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Yemen: Liberation of Bayhan Paves Way to Freeing Al-Bayda, Marib from Houthis

Footage shared on social media showing an Arab Coalition airstrike against Houthi sites
Footage shared on social media showing an Arab Coalition airstrike against Houthi sites
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Yemen: Liberation of Bayhan Paves Way to Freeing Al-Bayda, Marib from Houthis

Footage shared on social media showing an Arab Coalition airstrike against Houthi sites
Footage shared on social media showing an Arab Coalition airstrike against Houthi sites

One week after the Yemeni Army’s Giants Brigades launched a military operation in northwestern Shabwah governorate, pro-government forces were able to liberate Bayhan district from the hold of Houthi militias on Friday.

The liberation was supported by the Saudi-led Arab Coalition and it paves the way towards freeing the governorates of Al-Bayda and Marib.

According to reports by army media, the Giants Brigades managed to liberate the crossroads linking Bayhan in Shabwah and Al-Bayda, while the remnants of Houthi militiamen were seen escaping through Wadi Khair towards Aqabat Al-Qana`a in the Numan district of neighboring Al-Bayda.

Footage of Houthi militias fleeing with their military vehicles from Bayhan, leaving dust behind, sparked sarcastic comments from Yemeni activists on social media. They described the matter as evidence of the terror group and its fragility.

According to the military sources, Arab Coalition fighter jets launched strikes on Houthi militia fortifications in the mountains overlooking Bayhan, before targeting elements fleeing towards Al-Bayda.

On Thursday, the Arab Coalition reported that it had carried out 35 operations targeting the Iran-backed group in Shabwah, especially where battles are taking place on the outskirts of Bayhan District. The raids resulted in the destruction of 25 military vehicles and the killing of 240 terrorist elements.

Coalition airstrikes had doubled the losses of the Houthi militia on the various fronts surrounding Marib and Shabwah. Estimates suggest that Houthis have lost about 8,000 fighters during the past two months, bringing the number of militants killed to more than 30,000 since February 2021.

The liberation of Bayhan, which was occupied by the insurgents last September along with the districts of Usaylan and Ain, makes way for the Giants Brigades to head to districts south of Marib, as well as open the way for military operations to liberate Al-Bayda.

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Arab World

Lebanese President, PM Say Iran Using Lebanon as Bargaining Chip in US Talks

Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon close to the Beaufort Castle as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel on June 4, 2026. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon close to the Beaufort Castle as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel on June 4, 2026. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
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Lebanese President, PM Say Iran Using Lebanon as Bargaining Chip in US Talks

Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon close to the Beaufort Castle as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel on June 4, 2026. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon close to the Beaufort Castle as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel on June 4, 2026. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told CNN that Iran was using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in its negotiations with the United States.

Aoun has repeatedly sought to distance Lebanon from regional conflicts and has said decisions concerning the country's sovereignty and security must be made by the Lebanese state alone.

For his part, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Friday also urged Iran to stop treating his country as a "bargaining chip" in its negotiations with Washington on the Middle East conflict.

"If I may address a word to Iran, it is this: have mercy on our south, stop treating it and its people as merely a bargaining chip to improve the terms of your negotiations," Salam told a press conference for a UN aid appeal for Lebanon.

Arab World

Berri Backs Hezbollah Withdrawal South of Litani if Israel Pulls Back

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (National News Agency)
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (National News Agency)
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Berri Backs Hezbollah Withdrawal South of Litani if Israel Pulls Back

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (National News Agency)
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (National News Agency)

After controversy surrounding the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement announced following US-sponsored talks in Washington on Wednesday, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday clarified his position, saying he supports Hezbollah's withdrawal from south of the Litani River in parallel with an Israeli withdrawal from the areas it occupied, while describing the remaining provisions as “unfair”.

Speaking during a meeting with Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal, Berri said: “Instead of this hybrid agreement, we could have viewed the beginning of the text positively had it provided for an unconditional ceasefire on land, at sea and in the air, without the destruction of existing structures. But it was booby-trapped by the addition of a complete cessation of fire by Hezbollah, as well as the withdrawal of all its members from south of the Litani.”

He added: “To be brief, I approve the following: The ceasefire shall be understood as complete and comprehensive, without conditions, on land, at sea and in the air, and without bulldozing or destroying existing structures.

Hezbollah's withdrawal from south of the Litani in parallel with the Israeli withdrawal from the areas it occupied. The rest of the text is unfair and not worth mentioning.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday that implementation of the ceasefire could begin within 24 hours of final approval.

He said that once responses are received from all relevant domestic parties, particularly Hezbollah, Lebanon's position will be conveyed to the United States.

He stressed that “the agreement that has been reached is the last opportunity; otherwise, each side must bear its responsibilities.”

Arab World

UN Doubles Appeal for Lebanon Aid to Nearly $640 Mn

A man inspects the aftermath at the site of an Israeli strike that hit the previous day in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on June 5, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)
A man inspects the aftermath at the site of an Israeli strike that hit the previous day in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on June 5, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)
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UN Doubles Appeal for Lebanon Aid to Nearly $640 Mn

A man inspects the aftermath at the site of an Israeli strike that hit the previous day in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on June 5, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)
A man inspects the aftermath at the site of an Israeli strike that hit the previous day in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on June 5, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)

The UN on Friday more than doubled its aid appeal for Lebanon as the country reels from Israel's war against Hezbollah, saying nearly $640 million was needed over six months.

"The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is severe and deteriorating," the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a revised appeal for the country.

"Repeated displacements, insufficient shelter capacity and limited prospects for safe return are deepening vulnerability," it said, warning that "affected people are rapidly exhausting their coping capacities, and essential services are under increasing strain."

The UN had appealed for $308 million in March to support a massive emergency response led by Lebanon's government through to the end of May.

On Friday it said that another $331 million would be needed through the end of August.

Only $185 million had so far been received out of the initial appeal, OCHA said, adding that that amount had helped provide assistance to around 680,000 people between March 2 and May 31.

The aim now, it said, was to more than double that number to reach all of the 1.4 million people in Lebanon -- around a quarter of the population -- estimated to need humanitarian assistance in the country.

Lebanon says Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the wider Middle East war on March 2, firing rockets at Israel in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader.

Nearly one million people have fled their homes while more than 1.2 million are facing acute food insecurity, Friday's appeal showed.

Price pressure was adding to the misery, with the cost of water, fuel and electricity up more than a third nationally, and as high as 70 percent in the conflict-affected areas, AFP quoted it as saying.

It also highlighted the strain that the conflict was placing on healthcare in Lebanon, with 62 hospitals and other health facilities either damaged or closed.

OCHA said nearly 450 schools were being used to shelter displaced people, driving learning loss and drop-out risks.