Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez talks to media during a visit in the area of a wildfire that killed at least 13 people, at the command post set in Turre, Almeria Province, on July 13, 2026. (AFP)
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Spanish PM to Visit Algeria in Bid to Mend Ties
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez talks to media during a visit in the area of a wildfire that killed at least 13 people, at the command post set in Turre, Almeria Province, on July 13, 2026. (AFP)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will travel to Algeria next week for an official visit aimed at ending years of tensions between the two countries over the Western Sahara dispute, his office said on Monday.
The visit on July 20 will be Sanchez's first trip to Algeria since relations deteriorated in 2022 after Madrid shifted its longstanding position of neutrality on Western Sahara and backed Morocco's autonomy plan for the disputed territory.
Spain's move was part of a diplomatic rapprochement with Morocco, ending its decades of ambiguity on the issue but angering Algeria, which supports the pro-independence Polisario Front, which opposes Rabat's claim over the former Spanish colony.
Western Sahara, a mineral-rich desert territory with significant phosphate reserves and fishing resources, was controlled by Spain until 1975.
Morocco now controls most of the territory.
In response to the policy shift in Madrid, Algeria suspended a 2002 friendship treaty with Spain and restricted trade ties between the two countries.
Relations have gradually improved since 2025, with commercial exchanges beginning to recover.
Iran Further Undermines Yemen’s Sovereignty as Houthis Violate the Trucehttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5295602-iran-further-undermines-yemen%E2%80%99s-sovereignty-houthis-violate-truce
Iran Further Undermines Yemen’s Sovereignty as Houthis Violate the Truce
Smoke rises following airstrikes on Sanaa airport in Sanaa, Yemen, 13 July 2026. (EPA)
Yemen's legitimate government said it struck Houthi-controlled Sanaa airport on Monday, its biggest flare-up in years with the militants.
The government said it had wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in the capital, after failing to convince a Houthi delegation that went to Tehran for the late Iranian supreme leader's funeral to board a Yemenia flight instead.
The latest escalation threatens to unravel a truce that has been holding since 2022 despite expiring, and comes at a time of heightened tensions as the United States and Iran trade attacks impacting the Gulf and traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Yemen's Defense Ministry accused the Houthis of "allowing an Iranian plane to violate Yemeni territory; consequently, the airport runway was targeted".
Following the strikes, the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad al-Alimi, said he had "ordered that the scope of the confrontation not be expanded".
He held the Houthis “fully accountable for the escalation,” saying they had insisted on welcoming a new Iranian flight despite objections and attempts to contain the crisis and avert more tensions.
The government had run out of political and legal options before the arrival of the flight. He added that the government had offered to operate the flight through the Yemenia airline seeing as it is the national carrier.
The Houthis rejected the proposal and insisted on welcoming the Iranian plane outside official channels, stated al-Alimi, saying this was evidence that the militants “were not serving the people or easing their suffering, but deepening the division and imposing a status quo that serves foreign agendas.”
He ordered the army and security forces “to be on the highest level of alert and take the necessary political, diplomatic, legal and military measures allowed by the constitution and international law to protect Yemen’s airspace and land and sea ports.”
Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaya al-Zindani held an extraordinary government meeting in the interim capital Aden to discuss the escalation.
The cabinet tasked the Foreign Ministry with intensifying its contacts with friendly nations and regional and international organizations to urge them against the use of Yemen’s airspace outside official channels.
Smoke rises after reports of an airstrike hitting near the Sanaa International Airport, as seen from Sanaa, Yemen, July 13, 2026. (Reuters)
It held the Houthis “fully responsible for the escalation and its consequences”, accusing them of “undermining peace efforts and exposing Yemen and the region to more dangers”.
It also held the Iranian regime responsible for the escalation given its continued support to the Houthis.
Ahead of the strike, the Defense Ministry had urged citizens to evacuate the airport and its vicinity for their safety.
It vowed that it would “deal with any party or plane that tries to violate Yemen’s airspace or orders issued by relevant authorities.”
Government authorities had for days warned that flights to Sanaa should only take place through state institutions.
Houthi sources later said the plane, which was carrying a Houthi delegation, landed in Hodeidah airport.
Yemeni authorities held the Houthis responsible for the escalation for insisting on imposing their own arrangements away from official regulations.
Monday’s escalation took place after the Houthis insisted on receiving Iranian flights at Sanaa airport amid the government’s refusal to operate flights outside official channels.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, urged the parties to turn to diplomacy, saying his office has "contacted military representatives from all sides".
Earlier in the day, the Yemeni government accused the Houthis of preventing an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) aircraft from leaving Sanaa airport and holding the pilot and co-pilot "hostage".
"All ICRC staff and the crew of the plane are safe and accounted for," ICRC spokesman for the Middle East Hachem Osseiran told AFP.
New Round of Lebanon-Israel Talks to Begin on Tuesdayhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5295573-new-round-lebanon-israel-talks-begin-tuesday
An Israeli military vehicle covered with netting to protect against FPV drones patrols on the Lebanese side of the border, as seen from an undisclosed location along the border, 13 July 2026. (EPA)
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New Round of Lebanon-Israel Talks to Begin on Tuesday
An Israeli military vehicle covered with netting to protect against FPV drones patrols on the Lebanese side of the border, as seen from an undisclosed location along the border, 13 July 2026. (EPA)
The sixth round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are to begin on Tuesday in Rome, a Lebanese official told AFP on Monday.
The two-day talks will begin at 10.00am (0800 GMT), the official said, requesting anonymity.
An Italian foreign ministry spokesperson had earlier said the talks would be held on July 15 and 16, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had confirmed on July 7 that the negotiations would resume "next week".
The two countries, which have no formal relations, began direct talks in April after Tehran-backed Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war by attacking Israel in support of Iran the month prior.
They recently reached a framework agreement that calls for Hezbollah's disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory while Lebanon's army deploys into "pilot zones".
But the agreement -- rejected by Hezbollah -- does not set a timetable for Israel's withdrawal, and Israeli officials have also vowed that their forces will remain in a "security zone" 10 kilometers (six miles) deep along the frontier for as long as Hezbollah remains armed.
A US military delegation met with Lebanon's army in Beirut last week to discuss the implementation of Israel's withdrawal from a first pilot zone.
Yemen Signals Military Action and Diplomatic Move Against Iranhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5295491-yemen-signals-military-action-and-diplomatic-move-against-iran
Yemen Signals Military Action and Diplomatic Move Against Iran
A widely circulated image of an Iranian aircraft at Sanaa Airport (X)
The Yemeni government has escalated its confrontation with Iran over the operation of a flight to Sanaa International Airport, which is under Houthi control. For the first time, it has signaled military options in response to any future violations of Yemeni airspace, while President of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi is leading a diplomatic effort with the permanent members of the UN Security Council ahead of the emergency session requested by the government to discuss what it describes as a violation of Yemen's sovereignty.
Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Taher Al-Aqili announced that the armed forces would respond to any aircraft he described as "hostile" that violates Yemeni airspace "using all available means." He said the government had exhausted legal and diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran and the Houthi group not to operate flights outside the approved framework, but that the latest flight represented what he called "a challenge to international legitimacy."
In a statement addressed to the armed forces and the Yemeni people, Al-Aqili said the government, in cooperation with the regional and international communities, had made every legal and diplomatic effort to deter Tehran and the Houthi group from violating Yemeni airspace. He argued that the latest incident differs from previous ones because it constitutes a direct challenge to international legitimacy.
He added that "patience has run out" and that the armed forces "will deliver an appropriate response to this brutal act and confront hostile aircraft violating Yemeni airspace and sovereignty using all available means until we teach the enemy a lesson." He held the Iranian regime legally and morally responsible for any escalation that may occur in the coming period.
This military escalation comes alongside intensified political efforts led by Presidential Leadership Council President Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, who on Sunday held separate meetings with Zhao Zheng, chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Yemen, and Yevgeny Kudrov, Russia's ambassador to Yemen, as part of the government's consultations with the permanent members of the UN Security Council ahead of the emergency session scheduled for Monday.
Al-Alimi meeting with Russia's ambassador to Yemen (Saba)
Diplomatic Effort
According to the Yemeni presidency, Al-Alimi's discussions with the Chinese and Russian officials focused on bilateral relations as well as developments related to the Iranian flight to Sanaa Airport and what the Yemeni government considers a violation of its sovereign authority.
Al-Alimi stressed that the Yemeni government alone is the legally authorized body to grant permits for operating international flights to Yemeni territory. He emphasized that no armed group, regardless of the territory it controls, has the right to exercise sovereign powers or establish foreign relations on behalf of the state.
Al-Alimi also reaffirmed Yemen's firm commitment to the "One China" principle and its rejection of any actions that undermine China's territorial integrity or sovereignty. He expressed his government's appreciation for China's continued support for Yemen's unity and territorial integrity.
In his meeting with the Russian ambassador, Al-Alimi praised the historic ties between the two countries and Russia's role in helping build Yemen's state institutions. He stressed the importance of continuing to strengthen the partnership between the two sides.
A Houthi delegation arrives in Tehran aboard an aircraft that violated Yemeni airspace (X)
A National Alternative for Flights
Al-Alimi explained to the Russian officials that the government does not oppose the operation of Sanaa Airport for civilian purposes, but rejects its use for activities that violate legal frameworks or for military purposes.
He noted that the government had proposed an initiative to continue flights through Yemenia Airways to any destination agreed upon, while providing the necessary guarantees to ensure the safety of the flights and air crews. The proposal also includes the option of chartering an aircraft to transport members of the Houthi group from Tehran in accordance with legal procedures.
He argued that the rejection of this initiative showed that the issue was not humanitarian in nature, as the Houthi group claims, but rather an attempt to replace the national carrier with Iranian flights, which, he said, no responsible government could accept.
Al-Alimi emphasized that managing Yemen's airspace and approving international flights are exclusive sovereign responsibilities of the Yemeni state. He warned that any violation of this principle would not affect Yemen alone, but would set a precedent that armed groups in other parts of the world could exploit to exercise sovereign functions and establish international relations outside the framework of internationally recognized states.
Al-Alimi concluded his meetings by reaffirming his country's commitment to maintaining balanced relations with all countries. He expressed hope for an international position consistent with the principles of the United Nations that protects state sovereignty and prevents any attempts to undermine legitimate state institutions.
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