Yemen Calls for Stopping Militia Violations, US Urges Adherence to Ceasefire

People stand at the site of a Houthi ballistic missile attack over the populated district of Rawdha in Marib (File photo: Reuters)
People stand at the site of a Houthi ballistic missile attack over the populated district of Rawdha in Marib (File photo: Reuters)
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Yemen Calls for Stopping Militia Violations, US Urges Adherence to Ceasefire

People stand at the site of a Houthi ballistic missile attack over the populated district of Rawdha in Marib (File photo: Reuters)
People stand at the site of a Houthi ballistic missile attack over the populated district of Rawdha in Marib (File photo: Reuters)

The Yemeni government stressed the importance of taking action to deter the Houthi ongoing violations of the UN-sponsored truce.

A government source called on the United Nations and its special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, to take severe and real action to deter the Houthis' continuous and escalating violations of the ceasefire since the first moments of its entry into force.

The source pointed to the Houthi’s blatant escalation, which culminated in the drone attack against the Taiz Security Department, injuring ten, including civilians.

The official Saba news agency quoted the government source as confirming that the Houthis' repeated violations of the UN truce put the United Nations and the international community to a real test of their seriousness in pressuring the Houthi militia to respond to peace efforts.

The source explained that Houthis have failed to respect the UN-sponsored humanitarian truce from the first moments of its entry into force and their repudiation of implementing the existing obligations.

The militias negated many factors in the ceasefire, foremost of which was lifting the siege on Taiz, representing the approach and behavior of the militia and its supporters in undermining all opportunities for peace and a political solution to the Yemeni crisis.

The source stressed the need to immediately lift the siege on Taiz Governorate under the terms of the truce.

Meanwhile, the US called on the Yemeni parties to fulfill their pledges regarding the humanitarian truce, leading to the lifting of the siege on Taiz and the reopening of the Sanaa airport.

"We strongly support the UN-brokered truce in Yemen, which is an opportunity to alleviate suffering and an important step for peace efforts," US Charge d'Affaires in Yemen Cathy Westley said in a statement on Twitter.

Westly asserted the US support of international calls for all parties to uphold their truce commitments, including relieving years of siege-like conditions that created a humanitarian catastrophe for hundreds of thousands of people in Taiz and reopening Sanaa airport.

Official sources reported that the National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations to Human Rights visited the al- Ardhi neighborhood in the Salh district.

Houthis attacked the area with armed drones, injuring ten and causing panic among locals celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Saba news agency reported that the committee's team inspected the targeted area and streets, photographing the directions of the shrapnel and the significant damage it caused to cars, vehicles, and buildings.

The team interviewed civilians who witnessed the operation while near the National Museum, the College of Arts, the Security Administration, and the park.

The human rights team reported that civilians were in a state of terror and panic following the bombing, which comes within the humanitarian truce announced by the UN for two months, subject to extension.

The team visited the Republican and al-Thawra Hospitals and met several injured victims. They reviewed lists of wounded civilians and their medical reports.



Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

At least two people were killed and four rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the building when it fell.

The bodies pulled out were of a child and a woman, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air.

The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon’s second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards, according to The AP news.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state’s expense.

The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of “blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security,” and said it is “not an isolated incident.”

The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse.


Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
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Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)

Israel's security cabinet approved a series of steps on Sunday that would make it easier for settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israeli authorities more enforcement powers over Palestinians, Israeli media reported.

The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Citing statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israeli news sites Ynet and Haaretz said the measures included scrapping decades-old regulations that prevent Jewish private citizens buying land in the West Bank, The AP news reported.

They were also reported to include allowing Israeli authorities to administer some religious sites, and expand supervision and enforcement in areas under PA administration in matters of environmental hazards, water offences and damage to archaeological sites.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the new measures were dangerous, illegal and tantamount to de-facto annexation.

The Israeli ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The new measures come three days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Washington with US President Donald Trump.

Trump has ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building, which the Palestinians say denies them a potential state by eating away at its territory.

Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

His ruling coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view.


Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the attack by the Rapid Support Forces on humanitarian aid convoys and relief workers in North Kordofan State, Sudan.

In a statement reported by SPA, secretary-general's spokesperson Jamal Rushdi quoted Aboul Gheit as saying the attack constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilians and depriving them of their means of survival.

Aboul Gheit stressed the need to hold those responsible accountable, end impunity, and ensure the full protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and relief facilities in Sudan.