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Yemen Urges Moral, Political Stances against ‘Racist’ Houthi Actions

The Yemeni and German foreign ministers speaking during a press conference in Berlin (AP)
The Yemeni and German foreign ministers speaking during a press conference in Berlin (AP)
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Yemen Urges Moral, Political Stances against ‘Racist’ Houthi Actions

The Yemeni and German foreign ministers speaking during a press conference in Berlin (AP)
The Yemeni and German foreign ministers speaking during a press conference in Berlin (AP)

Yemen’s Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak is calling on the international community to adopt a new approach to the situation in the war-torn nation, urging more pressure to curb the “disgraceful” practices of Houthi militias and a deeper focus on politics and morals.

After meeting with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in Berlin, Mubarak clarified that Houthis are behind obstacles laid in the way of peacemaking efforts in Yemen.

The Iran-backed group continues to fail international and regional proposals for peace in Yemen.

It rejects peace initiatives and exacerbates the Yemeni humanitarian crisis through laying siege to cities, violating the Hodeidah ceasefire, and persisting with its offensive on Marib governorate, where over a million Yemenis have sought refuge from violence.

More so, Houthi militias continue attempted attacks on civilian targets in the neighboring Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and actively threaten international navigation in Red Sea waters.

Mubarak said that Yemen would demand moral and political stances against the Houthis’ egregious behaviors and totalitarian and racist actions.

“Iran’s destabilizing role in the region, including Yemen, has become known to many members of the international community,” Mubarak told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Concerning Germany, we found a German understanding of the Iranian influence in the region and Yemen, and an awareness of the importance of addressing this matter in a manner that ensures defusing tensions and restoring security and stability to the region,” he added.

For his part, the German FM acknowledged that Houthis were obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid and that his country was watching the group’s attack on Marib with concern.

According to Maas, the continued Houthi military offensive on Marib undermines diplomatic efforts led by the UN.

As for Tehran’s influence on the Houthi militias, Maas indicated that ongoing nuclear talks in Vienna between Iran and world powers could eventually lead to a discussion on Yemen.

Responding to a question by Asharq Al-Awsat, the top German diplomat said that the “success of talks in the Austrian capital could set the conditions needed to talk about Iran’s role in the region and its influence on Houthis.”

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Arab World

Israel-Backed Armed Group Burns Homes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the damage after a person was hit by an Israeli strike while riding a bicycle, according to medics, in Gaza City, April 6, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Palestinians inspect the damage after a person was hit by an Israeli strike while riding a bicycle, according to medics, in Gaza City, April 6, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
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Israel-Backed Armed Group Burns Homes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the damage after a person was hit by an Israeli strike while riding a bicycle, according to medics, in Gaza City, April 6, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Palestinians inspect the damage after a person was hit by an Israeli strike while riding a bicycle, according to medics, in Gaza City, April 6, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Residents of Maghazi camp in central Gaza said armed men linked to Israel-backed groups set fire on Thursday to land, homes, and agricultural greenhouses.

Witnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat the fires broke out in Hamas-controlled areas west of an informal “yellow line,” while Israeli forces were stationed to the east.

Several residents accused a group known as the Abu Nasira gang, led by a former security officer, of carrying out the attack.

Such groups have become a growing concern for Hamas and its security arms, as kidnapping and assassination attempts against members of the movement, its armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, and its security forces increase.

Days earlier, east of Maghazi camp, two Qassam members were lured in an attempted abduction that escalated into clashes with Israeli fire, killing 10 Palestinians.

One witness said armed men arrived shortly before noon in several four-wheel-drive vehicles, carrying weapons. They advanced dozens of meters west of the “yellow line,” near the Hosni al-Masdar mosque east of Maghazi camp, as Israeli drones flew overhead. Infantry vehicles later reinforced them amid intermittent gunfire.

The witness, who requested anonymity, said large fires broke out soon after. Residents and field sources confirmed the blazes destroyed farmland, greenhouses, and homes.

A member of a local armed faction said Abu Nasira fighters spread across the area and carried out the arson under Israeli cover, with intensified fire directed at western areas where residents and displaced people are located.

A Hamas source repeated accusations against the group, saying it is trying to assert its presence by escalating operations. The source described it as a “major threat,” carrying out kidnappings, assassinations and direct incursions under Israeli support that provides aerial cover and, at times, ground backing.

The attack coincided with Israeli escalation elsewhere in Gaza, killing a man and a child in separate incidents. An Israeli drone killed Youssef Mansour, 33, who witnesses said was bird hunting in the Mawasi area of Rafah in southern Gaza.

In northern Gaza, tank shells hit Abu Ubaida bin al-Jarrah school in Beit Lahia, killing a young girl, Retaj Rihan. She had been in a classroom tent with dozens of displaced third-grade students. She was taken in critical condition to a clinic in Jabalia al-Balad, where she died.

Gaza’s Ministry of Education condemned the attack, holding Israel responsible and saying hundreds of students have been killed during and after the war due to repeated targeting. It called for urgent international intervention.

Shortly after the school attack, Israeli fire from remotely operated cranes east of Gaza City wounded four Palestinians. The gunfire hit Ibn al-Haytham school on the western edge of Shuja’iyya, sheltering hundreds of displaced people. Others were wounded in similar fire toward Halawa camp in Jabalia al-Balad, with one reported in critical condition.

On Wednesday evening, two Palestinians were killed in separate strikes, including journalist Mohammed Washah, drawing condemnation over the killing of journalists. The strikes have killed 262 journalists since the start of the war.

The number of Palestinians killed since a ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025 has risen to more than 740, according to available figures.

Arab World

Israel Carries Out Incursions in Syria’s Quneitra as UNDOF Monitors

Israeli soldiers in the buffer zone between Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights (file photo - AFP)
Israeli soldiers in the buffer zone between Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights (file photo - AFP)
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Israel Carries Out Incursions in Syria’s Quneitra as UNDOF Monitors

Israeli soldiers in the buffer zone between Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights (file photo - AFP)
Israeli soldiers in the buffer zone between Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights (file photo - AFP)

As Israeli forces press deeper into Syrian territory along the ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights, a Syrian official source told Asharq Al-Awsat that increased patrols by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) stem from the 1974 disengagement agreement, not new understandings with Israel.

An Israeli force on Thursday entered the village of Al-Ajraf in northern Quneitra, according to state news agency SANA.

The unit, comprising eight vehicles and more than 30 troops, set up a temporary checkpoint and searched passersby before withdrawing without making any arrests.

The move is part of a pattern of repeated incursions into the UN-monitored buffer zone separating Syrian and Israeli forces under the 1974 agreement. The incursions have continued since the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Israel has since escalated its operations, with near-daily incursions reaching villages and towns beyond the buffer zone, where it has set up nine military bases.

UNDOF has stepped up patrols in Quneitra and Daraa along the ceasefire line, areas frequently entered by Israeli forces. It has also begun meeting residents to document alleged violations.

Quneitra governorate’s media director, Mohammed al-Saeed, said UNDOF’s deployment remains within the framework of the 1974 agreement and does not reflect new arrangements with Israel.

He said the mission monitors the ceasefire and all parties, and is currently documenting Israeli violations against Syrian sovereignty, civilians, and property in areas entered by Israeli forces. The deployment is routine, he added, but has intensified recently.

Al-Saeed said the increased UN presence has not curbed incursions, but offers some reassurance to residents by tracking troop movements and documenting violations.

Israeli forces, he said, carry out house raids, detain civilians, set up checkpoints, search passersby, block roads, disrupt services, and fire weapons to intimidate residents.

He said the actions are aimed at pressuring residents into self-displacement.

Despite this, residents are aware of the tactics and reject leaving, he said, unwilling to repeat the displacement of 1967, when similar practices forced communities from their homes.

Arab World

Netanyahu Authorizes Direct Talks with Lebanon

Heavy machinery operates at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in Ain Al Mraiseh in Beirut, Lebanon, April 9, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
Heavy machinery operates at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in Ain Al Mraiseh in Beirut, Lebanon, April 9, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
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Netanyahu Authorizes Direct Talks with Lebanon

Heavy machinery operates at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in Ain Al Mraiseh in Beirut, Lebanon, April 9, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
Heavy machinery operates at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in Ain Al Mraiseh in Beirut, Lebanon, April 9, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked

In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he authorized direct negotiations “as soon as possible” with Lebanon aimed at disarming Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the two countries.

"In light of Lebanon's repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible," his office wrote in a statement.

"Negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peace relations between Israel and Lebanon. Israel appreciates today's call by the Prime Minister of Lebanon to demilitarize Beirut," the press release added.

Lebanon has spent the last 24 hours advocating for a temporary ceasefire to allow for broader talks with Israel, a senior Lebanese official told Reuters, saying it would ⁠be a "separate track ⁠but the same model" as a fragile truce brokered by Pakistan between ⁠the US and Iran.

The official said no date or location had been set yet but Lebanon needed the US as a mediator and guarantor of any agreement.

The official ⁠spoke ⁠to Reuters after Netanyahu’s announcement.