LONDON: Houthi militia in Yemen are bent on “starving” the Yemeni people, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen Mohamed Al-Jaber said.
The Saudi official said in a media interview that “Houthi militants are pursuing Iranian policies aimed at impoverishing and starving civilians in Yemen.”
Al-Jaber who is also the head of the Direct Humanitarian Operation Support Center in Yemen added: “Houthi militia have robbed the funds of United Nations set aside for aid operations many times.”
Al-Jaber explained that a “political solution” is the only way to end the war in Yemen, and that Houthi militia and Iran’s strategy rejects all political settlement as part of keeping the region in a state of chaos.
The Saudi ambassador said that Iran and their Houthi allies have refused repeatedly to cooperate with UN plans to facilitate humanitarian access to the needy in Yemen.
Recently, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other coalition members have pledged over $1.5 billion to help fund UN operations in Yemen.
“Coalition donations are huge and historic and could help restart the Yemeni economy and job creation for all Yemeni,” said Al-Jaber
Houthi militants, Iran aiming to impoverish Yemeni people: Saudi Ambassador
Houthi militants, Iran aiming to impoverish Yemeni people: Saudi Ambassador
Hezbollah accepts resignation of senior security official Wafiq Safa amid restructuring
- Safa survived an Israeli assassination attempt in October 2024
- A source said “the resignation and its acceptance were part of an internal restructuring move“
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Hezbollah accepted the resignation of senior security official Wafiq Safa on Friday, the first time an official of his rank has stepped down, sources familiar with the group’s thinking told Reuters.
Safa, who heads Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies, survived an Israeli assassination attempt in October 2024.
A source said “the resignation and its acceptance were part of an internal restructuring move” following losses Hezbollah sustained in last year’s war with Israel, adding that southern commander Hussein Abdullah was appointed to replace Safa.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024 to end more than a year of cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, which had culminated in Israeli strikes that severely weakened the Iran-backed militant group. Since then, the sides have traded accusations of ceasefire violations.
Lebanon has faced growing pressure from the US and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, and its leaders fear that Israel could dramatically escalate strikes across the battered country to push Lebanon’s leaders to confiscate Hezbollah’s arsenal more quickly.
Hezbollah has fought numerous conflicts with Israel since it was founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982. It kept its arms after the end of Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, using them against Israeli troops who occupied the south until 2000.
Safa, whom Middle East media reports said was born in 1960, oversaw negotiations that led to a 2008 deal in which Hezbollah exchanged the bodies of Israeli soldiers captured in 2006 for Lebanese prisoners in Israel. The 2006 incident triggered a 34-day war with Israel.
