Hadi Rejects Copying Iran’s Experience in Yemen, Urges Independence of Judiciary

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi meeting with officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba news agency)
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi meeting with officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba news agency)
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Hadi Rejects Copying Iran’s Experience in Yemen, Urges Independence of Judiciary

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi meeting with officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba news agency)
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi meeting with officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Saba news agency)

With Iran-backed militias keeping up a fierce offensive against Yemen’s Taiz and Marib governorates and continuing to violate the UN-sponsored Hodeidah Agreement, President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi on Sunday called for unity against attempts for copying the Iranian experience in the war-torn country.

Hadi’s remarks were made during statements he gave after holding separate meetings with the Yemeni vice president, prime minister and senior judiciary officials.

“We feel the magnitude of the suffering and difficulties facing our people,” said Hadi, blaming Iran-aligned Houthis for current challenges and crises facing the country.

“The unjust war imposed by the Houthi coup militia continues to serve Iran's agenda,” reaffirmed Hadi, accusing the group of seeking to impose an alien experience on Yemen.

On importing the Iran process, Hadi said it was “unacceptable no matter what it costs Yemenis in sacrifices.”

The Yemeni leader, according to the state-owned Saba news agency, also thanked states participating in the Saudi-led Arab Coalition for their valuable multi-faceted support.

Arab Coalition countries have fought alongside the internationally-recognized Yemeni government against a violent Iran-backed insurgency spearheaded by Houthi militias which broke out over six years ago.

Other than supporting the Yemeni army, Arab Coalition states have also backed public and development services focused on alleviating burdens faced by Yemenis.

During his meetings with officials, Hadi was briefed on the status quo of battlefronts across Yemen and government efforts for improving services in liberated governorates.

Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed presented a report detailing the practical steps taken by the government in cooperation with Saudi Arabia on the delivery of a fuel grant from the kingdom to ease the suffering of Yemenis during the Islam’s holy month of fasting, Ramadan.

The report also included the Yemeni government’s efforts for securing the salaries of civil servants in the battle-weary country.

As for Hadi’s extraordinary meeting with the Supreme Judicial Council on Sunday, it included senior officials like Justice Minister Badr Al-Arda and Attorney General Ahmed Al-Mousai.

Touching on the complex and difficult reality witnessed in Yemen today, Hadi stressed the importance of the judiciary and its effective role as a fundamental pillar of the state.

He went on to stress the importance of uniting the ranks of the judiciary to serve nation.

Preserving the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and steering it clear from political quarrels is vital, reaffirmed Hadi.

He also stressed the need to stop all forms of obstruction of justice and reiterated the need for commitment to administrative and financial transparency.



Italian Authorities Arrest 9 for Allegedly Funding Hamas Through Charities

Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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Italian Authorities Arrest 9 for Allegedly Funding Hamas Through Charities

Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Italian authorities arrested nine people linked to three charitable organizations on suspicion of raising millions of euros in funds for the Palestinian group Hamas, anti-terrorism prosecutors said in a statement Saturday. 

The suspects are accused of sending about 7 million euros ($8.2 million) to “associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, or Israel, owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas,” the statement said. 

Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, prosecutors said, describing him as the “head of the Italian cell of the Hamas organization.” 

The European Union has Hamas listed on its terror list. 

According to Italian prosecutors, who collaborated with other EU countries in the probe, the illegal funds were delivered through “triangulation operations” via bank transfers or through organizations based abroad to associations based in Gaza, which have been declared illegal by Israel for their ties to Hamas. 

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi wrote on X that the operation “lifted the veil on behavior and activities which, pretending to be initiatives in favor of the Palestinian population, concealed support for and participation in terrorist organizations.” 

There was no immediate comment from the suspects or the associations. 

In January 202, the European Council decided to extend existing restrictive measures against 12 individuals and three entities that support the financing of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. 


Türkiye Holds Military Funeral for Libyan Officers Killed in Plane Crash

The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
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Türkiye Holds Military Funeral for Libyan Officers Killed in Plane Crash

The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)

Türkiye held a military funeral ceremony Saturday morning for five Libyan officers, including western Libya’s military chief, who died in a plane crash earlier this week.

The private jet with Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officers and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara, Türkiye’s capital, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, UN-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s military.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli, Libya’s capital, after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

Saturday's ceremony was held at 8:00 a.m. local time at the Murted Airfield base, near Ankara, and attended by the Turkish military chief and the defense minister. The five caskets, each wrapped in a Libyan national flag, were then loaded onto a plane to be returned to their home country.

Türkiye’s military chief, Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, was also on the plane headed to Libya, state-run news agency TRT reported.

The bodies recovered from the crash site were kept at the Ankara Forensic Medicine Institute for identification. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc told reporters their DNA was compared to family members who joined a 22-person delegation that arrived from Libya after the crash.

Tunc also said Germany was asked to help examine the jet's black boxes as an impartial third party.


Syrian Foreign Ministry: Talks with SDF Have Not Yielded Tangible Results

SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)
SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)
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Syrian Foreign Ministry: Talks with SDF Have Not Yielded Tangible Results

SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)
SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)

A source from the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the talks with the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) over their integration into state institutions “have not yielded tangible results.”

Discussions about merging the northeastern institutions into the state remain “hypothetical statements without execution,” it told Syria’s state news agency SANA.

Repeated assertions over Syria’s unity are being contradicted by the reality on the ground in the northeast, where the Kurds hold sway and where administrative, security and military institutions continue to be run separately from the state, it added.

The situation “consolidates the division” instead of addressing it, it warned.

It noted that despite the SDF’s continued highlighting of its dialogue with the Syrian state, these discussions have not led to tangible results.

It seems that the SDF is using this approach to absorb the political pressure on it, said the source. The truth is that there is little actual will to move from discussion to application of the March 10 agreement.

This raises doubts over the SDF’s commitment to the deal, it stressed.

Talk about rapprochement between the state and SDF remains meaningless if the agreement is not implemented on the ground within a specific timeframe, the source remarked.

Furthermore, the continued deployment of armed formations on the ground that are not affiliated with the Syrian army are evidence that progress is not being made.

The persistence of the situation undermines Syria’s sovereignty and hampers efforts to restore stability, it warned.