Iraqi PM Rejects Foreign Calls to Dismantle PMF

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and his accompanying delegation in Baghdad on Saturday. (Iraqi prime minister’s office)
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and his accompanying delegation in Baghdad on Saturday. (Iraqi prime minister’s office)
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Iraqi PM Rejects Foreign Calls to Dismantle PMF

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and his accompanying delegation in Baghdad on Saturday. (Iraqi prime minister’s office)
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and his accompanying delegation in Baghdad on Saturday. (Iraqi prime minister’s office)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stressed his rejection of “foreign dictates or pressure” calling for the dismantling of the pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

Speaking to state television, he said the PMF was turned into a state institution according to a 2014 law that was ratified by parliament.

“It is unacceptable to make demands and impose conditions on Iraq, especially when it comes to dismantling the PMF,” he declared.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had stirred controversy during a meeting with Sudani earlier this month when he called for dismantling the PMF and other armed factions.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi security and defense committee urged the recruitment of more soldiers to the army as Baghdad warily eyes the developments in Syria in wake of the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Iraq is bracing for a possible fallout from the ouster on its own country, especially with the possibility of the reemergence of the ISIS terrorist group.

The Defense Ministry is in need of 25,000 to 30,000 recruits, said the security and defense committee, noting that no new members have been recruited since 2017.

Sudani said his government was assessing the situation in neighboring Syria and will take the necessary measures as developments unfold there.

He stressed the need to help the Syrian people run their country’s affairs without any foreign meddling or infringement on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.



Yemeni Forces Intensify Strikes against Houthis

The Giants Brigades repel Houthi attacks near Bab al-Mandeb. (Military media)
The Giants Brigades repel Houthi attacks near Bab al-Mandeb. (Military media)
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Yemeni Forces Intensify Strikes against Houthis

The Giants Brigades repel Houthi attacks near Bab al-Mandeb. (Military media)
The Giants Brigades repel Houthi attacks near Bab al-Mandeb. (Military media)

Violent clashes broke out anew on Tuesday across the battlefronts of the Yemeni city of Taiz, where Houthi militants launched fresh assaults on the Al-Shaqab front. The offensive coincided with intense shelling targeting surrounding villages in the Mount Saber region, even as government forces and the Popular Resistance continued to repel the attacks and block any hostile advance.

The developments unfolded alongside ongoing military maneuvers under Operation Dawn of Yemen, which entered its 16th day.

These new developments come in the wake of escalating airstrikes and drone attacks targeting Houthi positions in Taiz, Marib, and Al-Jawf. The Giants Brigades announced that they repelled a large-scale assault by the group in the Kahbub Mountains, west of Lahj.

On the political level, the Yemeni leadership has intensified its efforts to demand the designation of the Houthis as a terrorist organization and to tighten international restrictions on their sources of armament and funding.

On the ground, Yemeni field sources said army forces and the local resistance repelled Houthi attacks on the Al-Shaqab front, south of Taiz, preventing the attackers from making any progress.

In the Al-Misrakh district south of Taiz, government forces, backed by the Popular Resistance, continued their offensive against Houthi positions amid violent battles in the village of Sanamat.

Government forces had announced on Monday that they achieved advances in the Sanamat and Al-Sarari areas following clashes with the Houthis that attempted to infiltrate towards the region's villages, reach the summit of Mount Al-Arous, and cut off roads through the villages of Saber.

Field sources reported a lull in Houthi attacks on the outskirts of the city over the past 24 hours, amid assessments that the group is attempting to regroup its forces in preparation for launching heavier assaults.

In the past 24 hours, spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces Majed Al-Nuzaili announced the execution of 1,164 operations, which neutralized 558 Houthis, including field commanders. The operations also destroyed and disabled 135 military vehicles and equipment.

He added that forces seized new positions in Taiz with aerial and artillery support, while the Shabwa fronts continued to press the group's positions, hindering their movements and reinforcements.

In Marib and Al-Jawf, government forces announced the targeting of Houthi armored vehicles, machinery, and fortifications using drones, coinciding with a new missile attack on the city of Marib.

The Media Center of the Armed Forces published footage showing the targeting of Houthi vehicles in Al-Jawf and fortifications and positions in Marib.

On the political level, Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, said Operation Dawn of Yemen will continue until its objectives are achieved.

The operation "is not limited to military action, but rather includes protecting the population, restoring services, preparing conditions for recovery and reconstruction, and ensuring the regular functioning of state institutions," he stressed during a meeting with Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy to Yemen Neil Hop.

The officials discussed bilateral relations and military and security developments, in light of the continuous Houthi attacks inside Yemen and across the border with Saudi Arabia.

Al-Alimi stressed the need to support efforts aimed at delivering water, food, and medicine, facilitating the movement of civilians, and opening vital roads for humanitarian supplies.

He renewed his thanks to Saudi Arabia for its political, economic, and humanitarian support to the Yemeni government and people.

Al-Alimi officially requested United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to support international action through the Security Council to designate the Houthi group as a terrorist organization, ensure the enforcement of the arms embargo against it, dry up its sources of funding and armament, and hold accountable its backers and those responsible for its violations.

During a phone call with Guterres, Al-Alimi briefed the Secretary-General on the missile and drone attacks targeting state institutions and civilian facilities, as well as the expanding assaults on cities and villages, coinciding with the siege of Taiz and the shelling of its residential neighborhoods.

He also noted the continued detention of more than 70 United Nations staff members and the abduction of thousands of citizens.


Lebanon Judge Calls in Two Hezbollah Officials over Explosives Shipment

FILED - 17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyeh: FILE PHOTO - A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyeh area. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyeh: FILE PHOTO - A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyeh area. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
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Lebanon Judge Calls in Two Hezbollah Officials over Explosives Shipment

FILED - 17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyeh: FILE PHOTO - A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyeh area. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyeh: FILE PHOTO - A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyeh area. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa

A Lebanese judge on Tuesday ordered two Hezbollah officials to appear for questioning over their alleged involvement in a delivery of explosives seized by authorities this month, a judicial official told AFP.

Lebanese authorities had been carrying out investigations after arresting two suspected Hezbollah members accused of transporting half a tonne of explosives, which the Iran-backed group subsequently said were part of its "capabilities" to be used against Israel.

They were caught on October 8 at a security checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar in Lebanon's east in a vehicle headed towards Beirut, with a source telling AFP that one was the son of a Hezbollah official and the other was also a group member.

The judicial official, requesting anonymity, told AFP that the judge on Tuesday ordered two Hezbollah officials to appear for questioning "after initial investigations... established their identities".

Security agencies are working to locate them and take them into custody, the official added.

Last week, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the explosives belonged to the militant group, demanding the shipment be returned and calling for those arrested to be released, in a rare admission by the group.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently urged Lebanon not to return the explosives.

Lebanese authorities have announced the seizure of three large shipments of explosives this month alone.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has vowed that authorities "will deal with weapons outside the legal framework with the required firmness".

President Joseph Aoun on Saturday said the army and security forces were "implementing the government's decisions on extending the state's authority... and confiscating weapons and ammunition".

"Violators are referred to the judiciary, which carries out its duties fully in applying the law and the political authorities' decisions," he added.

Lebanese authorities last year committed to disarming Hezbollah after months of cross-border hostilities culminated in a 2024 war between the group and Israel.

But Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war this year by attacking Israel, which responded with heavy strikes and a ground invasion.

In June, Lebanese and Israeli authorities signed a framework agreement which involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from territories it occupies, and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the area.

Hezbollah, the only militant group that refused to disarm after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, has rejected surrendering its weapons and the direct negotiations with Israel.


Shabwa Deputy Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Supplied Terrorist Groups with Drone Technology

Shabwa Deputy Governor Fahd Al-Khulaifi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Shabwa Deputy Governor Fahd Al-Khulaifi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Shabwa Deputy Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Supplied Terrorist Groups with Drone Technology

Shabwa Deputy Governor Fahd Al-Khulaifi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Shabwa Deputy Governor Fahd Al-Khulaifi (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Fahd Al-Khulaifi, First Deputy Governor of Yemen's Shabwa province, warned that the Houthi group has supplied some terrorist organizations with drone technology as part of what he described as ongoing cooperation between the two sides.

His remarks came after a Houthi missile attack on Monday targeted the Martyr Ahmed Al-Sulaimani Training Center on the outskirts of Ataq, the capital of Shabwa province in southeastern Yemen.

Local authorities reported that the facility was struck by three ballistic missiles while newly recruited internal security personnel were undergoing training, leaving more than 70 people dead and over 200 wounded.

In exclusive remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Khulaifi said Houthi attacks would not break the resilience of Shabwa's residents but would instead strengthen their determination to confront the group.

He said local authorities possess information confirming cooperation between the Houthis and terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaeda and ISIS, noting that the Houthis had enabled some of these groups to acquire drone technology.

According to Al-Khulaifi, this cooperation is evident in attacks targeting security forces, the Shabwa Defense Forces and the Nation's Shield Forces as they pass through the province en route to other governorates.

Local authorities announced that those killed would be officially recognized as having died in the line of duty, with their salaries permanently allocated to their families. They also pledged to safeguard the rights and financial entitlements of the wounded and ensure payment without delay, while mobilizing the necessary resources to provide medical care.

Al-Khulaifi said the dead and wounded were newly recruited members of the province's police and security agencies.

He noted that Shabwa Governor Awad bin Al-Wazir had revealed that local authorities possess evidence of cooperation between the Houthis and other terrorist organizations.

Al-Khulaifi added that such coordination had intensified recently and was being monitored by security agencies.

He said the Houthis and terrorist organizations were carrying out direct attacks and planting explosive devices and booby traps along roads and at locations used by security forces and the Shabwa Defense Forces.

He added that their cooperation had expanded to include the use of drones after the Houthis provided some of these organizations with the necessary technology.

Al-Khulaifi stressed that such terrorist acts would not undermine the determination of Shabwa's residents to confront the Houthis.

He called on the Arab Coalition to support the front lines with advanced weapons capable of countering Houthi military capabilities, particularly drones, and to provide ground-based air defense systems to intercept ballistic missiles.

Shabwa's local authorities held the Iran-backed Houthi group fully responsible for the attack and the resulting casualties, describing the targeting of recruits during training as an extremely serious military escalation.

They also called for urgent measures to protect military and security facilities and their personnel.

Meanwhile, Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi was briefed on developments following the attack during a telephone call with Shabwa Governor Awad bin Al-Wazir.

Al-Alimi instructed the relevant authorities to provide necessary medical treatment to the wounded, care for the families of those killed, complete procedures to settle their entitlements and ensure payment of their salaries, and take the necessary measures to respond firmly to the sources of the attack.

He said the targeting of recruits reflected what he described as the Houthis' tendency to resort to attacks whenever they faced pressure or setbacks in plans backed by the Iranian regime.

Al-Alimi stressed that such attacks would not deter the state from fulfilling its responsibilities to protect citizens and restore national institutions.

He also vowed that the victims' deaths would not go unanswered, emphasizing that caring for their families and honoring their sacrifices was a national responsibility.