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Yemen FM Says Houthi Practices Are a Threat to Int’l Security

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak addresses the media during a joint press conference with his German counterpart prior to a meeting in the German Foreign Office in Berlin, on 30 June 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)
Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak addresses the media during a joint press conference with his German counterpart prior to a meeting in the German Foreign Office in Berlin, on 30 June 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)
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Yemen FM Says Houthi Practices Are a Threat to Int’l Security

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak addresses the media during a joint press conference with his German counterpart prior to a meeting in the German Foreign Office in Berlin, on 30 June 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)
Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak addresses the media during a joint press conference with his German counterpart prior to a meeting in the German Foreign Office in Berlin, on 30 June 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)

Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa called for continuing the joint work aimed at reinforcing international and regional security and stability.

He received the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on the sidelines of the 18th edition of the IISS Manama Dialogue.

Prince Salman noted that Bahrain remains a beacon of peace, emphasizing the Kingdom's commitment in supporting international efforts that consolidate security, and peace.

During the Manama Dialogue, Yemen's Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Awad bin Mubarak denounced the practices of the Iran-backed Houthi militias, saying they are “a threat to the international security and peace”.

He urged the international community to exert more pressure on the Houths by endorsing the political solution based on the three references – the Gulf Initiative, the outcomes of Yemen's National Dialogue Conference, and UN Resolution 2216.

Yemen News Agency (SABA) reported that

Bin Mubarak and his UK counterpart met in Manama to discuss Houthi attacks on Yemen’s economic installations and oil ports.

Addressing the conference, bin Mubarak said the Iranian project has become clear and that the militias supported by it have become a threat jeopardizing the security of the Arabian Peninsula, region and world.

He stressed that the Yemeni government is committed to achieving peace to end the war and the bloodshed in Yemen.

“Any peaceful settlement in Yemen can't succeed unless the Yemenis agree on resolving their internal issues according to the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, and on a fair distribution of power and wealth,” he stated.

Moreover, the minister noted that the more the Houthis advance militarily the more they reject peace.

He stressed the importance of implementing the Riyadh Agreement as a pillar to achieving stability and peace, as well as uniting all political forces that oppose the Iranian agenda.

Furthermore, he demanded that the international and regional communities provide more support to the Yemeni government in its efforts to overcome economic challenges.

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Arab World

Gaza Hospital Says Child among Three Killed in Israeli Strike

Residents inspect the rubble of a building that belongs to the Palestinian family of Abu Saif and was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Residents inspect the rubble of a building that belongs to the Palestinian family of Abu Saif and was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Gaza Hospital Says Child among Three Killed in Israeli Strike

Residents inspect the rubble of a building that belongs to the Palestinian family of Abu Saif and was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Residents inspect the rubble of a building that belongs to the Palestinian family of Abu Saif and was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A pre-dawn Israeli airstrike killed three members of a Palestinian family, including a one-year-old child, in central Gaza on Sunday, a hospital said.

Gaza remains gripped with daily violence despite a formal ceasefire in place since October, with both the Israeli military and Hamas accusing one another of violating the truce, says AFP.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir el-Balah said it had received the bodies of a couple and their infant after an Israeli strike hit a residential apartment in the Al-Nuseirat camp before dawn.

The hospital said around 10 people were wounded.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military about the three deaths, though it said it had struck three Hamas weapons storage facilities in central Gaza over the preceding 24 hours.

A ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, but Israel reserves the right to strike targets it deems a threat.

At least 890 Palestinians have been killed since the October 10 ceasefire, according to Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.

The Israeli military says five of its soldiers have also been hit during the same period.

Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.

Arab World

Iraq’s Nujaba Movement Warns against ‘US Plot’ to Integrate PMF in New Security Ministry

Slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei (R) and Nujaba Movement leader Akram al-Kaabi in Tehran in December 2018. (Supreme leader’s website)
Slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei (R) and Nujaba Movement leader Akram al-Kaabi in Tehran in December 2018. (Supreme leader’s website)
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Iraq’s Nujaba Movement Warns against ‘US Plot’ to Integrate PMF in New Security Ministry

Slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei (R) and Nujaba Movement leader Akram al-Kaabi in Tehran in December 2018. (Supreme leader’s website)
Slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei (R) and Nujaba Movement leader Akram al-Kaabi in Tehran in December 2018. (Supreme leader’s website)

The Iran-aligned Nujaba Movement in Iraq warned on Saturday against an “American plot” to merge the pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in state institutions, presenting new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi with his first test in imposing state monopoly over arms.

It made its warning in wake of a visit to Iraq earlier this week by former US Central Command Commander David Petraeus, who also previously led US forces stationed in Iraq.

The new Iraqi government appears to be a taking a tougher stance against the Iran-aligned armed factions in the country in wake of attacks launched from Iraq against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have said the attacks were launched from Iraqi territory. Zaidi has slammed the attacks as “criminal acts”.

Spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces Sabah al-Numan said the committee probing the attacks will cooperate with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to uncover the perpetrators.

“The official statements are not up for debate: the security of our brothers is a read line and there can be no replacing the rule of law,” he said in statements carried by the official state news agency INA.

Any party found responsible for the attacks will face judicial and military measures, he vowed, adding that the attacks were a “threat to Iraq’s national security and flagrant violation of its sovereignty”.

On the state monopoly over arms, al-Numan said the decision “is not a mere political slogan, but a security strategy that must be implemented.”

“The success of the government will be measured by how much it establishes itself as the sole party that holds power over weapons,” he stressed.

Prominent armed factions, such as the Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, have not made any statements over the recent developments.

The Nujaba Movement, however, has openly defied the state’s decision to impose monopoly over weapons.

The party, which is seen as the most hardline, has also rejected attempts to restructure the PMF.

Deputy head of the movement’s executive council Hussein al-Saeedi said: “The resistance’s weapons are not open to compromise.”

“Stripping the factions of their weapons will leave society exposed to the ongoing threats,” he declared from Basra.

He also slammed as an “American plot” the alleged plan to merge the PMF with the federal police and other forces as part of a new “federal security ministry”.

He said such efforts are “futile” and “impossible to execute”, warning that insisting on forging ahead with the plan will have “political and popular implications.”

Arab World

10,000 Kurds Apply for Syrian Citizenship

Syrian Kurds demonstrate to mark Kurdish Language Day, demanding constitutional recognition of the Kurdish language by the Syrian government, in Qamishli, Syria, May 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Syrian Kurds demonstrate to mark Kurdish Language Day, demanding constitutional recognition of the Kurdish language by the Syrian government, in Qamishli, Syria, May 14, 2026. (Reuters)
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10,000 Kurds Apply for Syrian Citizenship

Syrian Kurds demonstrate to mark Kurdish Language Day, demanding constitutional recognition of the Kurdish language by the Syrian government, in Qamishli, Syria, May 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Syrian Kurds demonstrate to mark Kurdish Language Day, demanding constitutional recognition of the Kurdish language by the Syrian government, in Qamishli, Syria, May 14, 2026. (Reuters)

Damascus announced on Saturday that it has received over 10,000 applications for Syrian citizenship from Kurds in wake of a recent decree that preserves their rights in the country.

The Interior Ministry said it received applications for citizenship from 2,892 families and 10,516 individuals.

The majority of the applications were filed in the northeastern Hasakeh region, followed by Aleppo, Raqqa, then Deir Ezzor.

Authorities began receiving applications for citizenship from the Kurds on April 6. A May 7 deadline for receiving applications was extended to allow people more time to complete their official procedures ahead of applying.

Receiving the application is the first step towards citizenship. It will be followed by interviews with applicants to verify their documents and eligibility. The final step culminates in receiving citizenship and a document that allows them to enjoy all of their civilian rights.

The process covers all Kurds who do not have an identification document in Syria, as well as expatriates.