Member of Yemeni Presidential Leadership: The Battle is Existential with Houthis

Member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Tareq Saleh (Saba)
Member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Tareq Saleh (Saba)
TT

Member of Yemeni Presidential Leadership: The Battle is Existential with Houthis

Member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Tareq Saleh (Saba)
Member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Tareq Saleh (Saba)

Member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Tareq Saleh, described the battle with the Houthi militias as an existential battle on all levels, referring to the "banditry" of its leaders and their attempts to wipe out the Yemeni identity.

The official media quoted Saleh as confirming that the battle with the Houthi militia would continue at various levels.

During a meeting with residents in the Yakhtel area of the al-Makha district, Saleh said the battle with the Houthi militia is "an existential battle against ignorance, poverty, disease, and backwardness."

The official explained that all Yemenis meet on significant issues. Still, Houthis are attempting to erase them, noting that Sanaa streets became a copy of the streets of Iran with pictures of the leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Saleh, the nephew of the late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, described the leaders of the Houthi militia as "a group of thieves" who sought to plunder people's lands and property.

Meanwhile, the UN and its envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, aim to reach permanent solutions to the Yemeni crisis based on regional momentum and relative calm.

Yemeni political circles believe the Houthi militia will not give up its coup and gains, including the heavy weapons they looted from the Yemeni army's warehouses.

However, observers do not rule out the return of a new round of fighting if the militia continues its intransigence and economic war against the Yemeni government.

During his last briefing to the Security Council, Grundberg urged the Yemeni parties to seize the regional momentum to reach a comprehensive political settlement, expressing his concern over the possibility of a return to violence after months of relative calm.

The envoy emphasized that "despite the dire economic and humanitarian situation, Yemen is still benefiting from the achievements of the Truce. But of course, all Yemenis I have talked to hope for a comprehensive resolution of the conflict."

He indicated that even though the overall military situation in Yemen remains relatively stable, "I am concerned by the uptick in the number and the intensity of clashes in several frontline areas, particularly the fronts in Marib and Taiz."

He called on the parties to exercise maximum restraint during this critical time, including refraining from escalatory public rhetoric, to avoid destabilizing the situation.

Grundberg urged the Yemeni parties to seize the opportunity of renewed regional momentum, referring to the Saudi-Iranian agreement, to maintain a conducive environment for discussions and to allow the time and space needed for the talks to bear fruit.

He warned: "Impatience at this juncture risks a return to a cycle of violence and risks unraveling what has been achieved so far."

Notably, the Yemeni government accuses Iran of supporting the Houthi coup and funding them to control the country by force. It also says they continue to wage military, economic, and cultural war, threatening international navigation and the global economy.

Despite the optimism in Yemen after the Saudi-Iranian agreement, some observers believe it would constitute a gateway to isolating the Houthis from Iran, leading to a settlement and ending the conflict.

However, others believe the Houthi militia will not stop its project to seize power in the country by force and further establish the coup.



Four Killed in Israeli Strikes on Southern Lebanon

Israeli tanks drive in Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, April 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli tanks drive in Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, April 25, 2026. (Reuters)
TT

Four Killed in Israeli Strikes on Southern Lebanon

Israeli tanks drive in Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, April 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli tanks drive in Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, April 25, 2026. (Reuters)

Four people were killed on Saturday in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, Lebanon's state news agency reported, while the Israeli military said Hezbollah had fired rockets at Israel, the latest challenges to a tenuous, recently extended ceasefire.

The ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon has led to a significant reduction in hostilities, ‌but Israel ‌and Iran-backed Hezbollah ‌have ⁠continued to clash ⁠in southern Lebanon, where Israel has kept soldiers in the self-declared buffer zone.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had struck loaded rocket launchers belonging to Hezbollah in three locations in southern Lebanon overnight ⁠and targeted several Hezbollah fighters in ‌separate strikes.

It was ‌unclear whether the deaths reported by the ‌state news agency were linked to those ‌Israeli strikes.

The Israeli military restated its warning for Lebanese residents not to approach the Litani River area in southern Lebanon while it battles ‌Hezbollah.

It said it had intercepted a "suspicious aerial target" within the area its ⁠forces ⁠are presently occupying, and that two rockets were fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel, one of which was intercepted. There were no reports of casualties.

A Hezbollah lawmaker said on Friday that a US-mediated ceasefire in the war with Israel was meaningless, a day after it was extended for three weeks. The truce had been due to expire on Sunday.


Syria to Begin Trying Assad-Era Figures on Sunday, Says Justice Official

Residents gather in a street after Friday prayers to celebrate the arrest of Amjad Yousef, a key suspect in the 2013 Tadamon massacre, in Tadamon, Syria, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Residents gather in a street after Friday prayers to celebrate the arrest of Amjad Yousef, a key suspect in the 2013 Tadamon massacre, in Tadamon, Syria, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)
TT

Syria to Begin Trying Assad-Era Figures on Sunday, Says Justice Official

Residents gather in a street after Friday prayers to celebrate the arrest of Amjad Yousef, a key suspect in the 2013 Tadamon massacre, in Tadamon, Syria, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Residents gather in a street after Friday prayers to celebrate the arrest of Amjad Yousef, a key suspect in the 2013 Tadamon massacre, in Tadamon, Syria, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Trials of prominent figures from the rule of ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad are set to begin this weekend, a justice ministry official told AFP on Saturday, starting with a former security official.

"The first trial sessions for symbolic former Syrian regime figures will begin on Sunday" with Atif Najib, who was arrested in January of last year, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Najib is the former head of political security in south Syria's Daraa province, the cradle of the country's 2011 uprising, and is accused of orchestrating a crackdown there. He is also a cousin of the ousted leader.

The ministry official said trials would follow for Wassim al-Assad -- another of the former president's cousins -- and Amjad Youssef, the main suspect in a 2013 massacre who was arrested this week, as well as "pilots who took part in bombing Syrian cities and towns".

Syria's civil war began with a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests and spiraled into a 13-year conflict that killed more than half a million people.

Assad's forces pounded opposition-held areas, including with airstrikes and crude barrel bomb attacks, while tens of thousands of people disappeared, some into the country's brutal prison system.

Since seizing power in December 2024, Syria's new authorities have repeatedly announced the arrests of former officials, vowing to provide justice and accountability for Assad-era atrocities.

Assad fled to Russia with only a handful of confidants, abandoning senior officials and security officers, some of whom reportedly went abroad or took refuge in the coastal heartland of Assad's Alawite minority.

Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais said Friday on X that the Damascus criminal court was ready "for the moment that victims have long waited for: the start of public trials", calling them "part of the transitional justice process".

Rights groups, activists and the international community have repeatedly emphasized the importance of transitional justice in the war-ravaged country.

The protest movement against Assad began in Daraa on March 15, 2011, after 15 students were arrested for allegedly writing anti-government slogans on the city's walls.

Residents said the students were tortured, leading to a protest to demand their release that ended in bloodshed.

Najib, blamed for the crackdown, was dismissed soon after. He was on a US Treasury sanctions list alongside other Syrian officials.

Wassim al-Assad was arrested last June. The US Treasury sanctioned him in 2023, saying he had led a paramilitary unit and was "a key figure in the regional drug trafficking network".


Low Turnout as Palestinians Vote in First Elections Since Gaza War

Palestinian electoral officials set up a polling station in a tent for municipal elections in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 25, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinian electoral officials set up a polling station in a tent for municipal elections in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 25, 2026. (AFP)
TT

Low Turnout as Palestinians Vote in First Elections Since Gaza War

Palestinian electoral officials set up a polling station in a tent for municipal elections in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 25, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinian electoral officials set up a polling station in a tent for municipal elections in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 25, 2026. (AFP)

Palestinians in the West Bank and central Gaza voted on Saturday in municipal elections, the first since the Gaza war erupted, marked by low turnout and a narrow slate of contenders. 

Nearly 1.5 million people were registered to vote in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as well as 70,000 people in Gaza's Deir al-Balah area, according to the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission (CEC). 

"We are very pleased to exercise democracy in spite of the many challenges we face, both locally and internationally," Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas told journalists after voting in Al-Bireh, Wafa news agency said. 

Early Saturday, a steady trickle of voters headed to polling stations in the West Bank, as foreign diplomats observed the process. 

By 5 pm (1400 GMT), turnout in the West Bank reached 40.62 percent, the CEC said. 

But participation in Deir al-Balah was significantly lower, at just 21.2 percent, by the time polls closed there at 6 pm. 

In the previous municipal elections in March 2022, turnout was 53.7 percent in West Bank cities. 

Voting in the West Bank ended at 7 pm, with a notable late surge of women voters in Jericho, an AFP journalist said. 

"We will elect someone who can improve the local community ... things like water and repairing the streets," said Manar Salman, an English teacher in the city. 

"We don't receive much support from outside, and the occupation affects us in many ways... it limits what the municipality can do." 

Some questioned the election's timing. 

"We didn't want elections at this time -- not with war in Gaza and settler attacks ongoing in the West Bank," said Ziad Hassan, a businessman from Dura Al-Qaraa village. 

"The decision was imposed on us, and so we are compelled to elect an administrative body for the village council." 

Israeli settler attacks have surged in recent months, and become a major concern. 

"The main thing is security from settlers. That's why we need new faces, young people willing to fight for our rights," said Abed Jabaieh, 68, former mayor of Ramun village. 

Most electoral lists were aligned with Abbas's secular-nationalist Fatah movement or composed of independents. 

A Palestinian woman casts her ballot in a polling station during municipal elections in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on April 25, 2026. (AFP)

- EU hails vote - 

Hamas, Fatah's bitter rival and the ruling power in Gaza, was absent from the race. 

In many municipalities, Fatah-backed lists faced off against independents supported by smaller factions such as the Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. 

Municipal councils oversee water, sanitation, and local infrastructure but do not enact legislation. 

Still, with presidential or legislative elections frozen since 2006, councils have become one of the last remaining democratic mechanisms under the Palestinian Authority. 

The PA faces widespread criticism over corruption, stagnation and declining legitimacy. 

Western and regional donors have increasingly tied financial and diplomatic support for the PA to reform, particularly in local governance. 

The European Union called the vote an "important step towards broader democratization and strengthened local governance ... in line with the ongoing reforms process". 

A Palestinian man shows his marked finger after casting his ballot at a polling station during municipal elections in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Al-Bireh on April 25, 2026. (AFP)

- 'Strong determination' - 

The polls closed earlier in Deir al-Balah to allow for counting in daylight because of the lack of electricity in the war-devastated strip, the CEC told AFP. 

Two years of war have left swathes of Gaza destroyed and more than 72,000 people dead, according to the territory's health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN. 

Public infrastructure, sanitation and health services in Gaza are all struggling to function. 

Under Hamas control since 2007, Gaza experienced its first vote since the 2006 legislative elections that the movement won. 

The PA is holding elections only in Deir al-Balah to test its "success or failure, since there are no post-war opinion polls", said Jamal al-Fadi, a political scientist at Cairo's Al-Azhar University. 

It was chosen as one of the few areas where the population has not been massively displaced. 

After voting there, Mohammed al-Hasayna, 24, said although the elections were largely symbolic, they served as a sign of people's "will to live". 

"We are an educated people with strong determination, and we deserve to have our own state," he told AFP. 

"We want the world to help us overcome the catastrophe of war. Enough wars -- it is time to work towards rebuilding Gaza."