Yemen Military Spokesman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Marib is Secure, Houthis are Surrounded

A pro-government tribal fighter sits in a position where he fights against the Houthis in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)
A pro-government tribal fighter sits in a position where he fights against the Houthis in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)
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Yemen Military Spokesman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Marib is Secure, Houthis are Surrounded

A pro-government tribal fighter sits in a position where he fights against the Houthis in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)
A pro-government tribal fighter sits in a position where he fights against the Houthis in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)

The Yemeni army said that the central Marib province was completely “secured and stable” despite the intense offensive launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militias for over two weeks.

Military spokesman Abdo Majali told Asharq Al-Awsat that tribal members have joined the frontlines to fend off the offensive, leaving the Houthis surrounded.

“Marib will not yield to the terrorist Houthi coup militias and the situation there is a 100 percent reassuring,” he stressed.

“Men from various tribes and provinces are defending Marib, the revolution and republic, with air cover from the Arab coalition,” he went on to say.

Moreover, he said that the military has shifted from defensive to offensive positions on several fronts, turning the table on the Houthis.

“The Houthis have been defeated in Marib after our forces resorted to tactical operations, such as the element of surprise,” he continued.

Confronted with successive losses, the Houthis have resorted to launching ballistic missiles and armed drones on Marib city and Saudi Arabia, Majali added, slamming the militias for their violations of international law and saying their actions are equal to war crimes.

“The militias are pushing all of their followers to the death trap and destruction in Marib, especially on the Murad, Sirwah, Helan, al-Mashjah, al-Kasara and al-Makhrdra fronts,” he remarked.



EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
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EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

The European Union on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, AFP reported.

"The European Union condemns recent decisions by Israel's security cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. This move is another step in the wrong direction," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni told journalists.


Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The atrocities unleashed on El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region last October were a "preventable human rights catastrophe", the United Nations said Monday, warning they now risked being repeated in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

 

"My office sounded the alarm about the risk of mass atrocities in the besieged city of El-Fasher for more than a year ... but our warnings were ignored," UN rights chief Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

 

He added that he was now "extremely concerned that these violations and abuses may be repeated in the Kordofan region".

 

 

 

 


Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned decisions by Israeli occupation authorities to impose fundamental changes on the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and signed agreements, SPA reported.

In a statement, the Arab League said the measures include facilitating the confiscation of private Palestinian property and transferring planning and licensing authorities in the city of Hebron and the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque to occupation authorities.

It warned of the serious repercussions of these actions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement reaffirmed the Arab League’s firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.