CAIRO: The nephew of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh has resurfaced in the south of the country and has called for an end to the Yemen war, in his first public appearance since his uncle was killed by his former Houthi allies last month.
Brigadier-General Tareq Mohammed Saleh, who led a brigade of an elite Yemeni army unit before his uncle was forced to step down in 2012, had been expected to help lead Saleh's supporters in a fresh fight against the Iran-aligned Houthis, who control most of northern Yemen, including the capital Sana'a.
Addressing supporters in the southern Shabwa province where he had travelled to offer condolences to the family of Aref Al-Zouka, who was killed along with Saleh in the attack on Saleh's residence in Sana'a, Tareq said he remained committed to his uncle's quest for peace in Yemen.
"We are with what the leader had willed, especially his demand to stop the war, lifting the siege from our people," said Tareq, who survived the attack by Houthi forces.
"We also extend our hands to our brothers, particularly the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to work to end the war and to restore stability and security to Yemen," he added.
Initial reports said Tareq was killed in the fighting that erupted after Saleh called on the Saudi-led coalition to end the war, a move interpreted by the Houthis as a betrayal.
But it later emerged that he had survived and had made his way to a safe location. Zouka was the secretary-general of Saleh's General People's Congress party.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemen war in March 2015 to try to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power after the Houthis, backed by Saleh's supporters, forced him into exile.
The Yemen war has so far killed more than 10,000 people.
Yemen: Saleh nephew seeks peace in cooperation with Saudi Arabia
Yemen: Saleh nephew seeks peace in cooperation with Saudi Arabia
US announces ‘large-scale’ strikes against Daesh in Syria
- CENTCOM said operation ordered by President Donald Trump
- Launched in response to the deadly Dec. 13 Daesh attack in Palmyra
WASHINGTON: US and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Daesh group in Syria on Saturday in response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead, the US military said.
“The strikes today targeted Daesh throughout Syria” and were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched “in direct response to the deadly Daesh attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria” on December 13, US Central Command said in a statement on X.
CENTCOM said the operation was ordered by President Donald Trump following the ambush and is aimed at “root(ing) out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent(ing) future attacks, and protect(ing) American and partner forces in the region.”
The statement continued: “If you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” adding that US and coalition forces remain “resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States.”
The statement did not note whether anyone was killed in the strikes. The Pentagon declined to comment on more details and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria, while Syria has been cooperating with a US-led coalition against Daesh, reaching an agreement late last year when President Ahmed Al-Sharaa visited the White House.
* With Agencies
