Security Council Says Houthis Are Responsible for Not Renewing Yemen Truce

The UN Security Council (Reuters)
The UN Security Council (Reuters)
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Security Council Says Houthis Are Responsible for Not Renewing Yemen Truce

The UN Security Council (Reuters)
The UN Security Council (Reuters)

The UN Security Council said the Houthi militias were responsible for not renewing the truce agreement in Yemen, stressing that the last-minute demands of negotiations to extend the truce in the country impeded the UN mediation efforts.

The Security Council stressed the need to avoid the resumption of hostilities inside Yemen and attacks in the region and the Red Sea.

In a press statement, members of the Security Council urgently called on the Yemeni parties, especially the Houthis, to refrain from provocation, prioritize the Yemeni people, return to constructive engagement in negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations, and work urgently to extend the truce.

The members expressed their deep disappointment that the UN-mediated truce in Yemen expired on October 2 without the parties agreeing to extend it.

They stressed their expectation that the parties would find a way to restore the armistice, noting that the past six months saw the most extended period of calm since the war began and a dramatic reduction in civilian casualties.

The statement indicated that the expanded truce proposal would provide salaries to teachers, nurses, and civil servants in Yemen, open roads in Taiz and across the country, boost international flights, and ease the clearance process for fuel ships entering Hodeidah port.

The Council members renewed their support for the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, stressing that the extension would also provide an opportunity to reach a ceasefire.

They hoped it would lead to a comprehensive Yemeni-led political settlement with the fair and meaningful participation of women, under the auspices of the United Nations, based on the agreed references and under Security Council Resolutions.

They indicated that returning to negotiations and restoring the armistice is the way toward permanently ending this war and resolving Yemen’s humanitarian and economic crises, expressing deep concern over rhetoric threatening negotiations and actions impeding financial stability in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee recently announced new sanctions on three Yemeni people for their involvement in terrorist activities.

The council indicated that the Commander of the Houthi Air Force and Air Defense, Ahmed al-Hamzi, was named for his activities and his role in the military efforts that directly threaten peace, security, and stability in Yemen.

The committee, established according to Resolution 2140, also named Houthi naval chief Mansour al-Saadi, who orchestrated lethal attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea and played a leading role in Houthi naval efforts that directly threatened the peace, security, and stability of Yemen.

The sanctions also included the former deputy head of its National Security Bureau, Mutlaq al-Marani, who was added for his role in the “torture and other ill-treatment” of detainees under his supervision.

Marani was also accused of directing the National Security Bureau to illegally arrest and detain humanitarian workers and planning the diversion of humanitarian aid in breach of international law.



Israeli Strike on Lebanon Kills One

 31 August 2026, Lebanon, Arnoun: Smoke billows after an Israeli detonation on Arnoun, not far from the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge. (dpa)
31 August 2026, Lebanon, Arnoun: Smoke billows after an Israeli detonation on Arnoun, not far from the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge. (dpa)
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Israeli Strike on Lebanon Kills One

 31 August 2026, Lebanon, Arnoun: Smoke billows after an Israeli detonation on Arnoun, not far from the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge. (dpa)
31 August 2026, Lebanon, Arnoun: Smoke billows after an Israeli detonation on Arnoun, not far from the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge. (dpa)

An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one person on Wednesday, Lebanese official media said, while Israel said it targeted Hezbollah in retaliation for an attack targeting its soldiers in the south.

"One person was killed and another wounded in a strike launched by an enemy drone" in the city of Nabatieh, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said, also reporting other Israeli strikes on the area.

Israel's army said the Iran-backed Hezbollah group overnight "launched two explosive drones" towards Israeli soldiers in Ali al-Taher Ridge area, reporting no troop casualties.

In response, the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatieh area.

Israel has recently increased its attacks on south Lebanon, particularly in the Nabatieh area where the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge is located.

Israel has previously said Hezbollah fighters are holed up in "underground terror infrastructure" there.

Hezbollah has not claimed any attacks on Israeli targets for weeks.

Last week, Israeli airstrikes killed a woman as Israel's military said it struck Hezbollah targets.

On August 15, Israeli strikes killed 11 people including several children. Israel's military said it killed two Hezbollah commanders in raids also launched in retaliation for an attack by the group.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March by attacking Israel in support of its backer Iran, triggering massive Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanese authorities say have killed more than 4,300 people.

Israeli forces are operating inside a self-declared "security zone", which runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory along the border.

Violence has dropped since a US-Iran memorandum of understanding on the broader conflict in June and a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon later that month.

But Lebanon still reports Israeli strikes, artillery shelling and broad demolitions of civilian buildings in southern villages and towns.

Lebanon's health ministry says Israeli attacks have killed at least 8,920 people since hostilities initially erupted in October 2023, after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas over the Gaza conflict.


Xi Tells Egypt’s Sisi ‘External Interference’ in Middle East Should Be Opposed

 In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)
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Xi Tells Egypt’s Sisi ‘External Interference’ in Middle East Should Be Opposed

 In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Egyptian counterpart on Wednesday that "external interference" in the Middle East should be opposed, Beijing's state media reported, following talks in Cairo between the two leaders. 

"We must uphold the principle that the people of the Middle East are the masters of their own affairs, oppose external interference (and) support regional countries in strengthening dialogue on peace and security," Xi told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. 

Xi is on his first visit to Egypt in a decade as Beijing seeks a greater foothold in the region against the backdrop of the US-Iran war. 

Washington vowed last month to isolate Iran economically, threatening expanded sanctions that could also hit Chinese banks, among others. 

China, a major buyer of Iranian oil, has vowed to safeguard its interests. 

Xi also said during talks with Sisi that Beijing was willing to help protect maritime shipping from the energy-rich region, upended since US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February triggered the war. 

"China stands ready to work with countries in the region to safeguard the security of international shipping lanes, advance development cooperation... and eliminate the breeding grounds for conflict," Xi said, according to Xinhua. 


Damascus Begins Establishing its Authority in Hasakeh after SDF Dissolution

A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
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Damascus Begins Establishing its Authority in Hasakeh after SDF Dissolution

A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)

The Special Task Forces of the Ministry of Interior took over a regiment on Tuesday from the disbanded Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasakeh city as part of a plan to deploy Syrian security forces in the Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria.

The move is part of completing integration procedures and taking control of all security and military positions in the governorate, and hours after the arrival of a Ministry of Defense delegation to Hasakeh to discuss measures for completing the integration process.

Internal Security and Special Task forces are expected to deploy gradually across all areas of Hasakeh to extend state control, maintain security, and boost stability.

New appointments within the Syrian security apparatus are expected as part of an integration process.

Forces are also preparing to deploy to Hasakeh city center, Qamishli, Rumeilan, Al-Malikiyah, and border regions in the coming days.

A delegation from the Ministry of Defense arrived in Hasakeh on Monday and held a meeting at the governorate headquarters with local officials, including Governor Nour al-Din Ahmed, Military Security chief Thaer Obaid al-Bilal, and Military Police chief Imad Fawaz al-Ayesh.

The meeting addressed the procedures and steps required to finalize the integration of military and security institutions within the region, said a statement.

The meeting also addressed coordination mechanisms and the strengthening of cooperation between the relevant entities to unify efforts and ensure the smooth implementation of procedures related to the integration.

The executive bureau of the Hasakeh governorate also held its first meeting on Tuesday, chaired by the governor and attended by bureau members, to discuss mechanisms for boosting coordination across various sectors.

In a related development, displaced Arab families from Haskaeh city returned to their homes in the Al-Aziziyeh neighborhood after more than 10 years of displacement. A celebration was held in their honor attended by Internal Security Commander Marwan Al-Ali and Hasakeh Deputy Governor Ahmed Al-Hilali.