Yemen’s Presidential Council Calls for Comprehensive Strategy to Deter the Houthis

Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, met in Riyadh with the US Ambassador. (Saba)
Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, met in Riyadh with the US Ambassador. (Saba)
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Yemen’s Presidential Council Calls for Comprehensive Strategy to Deter the Houthis

Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, met in Riyadh with the US Ambassador. (Saba)
Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, met in Riyadh with the US Ambassador. (Saba)

In light of mounting Houthi threats, the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council stressed that deterring the pro-Iranian group requires a comprehensive local, regional and international strategy.
For his part, US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin affirmed Washington’s support for the Yemeni government to strengthen its legal powers. This came during separate meetings and communications he held with the Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, and members of the Council, Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi, Tariq Saleh, and Othman Majli.
The official media reported that Al-Alimi met in Riyadh with the US Ambassador, and emphasized the need to support the government’s efforts to deter any threat to the state legitimacy, impose control over the entire Yemeni territory, and secure international shipping lines and vital national infrastructure.
According to the agency, the Yemeni official called on the donor community to fulfill its pledges to the humanitarian response plan through the Central Bank of Yemen, accelerate procedures for transferring the headquarters of international organizations and their local partners to the temporary capital, Aden, and strictly adhere to the legal status of the United Nations member state.
Al-Zubaidi, during a video call with Fagin on Wednesday, expressed the readiness of the Presidential Leadership Council to engage in any regional and international efforts aimed at putting an end to the terrorism practiced by the Houthi militias in Yemen and the region, whether by peace or war, while stressing that eliminating the Houthi threat requires cooperation between regional and foreign countries.
Saba quoted the US Ambassador as affirming the US government’s “support for all the measures taken by the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council to strengthen the state’s authority.”
He also stressed that his country was following with great concern the growing Houthi escalation in the international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden, and is working side by side with local, regional and international partners to put an end to these threats, according to Saba.
Also, the US embassy’s account on X platform stated that Fagin discussed with member of the Presidential Leadership Council, Tariq Saleh, the continued US support to the Yemeni government, including strengthening cooperation with the Yemeni Coast Guard to enhance maritime security.

 



Syria Protests Spread to Kurdish-majority Northeast

A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
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Syria Protests Spread to Kurdish-majority Northeast

A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Hundreds of people took to the streets in Syria's Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli on Tuesday amid wider protests over fuel price hikes, the largest against the new authorities.

Syrian authorities on Sunday announced an increase in fuel prices amid global surges due to the Middle East war. The price of diesel saw a 40 percent increase, while petrol prices increased by 26 percent.

An AFP correspondent on Tuesday saw men and women in Qamishli holding placards that read "no to the policy of starvation", "preserve people's strength" and "no to the increase in fuel prices" while others chanted "our fuel is for the people".

North and northeast Syria contain the country's largest oil and gas fields and are now under government control after Damascus earlier this year seized areas previously held by Kurdish forces.

Despite a January agreement to integrate Kurdish forces and areas into the state, tensions have remained, as Kurds demand safeguards for their rights.

"This decision is wrong. It's a decision against farmers, workers, and students -- against all the poor in Syria," Abdul Rahman Khalil, 56, said.

"People will not remain silent about this decision," he added.

Khansa Nehmat, 48, said "the prices of diesel and bread must return to what they were, and they must comply with the people's demands".

Protests have erupted for three consecutive days in different parts of Syria's north, northwest and northeast.

Damascus has sought to justify the move, citing higher prices in global energy markets due to the regional war, as Syria currently relies heavily on imports to meet its fuel needs.

The country's energy infrastructure remains dilapidated as a result of more than a decade of war and neglect.

The ongoing protests are the first of their kind since the new authorities seized power after ousting in December 2024 longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, under whom demonstrations were strictly prohibited.


Arab Parliament Condemns Terrorist Houthi Militia Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Arab Parliament Condemns Terrorist Houthi Militia Attacks on Saudi Arabia
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Arab Parliament Condemns Terrorist Houthi Militia Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Arab Parliament Condemns Terrorist Houthi Militia Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Yamahi expressed the Arab Parliament's strong condemnation of the terrorist attacks carried out by the Houthi militia using ballistic missiles and drones against the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Taif in Saudi Arabia, which resulted in injuries to several civilians and material damage to homes and vehicles.

In a statement, the Arab Parliament speaker stressed that these blatant attacks constitute a flagrant violation of international law, international humanitarian law, the UN Charter, and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, SPA reported.

Al-Yamahi renewed the Arab Parliament's full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its support for all measures it takes to protect its sovereignty, security, and stability, as well as its citizens and residents, emphasizing that the Kingdom's security is an integral part of the pan-Arab national security system.

The Arab Parliament called on the UN Security Council to fulfill its responsibilities, take a firm position to stop these repeated attacks, and hold those responsible and their supporters accountable in a manner that preserves the security and stability of the region.


Egypt Condemns Continued Attacks on Saudi Arabia

An Egyptian flag flutters in Cairo, Egypt, January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
An Egyptian flag flutters in Cairo, Egypt, January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
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Egypt Condemns Continued Attacks on Saudi Arabia

An Egyptian flag flutters in Cairo, Egypt, January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
An Egyptian flag flutters in Cairo, Egypt, January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo

Egypt has strongly condemned the recent attacks against the Kingdom, describing them as a clear violation of the principles and provisions of international law and a blatant threat to regional security and stability.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its rejection of the attacks and warned against their recurrence, stressing that such actions only fuel tensions and further escalate the situation in the region.

Egypt affirmed its full solidarity and unwavering support for Saudi Arabia in confronting any threats directed against it, emphasizing that the national security of the two countries is inseparable.