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Grundberg, Lenderking Visit Muscat to Discuss Solutions for Yemeni Conflict

Hans Grundberg delivering his first briefing to the Security Council in his capacity as the new UN Special Envoy for Yemen. (@OSE_Yemen)
Hans Grundberg delivering his first briefing to the Security Council in his capacity as the new UN Special Envoy for Yemen. (@OSE_Yemen)
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Grundberg, Lenderking Visit Muscat to Discuss Solutions for Yemeni Conflict

Hans Grundberg delivering his first briefing to the Security Council in his capacity as the new UN Special Envoy for Yemen. (@OSE_Yemen)
Hans Grundberg delivering his first briefing to the Security Council in his capacity as the new UN Special Envoy for Yemen. (@OSE_Yemen)

Tim Lenderking, the US Special Envoy of the United States for Yemen, and Hans Grundberg, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, have arrived in the Omani capital, Muscat, as part of a regional tour that started in Saudi Arabia.

The two envoys are searching for solutions for embattled Yemen.

While they are expected to meet with Houthi representatives in Muscat, Grundberg and Lenderking separately met with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi and several other officials in the Sultanate.

According to the state-owned Oman News Agency, Busaidi and the two envoys discussed the latest developments in Yemen and peacemaking efforts.

They also reviewed efforts for a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen and easing the flow of humanitarian aid into the war-torn country.

Each of Grundberg and Lenderking also talked over Yemen entering a political process that helps realize the aspirations of its people regarding security, stability, national unity, and reconstruction.

Over the last few months, Muscat has been trying to mediate with Houthi militias and get them on board for a ceasefire based on the plan of the former UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths.

Griffiths’ plan is consistent with an initiative that Saudi Arabia had presented for ending the conflict in Yemen.

Although Muscat’s efforts have failed in producing tangible results so far, Washington is still betting on Oman persuading Houthis to join the path to peace and cease the escalation of hostilities.

Last week, Grundberg and Lenderking concluded consultations in Riyadh with Yemeni officials, including President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. They also met with Saudi and Gulf officials.

During his meeting with Hadi, Grundberg underlined his intention to listen to the parties and to engage in serious, sustained discussions on the way forward towards an inclusive and comprehensive political settlement that meets the aspirations of Yemeni men and women.

“I listened to the government’s priorities and we had a constructive dialogue on the current challenges and the way forward”, Grundberg said.

The special envoy highlighted that a serious commitment by all parties to engage in good faith is a necessary first step in making progress on the UN’s peace efforts.

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Arab World

Lebanese Army Chief and US General Meet on Lebanon Security

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)
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Lebanese Army Chief and US General Meet on Lebanon Security

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Lebanese armed forces commander General Rodolphe Haykal and US General Joseph Clearfield met in Beirut to discuss ‌the security ‌situation in ‌Lebanon ⁠and regional developments, the ⁠army said on Saturday in a statement.

Clearfield heads ⁠a committee monitoring ‌a ‌US-backed ceasefire in ‌fighting between ‌Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

The participants at the ‌meeting underlined the importance of ⁠the Lebanese ⁠army's role and the need to support it during the current phase, the statement said.

Arab World

RSF Drone Strike Kills Five in Sudan Capital

A painting depicting people holding the Sudanese flag is seen on a wall damaged by bullets and shrapnel in Omdurman, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
A painting depicting people holding the Sudanese flag is seen on a wall damaged by bullets and shrapnel in Omdurman, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
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RSF Drone Strike Kills Five in Sudan Capital

A painting depicting people holding the Sudanese flag is seen on a wall damaged by bullets and shrapnel in Omdurman, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
A painting depicting people holding the Sudanese flag is seen on a wall damaged by bullets and shrapnel in Omdurman, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)

A paramilitary drone killed five civilians on Saturday when it hit a vehicle in greater Khartoum, a rights group said, the second such attack in the Sudanese capital this week.

Drone attacks by both Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) -- which have been at war since April 2023 -- have intensified across the country in recent months, at times killing dozens of people in a single strike.

Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese legal advocacy group documenting abuses during the conflict, said an RSF drone struck a civilian vehicle on the Jammouiya Triangle road Saturday morning in southern Omdurman -- just across the Nile from Khartoum proper -- killing all those on board.

The vehicle was travelling from the Sheikh al-Siddiq area in White Nile state, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Khartoum, the group said.

Last Tuesday, a drone strike hit a hospital in the Jebel Awliya area, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of central Khartoum, a security source and eyewitnesses told AFP.

It was the first such attack on the capital in months, after the area was recaptured by the army a year ago from its paramilitary rivals.

Jebel Awliya had been the RSF's last foothold in Khartoum state before the army's rapid counteroffensive, which pushed the paramilitary west towards its stronghold in the Darfur region.

The RSF carried out a series of drone strikes on Khartoum last year, largely targeting military sites, power stations and water infrastructure.

In recent months, however, the capital has seen relative calm. More than 1.8 million displaced residents have returned and the airport has resumed domestic flights, although much of the city remains without electricity or basic services.

Fighting has since been concentrated in Darfur, where the army lost its last base in October, and in Kordofan, where the RSF has sought to regain control of Sudan's key east-west highway.

Violence has also spread to southeastern Blue Nile state near the border with Ethiopia, raising fears of a more prolonged and fragmented conflict.

Now in its fourth year, the war has killed tens of thousands of people -- with some estimates putting the death toll above 200,000 -- displaced millions and triggered one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.

Arab World

Israel Says Two Gaza Flotilla Activists Brought in for Questioning

Vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on international waters by the Israeli Navy, sail off the city of Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, May 1, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on international waters by the Israeli Navy, sail off the city of Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, May 1, 2026. (Reuters)
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Israel Says Two Gaza Flotilla Activists Brought in for Questioning

Vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on international waters by the Israeli Navy, sail off the city of Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, May 1, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on international waters by the Israeli Navy, sail off the city of Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, May 1, 2026. (Reuters)

Two activists who participated in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla have been brought to Israel for questioning, the foreign ministry said Saturday, after the vessels were intercepted by Israeli forces.

The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from ports in France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking an Israeli blockade of Gaza and bringing supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory.

They were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early on Thursday.

Israel said it had removed around 175 activists from the flotilla, but organizers accused Israeli personnel of "kidnapping" 211 people.

Two of them, Saif Abu Keshek from Spain and Thiago Avila, a Brazilian, were taken to Israel "for questioning by law enforcement authorities", the foreign ministry said on X.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares denounced Israel's detention of Abu Keshek as "illegal", warning it came at a moment of already deteriorating ties between the two countries.

"We are facing an illegal detention in international waters, outside any jurisdiction of the Israeli authorities so Saif Abu Keshek must be released immediately so that he can return to Spain," Albares told Rac1 radio.

"This is an episode that further strains our relationship... (with Israel) because of how unacceptable this situation is, because a state does not conduct itself in this manner."

- Worsening ties -

Ties between Israel and Spain have nosedived since the Gaza war sparked by the October 2023 Hamas cross-border attacks, with Israel angered by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's unrelenting criticism of its bombardment of the Palestinian territory.

Both countries have withdrawn their ambassadors.

Israel's foreign ministry said the two activists were affiliated with an organization that was sanctioned by the US Treasury.

That group -- the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) -- has been accused by Washington of "clandestinely acting on behalf of" Palestinian group Hamas.

The Treasury said the organization had played a role in organizing other Gaza-bound flotillas aimed at breaking Israel's blockade.

Israel's foreign ministry said Abu Keshek was a leading member of the PCPA. It said Avila was also linked to the organization and was "suspected of illegal activity".

"Both will receive a consular visit from the representatives of their respective countries in Israel," the ministry said.

Albares rejected the allegation, saying: "The information I myself have requested indicates that no link can be established between Saif Abu Keshek and Hamas".

Avila was among the organizers of a flotilla that tried to bring aid to Gaza last year. That effort was also intercepted by Israeli forces.

- Activists 'beaten' -

Israel controls all entry points into Gaza and the territory has been under Israeli blockade since 2007.

Throughout the Gaza war, there have been shortages of critical supplies in the Palestinian territory, with Israel at times cutting off aid entirely.

Organizers of the latest flotilla said the Israeli interception took place more than 1,000 kilometers from Gaza.

They said their equipment was smashed and the intervention left them facing a "calculated death trap at sea".

Dozens of intercepted activists disembarked on Friday at the Greek island of Crete, according to an AFP journalist.

Organizers published photos on X showing two activists with bruises on their faces, while one participant said in footage that Israeli forces had "beaten" them "several times".

Hamas condemned the interception, urging rights groups to pursue legal action against Israeli authorities for "crimes against the Global Sumud Flotilla, ensuring they do not enjoy impunity".

The Global Sumud Flotilla's first Mediterranean voyage to Gaza in the summer and autumn of 2025 drew worldwide attention, before Israeli forces intercepted the boats off the coasts of Egypt and Gaza in early October.

Crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and expelled by Israeli forces.