عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Eighth Meeting on Yemen Prisoner Exchange Ends with No Agreement

The delegations at the Amman talks. (OSESGY)
The delegations at the Amman talks. (OSESGY)
TT
TT

Eighth Meeting on Yemen Prisoner Exchange Ends with No Agreement

The delegations at the Amman talks. (OSESGY)
The delegations at the Amman talks. (OSESGY)

The eighth meeting of the Yemeni Supervisory Committee on the Implementation of the Detainees Exchange Agreement concluded in the Jordanian capital Amman on Sunday with the gatherers failing to reach a deal. 

The meeting was sponsored by the office of the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (OSESGY) and International Committee of the Red Cross. 

“Based on the positive momentum achieved earlier in March in releasing a large group of detainees, the parties engaged in detailed, serious, and responsible discussions, emphasizing the necessity of achieving tangible progress to reach a gradual release of based on the 'all-for-all' principle,” said an OSESGY statement. 

“The two parties also agreed to continue consultations on the proposals and ideas discussed and to consult with their leadership, to agree on a detailed proposal that includes priorities identified by the parties for this round and a mechanism for implementation,” it added. 

“The Office of the Special Envoy will work with the parties during the coming days to ensure continued engagement and coordination of efforts to achieve progress in this humanitarian file that still haunts thousands of Yemeni families,” it went on to say.  

“The Office of the Envoy urges the parties to increase their efforts to alleviate the suffering of the detainees and their families as soon as possible,” it continued.  

The government delegation in Amman is hoping that a new swap would include Mohammed Qahtan, in line with a 2216 UN Security Council resolution. 

Spokesman for the delegation Majed Fadael revealed that the Iran-backed Houthi militias have agreed to a political prisoner exchange, which would include Qahtan. 

He described the latest round of consultations as positive. The proposals that were made will be relayed to the leaderships of the parties that were present at the talks ahead of holding a new round of negotiations, he added. 

The new round will be held after next week’s Eid al-Adha holiday. 

Fadael stressed that the delegation is following the directives of the Presidential Leadership Council and government and that it will not spare an effort that would end the suffering of the relatives of the prisoners and ensuring the release of all detainees. 

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Jordan Charges Church Attack Suspects with Terrorism

Relatives mourn as they hold a framed portrait of a victim killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral ceremony in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP)
Relatives mourn as they hold a framed portrait of a victim killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral ceremony in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP)
TT
TT

Jordan Charges Church Attack Suspects with Terrorism

Relatives mourn as they hold a framed portrait of a victim killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral ceremony in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP)
Relatives mourn as they hold a framed portrait of a victim killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral ceremony in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP)

Jordanian prosecutors on Tuesday charged three men with terrorism-related offences over a deadly gun attack last month on a church in the kingdom's south.

On October 23, gunmen killed nine people and wounded 25 others when they stormed a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hammoud village, in Jordan's Karak governorate.

Authorities said the suspected gunmen, two Jordanian brothers and their relative by marriage, fled after the attack but were arrested three days later.

According to a statement from Jordan's state security prosecutor, "the public prosecution has completed all investigative procedures... related to the terrorist attack carried out at Saint George Church".

The seven charges include "committing terrorist acts resulting in the death of a person, carrying out terrorist acts using weapons and ammunition, possessing weapons and ammunition for terrorist purposes, conspiring to carry out terrorist acts and promoting the ideology of a terrorist group".

Under Jordan's anti-terrorism law, a conviction on the most serious charge -- carrying out terrorist acts resulting in death -- is punishable by death.

Authorities have described the suspects as followers of a hardline extremist ideology.

The attack shocked the kingdom, where Christians make up around three percent of Jordan's Muslim-majority population.

Jordan retaliated by launching deadly strikes on "terrorist organizations" in Syria, claiming to have killed more than 20 extremists, but sparking a brief diplomatic crisis with its neighbor.

Arab World

Bab al-Mandeb Close to Liberation, Houthis Intensify Fighting in Lahj

A Yemeni solider in battle near Taiz city. (AFP)
A Yemeni solider in battle near Taiz city. (AFP)
TT
TT

Bab al-Mandeb Close to Liberation, Houthis Intensify Fighting in Lahj

A Yemeni solider in battle near Taiz city. (AFP)
A Yemeni solider in battle near Taiz city. (AFP)

Yemeni government forces are close to ending the Houthi presence in most positions the group still holds in the Bab al-Mandeb region, coinciding with intensifying battles in Lahj governorate.

There, the group has escalated its attacks on government force positions in the Al-Maqatirah district in an attempt to achieve a military breakthrough that would allow it to bypass toward Bab al-Mandeb and advance toward the Tur Al-Baha district.

The Giants Brigades continue to pressure the remaining Houthi pockets in Bab al-Mandeb, as government forces and the Popular Resistance are engaged in escalating confrontations along the Taiz and Lahj fronts. The clashes come amid Houthi attempts to reclaim positions lost over the past few days and open new advance routes toward strategic areas overlooking the west coast.

These developments were accompanied by decrees by Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, under which he reorganized the leadership of the Tur Al-Baha axis and the military command of the Taiz front.

The development took place following setbacks at certain positions over the past weeks, and coincides with the political leadership's reaffirmation to press ahead with the Dawn of Yemen Operation until its declared goals are achieved.

According to field sources, the Houthis only hold one main in the Bab al-Mandeb region, as well as a handful of hills where a limited number of fighters are positioned.

The sources said government forces are close to establishing full control over these sites; however, the high density of mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by the group is hindering the advance and poses a direct threat to the troops, requiring clearing operations before military objectives can be fully completed.

Houthi pressure on Lahj

The Houthis launched a violent pre-dawn attack on Tuesday against government positions on the Al-Maqatirah front north of Lahj governorate.

Units from the National Resistance successfully repelled the assault for the second consecutive day, following a similar attack on Monday.

Government forces targeted Houthi positions in the Sawalihah mountains of the Al-Nusayrah area with medium and heavy weapons, inflicting casualties and equipment losses.

According to military information, forces managed to reclaim positions in the Al-Khazzan Al-Ahmar area on the Al-Nusayrah front and expel Houthi elements.

Arab World

Yemen: 21 Foreign ‘Experts’ from Iran’s IRGC, Hezbollah Operating with the Houthis

In this file photo, Houthi supporters hold posters of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian flags during a rally against Israel and the United States in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP)
In this file photo, Houthi supporters hold posters of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian flags during a rally against Israel and the United States in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP)
TT
TT

Yemen: 21 Foreign ‘Experts’ from Iran’s IRGC, Hezbollah Operating with the Houthis

In this file photo, Houthi supporters hold posters of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian flags during a rally against Israel and the United States in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP)
In this file photo, Houthi supporters hold posters of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian flags during a rally against Israel and the United States in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP)

The Yemeni Ministry of Interior revealed Tuesday the presence of 21 foreign experts working with the terrorist Houthi militia, including 14 operatives from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and seven from the Lebanese Hezbollah, threatening the security of Yemen and international marine navigation and undermining regional and international security.

Distributed across six Yemeni governorates, these experts handle funding, arming, training, direct supervision, and operational planning to build the militias' military capabilities. This runs parallel to political, organizational, social, and media activities designed to cement long-term influence and establish networks of loyalty aimed at "placing Yemen outside its Arab surroundings."

The specializations of these foreign experts encompass operations management, command and control, ballistic missiles, drones, surveillance systems, communications, and electronic warfare, alongside overseeing supply lines and military component smuggling networks.

Their expertise also extends to coordinating maritime operations, selecting commercial vessel targets, developing booby-trapped boats, engineering autonomous submarines, and training elements in mine-laying and urban warfare tactics for city sieges.

A ministry statement said the operatives were working in Hodeidah, Sanaa, Saada, Hajjah, Amran and al-Kokha.

They are led by a military figure from the Revolutionary Guard, “who appears before cameras as an ambassador for a state that claims to respect international law.”

He serves as the general supervisor of operations, a strategic advisor, and the director of the joint operations room, alongside senior and mid-level officers specializing in drone workshops, smart missiles, and ballistic missiles, as well as naval experts and specialists in radar, communications, and electronic warfare.

“These activities threaten the security of the region, the lives of mariners, and the freedom of navigation in Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea, as well as trade routes and energy supplies,” said the statement.

It warned “of the potential transfer of military expertise and technology to other terrorist groups that share the same extremist ideology.”

It stressed the importance of the international community designating the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization, dismantling its financing and arming networks, and enforcing the arms embargo established under UN Security Council Resolutions 2216 and 2624.

“What the Houthis possess in terms of decision-making is merely the microphone, as the decisions are written in Tehran, announced in Sanaa, and paid for in Taiz, Hodeidah, and the rest of the governorates,” it added.

“The siege imposed by the terrorist Houthi militia on Taiz is one of the outcomes of this presence and support by experts from the IRGC and the terrorist Lebanese Hezbollah. It stands as evidence of the blatant presence, interference, and support for proxies in the region, which places the free world before a responsibility to stop these interventions and malicious acts,” it stressed.

Addressing the people, Interior Minister Ibrahim Haidan said: “This war into which the Houthis are driving you under the pretext of supporting Palestine is not your war; rather, the Houthis merely announce it, while Iran is the one guiding it, and you are the ones paying its price.”