Yemen Presidential Council Forms Security, Military Committee

UN envoy Grundberg meets with head of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi in Aden. (Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen).
UN envoy Grundberg meets with head of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi in Aden. (Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen).
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Yemen Presidential Council Forms Security, Military Committee

UN envoy Grundberg meets with head of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi in Aden. (Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen).
UN envoy Grundberg meets with head of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi in Aden. (Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen).

The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council announced on Monday the formation of a joint security and military committee.

Veteran military official Haitham Qassem Taher was named as head of the 59-member committee.

The formation of the body is part of the Council's efforts to consolidate its authority and efforts to unify the army and security forces.

Official sources added that the PLC also agreed to restructure the armed and security forces in line with the declaration of the transition of power in the country.

The Saba news agency said the meeting was chaired by PLC Chairman Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi and other members of the council.

The sources added that the PLC agreed to form a committee that would assess and restructure the intelligence agencies.

The members stressed the importance of these committees in carrying out their duties to achieve security and stability and unify the armed and security forces under one national command.

This would boost the battle of restoring the state and protect the current national consensus, with the support of the Arab Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Yemenis are hoping that the security and military committee would be a changing point in that it would unify the military and security forces, which would consolidate the ability of the legitimate forces in confronting the Houthi coup and unite national forces that are keen on restoring the state and liberating the capital Sanaa from the militias.

Meanwhile, the legitimate government warned that the ongoing nationwide truce was on the verge of collapse due to the intransigence of the Iran-backed Houthi militias. The truce is set to expire on Thursday.

United Nations envoy Hans Grundberg pledged on Monday to extend the truce.

He held talks with Al-Alimi, members of the PLC and Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak in the interim capital Aden.

The UN office in Yemen tweeted that the meeting focused on re-opening roads in Taiz, which under a years-long siege by the Houthis, and renewing the truce.

"Discussions focused on the need to deliver results for civilians in Taiz and across Yemen. Grundberg noted that renewing the truce is critical to solidify benefits delivered so far and provide space to move towards a political settlement," it added.

The representative of the warring parties met for three days in the Jordanian capital Amman last week to discuss ending the siege.

They failed to reach an agreement with the Houthis rejecting the government delegation's proposal to open the main roads.

Lifting the siege was among the articles of the truce. The question of the blockaded city is key to extending the ceasefire.

Grundberg said a proposal had been floated in what he described as "an initial round of discussions" for a phased reopening of roads in Taiz and elsewhere, which would help facilitate aid deliveries and the movement of suffering Yemenis.

The representatives agreed to hold a follow up meeting.

Bin Mubarak informed Grundberg on Monday that the government was keen on ensuring the success of the truce to ease the suffering of the people.

He accused the Houthis of committing violations and stalling, complicating efforts to end the Taiz siege.

He expressed the PLC's commitment to exercise restraint to ensure that the truce holds, demanding that the envoy and international community pressure the Houthis and guarantee that all articles of the truce are implemented.

The sources said Grundberg hailed the government's position and keenness on respecting the truce to ease the people's suffering.

He stressed that lifting the siege was at the top of his priorities and that he is keen on extending the truce.



49 Killed by Israeli Strikes in Gaza over 24 Hours, as Mediators Scramble to Restart Ceasefire

Palestinians inspect the damage at Al Farabi school following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, 25 April 2025. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect the damage at Al Farabi school following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, 25 April 2025. (EPA)
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49 Killed by Israeli Strikes in Gaza over 24 Hours, as Mediators Scramble to Restart Ceasefire

Palestinians inspect the damage at Al Farabi school following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, 25 April 2025. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect the damage at Al Farabi school following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, 25 April 2025. (EPA)

 

At least 49 people were killed by Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours, according to health officials, as Arab mediators scrambled to restart a ceasefire.
An airstrike in a neighborhood in western Gaza City early Saturday morning, flattened a three-story house, killing 10 people, according to a cameraman cooperating with The Associated Press. The number was confirmed by Gaza’s Health Ministry, along with three more people who were killed in the Shati refugee camp along the city's shoreline.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on the strikes.
The attacks come as Hamas said on Saturday that it sent a high-level delegation to Cairo to try and get the stalled ceasefire back on track.
Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas last month and has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is destroyed, or disarmed and sent into exile. It says it will hold parts of Gaza indefinitely and implement President Donald Trump’s proposal for the resettlement of the population in other countries, which has been widely rejected internationally.
Hamas has said it will only release the dozens of hostages it holds in return for Palestinian prisoners, a complete Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire, as called for in the now-defunct agreement reached in January.
Hamas said Saturday that the delegation will discuss with Egyptian officials the group's vision to end the war, which includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and reconstruction.
Earlier this week, other Hamas officials arrived in Cairo to discuss a proposal that would include a five-to-seven year truce and the release of all remaining hostages, officials said.
Egypt and Qatar are still developing the proposal, which would include the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to an Egyptian official and a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Meanwhile, Israel has continued its nearly two-month blockade on Gaza even as aid groups warn that supplies are dwindling.
On Friday, the World Food Program said its food stocks in Gaza had run out, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory. The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.
About 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told The Associated Press.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 of the Hamas group, without providing evidence.
The war began when the Hamas-led group stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. The militants still have 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.