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Houthis Accused of Committing 1,230 Truce Violations on Various Fronts in Yemen

A Yemeni fighter on a battlefront. (AFP)
A Yemeni fighter on a battlefront. (AFP)
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Houthis Accused of Committing 1,230 Truce Violations on Various Fronts in Yemen

A Yemeni fighter on a battlefront. (AFP)
A Yemeni fighter on a battlefront. (AFP)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias have committed 1,230 violations of the two-month nationwide truce in Yemen that was declared by the United Nations earlier this month.

UN envoy Hans Grundberg was in Sanaa for talks with Houthi officials in an attempt to consolidate the truce and persuade them to joint peace consultations.

This marks the first time he visits the Houthi-held Yemeni capital since his appointment in September. The militias had refused to meet with him before the lifting of restrictions on fuel ships and reopening of Sanaa international airport.

Houthi media reported that Grundberg kicked of his visit by meeting with the foreign minister of the militias' illegitimate government, Hisham Sharaf, and the Houthi official in charge of the prisoner file, Abdulkader Mortada.

Even as the envoy attempted to persuade the militias to join peace talks, he was met with their same demands over the reopening of Sanaa airport, lifting all curbs on Hodeidah port and the payment of salaries in Houthi-held regions. The legitimate government believes these demands, if they are fulfilled, will help the Houthis prolong the war and smuggle Iranian weapons.

Meanwhile, Yemeni military spokesman Abdo Majali revealed that the Houthis have committed 1,230 violations of the truce since its announcement.

Speaking at a press briefing on field developments, he said the militias have committed the violations on all battlefronts in the Marib, Taiz, Hajjah, Dhale and Saada provinces.

He stressed that the national army was fully committed to the UN ceasefire and orders of the military and political leaderships, while the Houthis continue their escalations and breaches.

The violations ranged from the amassing of forces, artillery attacks on the military, the deployment of snipers and the flying of armed drone attacks.

Majali accused the Houthis of bringing in more reinforcements to battlefronts in southern Marib. He revealed that they have already sent over 40 military vehicles.

The Houthis also fired a ballistic missile in the province that left material damage on civilian property.

In Taiz, the military confirmed 342 violations, including the firing of mortar and artillery shells on residential areas adjacent to army bases, the deployment of snipers, and bringing in more reinforcements.

Majali added that the army returned fire against the Houthis when it came under attack.

Elsewhere, the Houthis committed 305 truce violations in Hajjah, 156 in Hodeidah, 100 in al-Jawf, 61 in Dhaleh and 40 in Saada.

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Arab World

Explosions Rock Damascus, Wounding 18, as French President Macron Visits Syria

An ambulance drives past the site where explosive devices blew up near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying, in Damascus, Syria, July 7, 2026. (Reuters)
An ambulance drives past the site where explosive devices blew up near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying, in Damascus, Syria, July 7, 2026. (Reuters)
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Explosions Rock Damascus, Wounding 18, as French President Macron Visits Syria

An ambulance drives past the site where explosive devices blew up near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying, in Damascus, Syria, July 7, 2026. (Reuters)
An ambulance drives past the site where explosive devices blew up near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying, in Damascus, Syria, July 7, 2026. (Reuters)

Explosions rocked Damascus on Tuesday as France’s president met with his Syrian counterpart in a landmark visit, wounding at least 18 people according to Syrian state media. 

Emmanuel Macron had entered the presidential palace to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa when the explosions happened near the Four Seasons Hotel. Syrian authorities did not immediately comment on the incident. 

Syrian media reported that Macron was staying at the Four Seasons. The French president’s office said he was safe and that his meeting with al-Sharaa was continuing.  

Macron is the first major Western leader to visit Syria since al-Sharaa came to power and his visit comes before he heads to a NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye.  

Macron played a major role in pushing Europe and the United States to drop most sanctions on Syria. He arrived in the country Monday night with an economic delegation, and is scheduled to sign memorandums of understanding with his counterpart as the battered country tries to lure investors to help it rebuild after 14 years of war. 

State television, citing an unnamed security official, reported that the two blasts in the heart of the capital were caused by explosive devices, one placed in a garbage bin and the other in a parked car.  

The report added that four people were wounded including several police officers, and no deaths were immediately reported. An investigation is currently taking place at the scene of the attack. 

A large plume of smoke could be seen from the site. The area is on a busy street in Damascus and is near the headquarters of the Tourism Ministry and the Damascus National Museum. 

Footage widely circulated on social media showed a van and a motorcycle on fire and blood stains on the street. 

There were no immediate reports of casualties. No group immediately claimed responsibility. 

The incident comes days after an explosive device was detonated in a cafe near the Justice Palace in Damascus, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 20. 

The explosions are a blow for al-Sharaa, who came to power after leading an insurgency that ousted Bashar Assad in 2024. 

He has since pushed to assert full control and bring stability in war-torn Syria and win the support of Western governments. His government has promised political and economic reform after decades of autocratic rule. 

While Syria’s new rulers have wrestled with violence involving different groups in the country as they work to assert control, the capital has largely been peaceful during the turbulent period. 

The conflict in Syria killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions. Syria’s infrastructure lies in ruins, and while other nations and businesses have made large investment pledges, the country still needs hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and lift millions out of poverty. 

Before arriving at the presidential palace, Macron met with members of Syrian civil society, though his office did not give details on who. 

Arab World

Iraq Seizes More Cash and Gold in Oil Ministry Corruption Probe

Bundles of cash newly seized from the Deputy Oil Minister (Iraqi News Agency) 
Bundles of cash newly seized from the Deputy Oil Minister (Iraqi News Agency) 
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Iraq Seizes More Cash and Gold in Oil Ministry Corruption Probe

Bundles of cash newly seized from the Deputy Oil Minister (Iraqi News Agency) 
Bundles of cash newly seized from the Deputy Oil Minister (Iraqi News Agency) 

Iraqi authorities announced Monday the seizure of an additional 25 billion Iraqi dinars, $1 million in cash, and about five kilograms of gold in the corruption case involving detained Deputy Oil Minister for Refining Affairs Adnan Al-Jumaili and other suspects linked to the investigation.

Diaa Jaafar, the investigating judge at Iraq’s Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court, said in a statement that total assets seized so far have risen to 127 billion Iraqi dinars and $24 million, in addition to real estate, vehicles, and gold jewelry confiscated during the investigation.

He said inquiries and efforts to track down other suspects were continuing until all legal procedures are completed.

Sources at Iraq’s Integrity Commission told Asharq Al-Awsat that the total value of assets seized from Al-Jumaili so far — including cash and 70 properties — exceeds 250 billion Iraqi dinars (about $191 million).

The Interior Ministry also announced Monday the arrest of another suspect connected to Al-Jumaili’s alleged corruption network in Salahuddin province. According to the ministry, intelligence officers seized more than $3 million, over 750 million Iraqi dinars, a cache of light weapons, modern vehicles, and government contracts from the suspect’s residence.

Iraqi authorities last week arrested 15 people, including lawmakers, heads of political blocs, and former governors, on corruption charges based on confessions allegedly made by Al-Jumaili. Security sources said the latest detainee serves as contracts director at the Baiji Refinery, where authorities discovered the cash during a raid on his home.

Despite broad public support for the government’s anti-corruption campaign, skepticism remains over whether Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s administration will sustain the drive rather than limiting it to a single wave of arrests. Public doubts have been fueled by Al-Zaidi’s earlier remarks suggesting the possibility of settlements under which suspects could regain their freedom after returning embezzled public funds.

Sources familiar with deliberations inside the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework told Asharq Al-Awsat that some coalition leaders have grown increasingly dissatisfied with the recent crackdown, with some urging the prime minister to halt the campaign for fear that arrests could reach figures affiliated with their factions. Although most Framework parties have publicly endorsed the anti-corruption drive, the sources said their private positions differ from their public statements.

Ghalib Al-Daami of the Iraqi Academy for Combating Corruption said investigations were proceeding on parallel domestic and international tracks, targeting suspects inside Iraq as well as fugitives abroad. He added that authorities are preparing action against businessmen accused of defaulting on billions of dollars in loans from Iraqi banks.

Al-Daami ruled out the prospect of releasing current detainees through financial settlements and said judicial and oversight authorities are pursuing 954 cases involving the recovery of assets smuggled abroad, in addition to 262 legal requests related to recovering funds transferred overseas by imprisoned corruption suspects.

 

 

Arab World

US Keen to Form Alliance with Iraq, Syria Away from Iran’s Influence

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US Envoy Tom Barrack in Baghdad on June 16, 2026. (Iraqi government press office)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US Envoy Tom Barrack in Baghdad on June 16, 2026. (Iraqi government press office)
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US Keen to Form Alliance with Iraq, Syria Away from Iran’s Influence

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US Envoy Tom Barrack in Baghdad on June 16, 2026. (Iraqi government press office)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US Envoy Tom Barrack in Baghdad on June 16, 2026. (Iraqi government press office)

Three Syrian, Western, and Iraqi sources said Monday that Iraq and Syria are preparing to sign an economic agreement under US sponsorship during Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington in mid-July, in a move that could pave the way for a new alliance in the region that “moves away from the region’s anti-US camp.”

A Syrian source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani is expected to travel to Washington in mid-July, where he is scheduled to meet with al-Zaidi or Iraqi officials accompanying him on the sidelines of the PMs visit.

A Western source said the talks would follow an anticipated meeting between al-Zaidi and US President Donald Trump at the White House.

According to the Syrian source, US Special Envoy Tom Barrack will sponsor the agreement between Baghdad and Damascus, with the possibility of other Arab countries joining at a later stage if ongoing technical and political understandings are finalized.

An Iraqi source neither confirmed nor denied whether al-Zaidi would meet Syrian officials in Washington. However, a political adviser in the previous Iraqi government said that “al-Zaidi’s team is making special preparations to sign a regional economic agreement that includes Syria.”

Another Iraqi source said al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington, scheduled to begin on July 15 and last about four days, will include meetings with the US president, Republican and Democratic congressional leaders, and representatives of American oil companies. He is then expected to travel to Texas for additional meetings with major energy firms.

A government official told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the prime minister will travel to Washington at the invitation of the US president, and the meeting with Trump tops the agenda,” while declining to disclose whether meetings with officials from other countries were also planned.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Damascus. (Syrian Presidency)

‘Core alliance’

For weeks, the Iraqi government has focused on advancing two parallel tracks: bringing armed factions’ weapons under state control and integrating them into the security institutions, while pursuing individuals suspected of corruption, including figures believed to have ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Baghdad has also shown an increasing tilt toward Washington as the US administration continues to press Iraq to reduce its dependence on Iranian influence.

Observers describe al-Zaidi’s government as “a promising opportunity” to reshape the regional balance of power as part of a new regional framework that could redefine relations between Baghdad, Washington, and Tehran.

These developments come as Iraq seeks to diversify its oil export routes and reduce reliance on traditional maritime shipping lanes, while Syria is betting on its geographic location to restore its role as a regional corridor for energy and trade.

The Western source said Barrack is working to translate his approach toward Iraq and Syria into concrete projects by establishing the “core of a new alliance of interests” linking Iraq, Syria, and regional partners through a shorter route to the Mediterranean, thereby reducing dependence on the Strait of Hormuz.

If concluded in its proposed form, the agreement would reflect a shift in the US approach toward the region, emphasizing cross-border infrastructure projects linking Iraq to the Mediterranean coast while giving Syria a greater role in reshaping regional energy flows.

A drone view of vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 8, 2026. (Reuters)

Leaving Iran’s influence

An Iraqi researcher believes al-Zaidi’s visit could mark a transitional moment in Iraq’s regional realignment, similar to the shift that followed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House in November 2025, which was widely viewed as a turning point in Syria’s move from the Iranian camp to the Western camp led by the United States.

Akeel Abbas, an expert on US affairs, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the significance of al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington closely resembles al-Sharaa’s.”

Abbas, who is based in Washington, said the essence of al-Sharaa’s visit was Syria’s repositioning from a country opposed to the United States to a partner in the US-led international coalition against terrorism.

Washington wants to see Iraq follow a similar path through clear, measurable, and verifiable steps, including projects linking regional energy pipelines, he added.

“Washington wants this Baghdad-Damascus alliance to reduce the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz and limit its impact in the event of a second round of war with Iran,” he explained.