Grundberg in Riyadh... Al-Alimi Asks for Pressure on the Houthis

The head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council meets in Riyadh with the UN envoy. (Saba)
The head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council meets in Riyadh with the UN envoy. (Saba)
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Grundberg in Riyadh... Al-Alimi Asks for Pressure on the Houthis

The head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council meets in Riyadh with the UN envoy. (Saba)
The head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council meets in Riyadh with the UN envoy. (Saba)

UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg, began his visit to Riyadh, on Wednesday, with a meeting with the head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, within the framework of international and regional efforts aimed at finding a comprehensive solution to the country’s crisis.
Official Yemeni sources reported that Al-Alimi asked the UN envoy to exert more pressure on the Houthis, to push them towards peace in accordance with international resolutions, including Security Council Resolution 2216.
Saba news agency reported that Grundberg briefed the Yemeni official about his recent coordinated contacts with Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, and the international community to resume a comprehensive Yemeni political process under the auspices of the United Nations.
The agency added that the meeting touched on developments in the country, including Saudi mediation for a comprehensive ceasefire that aims to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people and revive the peace path in accordance with its national, regional and international references.
The president of the Leadership Council confirmed the government’s support for the efforts of the United Nations, and the mandate and tasks of its special envoy related to the implementation of Security Council resolutions, in particular Resolution 2216.
Al-Alimi stressed the need to exert maximum pressure on the Houthi militias and push them towards seriously engaging with the ongoing efforts to renew the truce, expand its humanitarian benefits, and achieve the aspirations of the Yemeni people to restore state institutions, security, stability and development.
In addition, the office of the UN envoy to Yemen announced that it met with Saudi Ambassador Mohammed Al Jaber, who is also the general supervisor of the Saudi program for the development and reconstruction of Yemen. The office stated that the meeting came “to discuss the progress of peace mediation efforts and the importance of maintaining concerted regional support.”



EU Urges Immediate Halt to Israel-Hezbollah War

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
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EU Urges Immediate Halt to Israel-Hezbollah War

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war while on a visit to Lebanon on Sunday, as the group claimed attacks deep into Israel.  

The Israeli military said Iran-backed Hezbollah fired around 160 projectiles into Israel during the day. Some of them were intercepted but others caused damage to houses in central Israel, according to AFP images.  

A day after the health ministry said Israeli strikes on Beirut and across Lebanon killed 84 people, state media reported two strikes on Sunday on the capital's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.

Israel's military said it had attacked "headquarters" of the group "hidden within civilian structures" in south Beirut.

War between Israel and Hezbollah escalated in late September, nearly a year after the group began launching strikes in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas following that group's October 7 attack on Israel.

The conflict has killed at least 3,754 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the health ministry, most of them since September.  

On the Israeli side, authorities say at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians have been killed.  

Earlier this week, US special envoy Amos Hochstein said in Lebanon that a truce deal was "within our grasp" and then headed to Israel for talks with officials there.  

In the Lebanese capital, Borrell held talks with parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, who has led mediation efforts on behalf of ally Hezbollah.

"We see only one possible way ahead: an immediate ceasefire and the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701," Borrell said.  

"Lebanon is on the brink of collapse", he warned.  

Under Resolution 1701, which ended the last Hezbollah-Israel war of 2006, Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only armed forces present in the southern border area.  

The resolution also called for Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon, and reiterated earlier calls for "disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon."