted that the Houthi attack on Abha coincided with the first visit to the region by newly appointed US envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking.

The envoy had visited Saudi Arabia and met with its foreign minister.

Price stressed that the US will continue to pursue diplomatic efforts to resolve the Yemeni crisis and reach out to stakeholders, including its partners in the region, humanitarian agencies and the UN envoy.

“There is no military solution when it comes to the conflict in Yemen; that only through diplomacy, only through support to the UN-led efforts through [Martin] Griffiths could we conceivably bring peace and stability to Yemen,” he stressed.

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Arab World

Some South Lebanon Residents Trickle Back as Israel-Hezbollah Fighting Pauses

A man walks past a destroyed building targeted by Israeli air strikes on the historic old market in the town of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 21 June 2026, following the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (EPA)
A man walks past a destroyed building targeted by Israeli air strikes on the historic old market in the town of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 21 June 2026, following the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (EPA)
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Some South Lebanon Residents Trickle Back as Israel-Hezbollah Fighting Pauses

A man walks past a destroyed building targeted by Israeli air strikes on the historic old market in the town of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 21 June 2026, following the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (EPA)
A man walks past a destroyed building targeted by Israeli air strikes on the historic old market in the town of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 21 June 2026, following the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (EPA)

Some south Lebanon residents cautiously headed back to their hometowns on Sunday after fighting paused between Israel and Hezbollah the previous evening, even as Lebanon's army warned locals to delay returns.

In the southern city of Nabatieh, AFP correspondents saw just a few residents trickling back to inspect homes and businesses.

Mohammad Salloum said he had come back briefly to check on his shop but would return to the city of Sidon further north where he has taken refuge.

"Nabatieh is disaster-stricken," he told AFP while inspecting the damage.

But "God willing, the city will return to life within two or three months", he added.

Lebanon's army on Sunday emphasized "the need for residents to delay their return to southern border villages and towns" and to comply with army instructions "to preserve their safety from the danger of Israeli violations and attacks".

In the southern Tyre region, an AFP correspondent reported a cautious return of some residents, but said many were waiting for the outcome of further Middle East war talks on Sunday and the green light from local authorities.

Hezbollah's backer Iran, which is holding talks in Switzerland with the United States on Sunday, had warned it would not enter into negotiations on a broader agreement with Washington unless the war in Lebanon came to an end.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire was announced on Friday, but Lebanese authorities said Israeli strikes on the country's south and east on Saturday killed at least 30 people before fighting paused in the evening.

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday said Israeli forces had standing orders to act against any threat inside Lebanon, insisting troops would remain in a so-called security zone inside Lebanese territory.

Israeli military operations have recently been focused on the Nabatieh region, and Lebanon's central bank on Saturday said an Israeli strike targeted its branch in the city.

Mayor Abbas Badreddine told AFP that "the scope of destruction in the city of Nabatieh in the past 48 hours amounts to about half of what happened" during the rest of the war.

Lebanon says Israeli attacks have killed more than 4,000 people since Hezbollah drew the country into the Middle East conflict on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel in support of Tehran.

Arab World

Israel PM Says Troops to Stay in South Lebanon ‘as Long as Necessary’

An Israeli military vehicle moves past destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP)
An Israeli military vehicle moves past destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP)
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Israel PM Says Troops to Stay in South Lebanon ‘as Long as Necessary’

An Israeli military vehicle moves past destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP)
An Israeli military vehicle moves past destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces would remain in occupied regions of southern Lebanon "as long as necessary", while also vowing to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. 

"We will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary to protect the cherished residents of the north and all the citizens of Israel... Nothing will alter that commitment," Netanyahu said. 

"And with regard to Iran: whatever political developments may unfold, I will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. As long as I serve as prime minister of Israel, that will not happen." 

Israel's military chief said on Sunday that Hezbollah had suffered a severe blow fighting Israeli forces and was now in a "very difficult position", as he met with troops in southern Lebanon. 

He spoke as the United States and Iran held talks in Switzerland after signing a preliminary agreement to end the broader Middle East war, with the conflict in Lebanon threatening to derail the deal. 

"Hezbollah has suffered a severe and significant blow, and we are committed to remaining prepared to continue operating and prevent its rebuilding," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said, according to a military statement. 

"Hezbollah is in a very difficult position," he added. 

Hezbollah had pulled Lebanon into the Middle East war in early March when the Iran-backed Lebanese group fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. 

Despite a new ceasefire announcement on Friday as part of the memorandum of understanding signed by Tehran and Washington, Israel and Hezbollah had continued to clash. 

However, there were no reports of fresh strikes in Lebanon since Saturday evening. 

Zamir vowed to defend the communities of northern Israel from Hezbollah rockets. 

"This is the purpose guiding all our efforts... The ceasefire that has been declared is fragile, and we must maintain a high level of readiness for the renewal of combat operations," Zamir said. 

- Qassem - 

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Sunday rejected any Israeli security zone in Lebanon. 

Israeli troops "remaining on Lebanese land is impossible. There are no security zones for Israel... we have a national army which deploys, and it is responsible for preserving sovereignty, and it is who we cooperate with," Qassem said in a televised address. 

"Israel is an aggressor and must leave. America bears full responsibility," he said, adding that "Israel will not remain in Lebanon, even if it increases its crimes, and we will defend ourselves." 

Qassem's address came as Washington and Tehran held talks in Switzerland after this week signing a preliminary agreement to end the broader Middle East war, which includes a halt to the hostilities in Lebanon. 

Ongoing Israeli strikes in recent days have threatened to derail the deal, but fighting in Lebanon has paused since Saturday evening, after Iran again closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz in response to Israel's attacks on Lebanon. 

"Any ceasefire under the banner of a comprehensive cessation of hostilities -- we have already committed to this if it happens, but we will not accept any violation. We will confront any violation... we will deal with it as we see fit," Qassem said. 

He urged Lebanese authorities to "take advantage of the path of the memorandum of understanding." 

"Look at the great Iran, closing the Strait of Hormuz for the sake of Lebanon. This is a weapon in your hands," he said, addressing the Lebanese authorities, adding, "Take up this weapon and use it." 

Under US pressure, Lebanon in April began direct talks with Israel in Washington aimed at ending the hostilities and separating the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Hezbollah has firmly rejected the direct talks, a fifth round of which is due to begin next week. 

Earlier on Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces had standing orders to act against any threat inside Lebanon and insisted they would remain in the so-called security zone established within occupied Lebanese territory. 

"There has never been, and there is currently no restriction on Israeli soldiers in Lebanon from acting to eliminate threats... As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have made clear: Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon," Israel Katz said in a statement, referring to an area extending roughly 10 kilometers (six miles) into Lebanese territory that Israel is occupying. 

Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters engaged in fierce clashes this week, with Lebanese officials reporting dozens of people killed and the Israeli military reporting five of its own soldiers dead. 

Arab World

Iran Says Lebanon Conflict 'Main Topic' in US Talks

Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 20, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 20, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
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Iran Says Lebanon Conflict 'Main Topic' in US Talks

Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 20, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 20, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Iran said on Sunday that the ongoing conflict in Lebanon between Israel and militant group Hezbollah will top the agenda in talks with the United States in Switzerland, as well as issues such as frozen Iranian funds and the sale of the country's oil.

"The Zionist regime continues to violate its commitment in Lebanon, this issue will be the main topic of discussion in today's talks," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a video shared by IRNA state news agency.

Tehran said on Thursday it had signed a deal with Washington to end months of hostilities that began on February 28 following US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Under the agreement, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon was also due to stop, said AFP.

Iran's military announced on Saturday that it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again over ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

But there were no reports of fresh strikes in Lebanon after Saturday evening and Baqaei said since Saturday "a fragile cessation (in Lebanon) has been established".

He added that Tehran would also pursue the issue of its frozen and inaccessible funds during the talks.

"The issue of making available Iran's frozen or restricted assets, as well as the discussion related to issuing the necessary licenses for the sale of Iranian oil, will also be on the agenda," he said from Switzerland.

Iran has not officially disclosed the value of its frozen assets, though media reports have estimated them at more than $100 billion, largely frozen since the 1979 Iranian Revolution that toppled the US-backed shah.

According to Baqaei, the Iranian delegation will meet the US delegation in a "quadrilateral meeting" that will also include mediators Pakistan and Qatar.