ADEN: Hundreds attended funeral services Tuesday for 31 Yemeni journalists who were killed in Israeli airstrikes last week that targeted Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the capital of Sanaa.
The strikes last Wednesday followed a drone launched by the Houthis that breached Israel’s multilayered air defenses and slammed into a southern Israeli airport, blowing out glass windows and injuring one person.
In Yemen, dozens were reported killed, including the journalists, in the strikes that hit Sanaa, including residential areas, a military headquarters and a fuel station, according to the health ministry in the rebel-held northern part of Yemen.
The National Museum of Yemen was also damaged in Sanaa, according to the rebels’ culture ministry, with footage from the site showings damage to the building’s façade. A government facility in the city of Hazm, the capital of northern Jawf province, was also hit.
Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV broadcast the funerals Tuesday, showing dozens inside a mosque and the caskets being carried ahead of the burial.
The turnout was lower than expected for such a a “huge loss,” according to Khaled Rageh and Ahmed Malhy, who attended the funerals, likely because heavy morning rain kept some away. The two men spoke to The Associated Press by phone.
Israel has previously launched waves of airstrikes in response to the Houthis’ firing missiles and drones at Israel. The Houthis say they are supporting Hamas and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for over 22 months, saying they are attacking in solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.
The Committee to Protect Journalists told The Associated Press on Monday that the organization is still actively looking into the reported deaths of Yemeni journalists but was having difficulties in verifying facts on the ground in rebel-held Sanaa.
“The information environment is highly restricted — Houthi authorities have imposed strict censorship, including a ban on sharing photos or videos related to the airstrikes,” the CPJ said.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch in a Monday post said Israeli airstrikes in Sanaa also hit a media center housing the headquarters of two newspapers, describing it as another example of the dangers facing journalists in Yemen.
“The recent Israeli forces’ attack further highlights the threats journalists are facing in Yemen, not just by domestic authorities but also by external warring parties,” said HRW.
Mohammed Al-Basha, a Yemen analyst, said on X that the strikes hit as staffers at the “September 26” newspaper gathered to prepare the paper’s next edition.
Hundreds attend funeral services for 31 Yemeni reporters killed in Israeli airstrikes
https://arab.news/4gnw2
Hundreds attend funeral services for 31 Yemeni reporters killed in Israeli airstrikes
- The strikes followed a drone launched by the Houthis that breached Israel’s multilayered air defenses and slammed into a southern Israeli airport
- The rebel-run Al-Masirah TV broadcast the funerals on Tuesday
Soleimani warned Al-Assad about ‘spy’ Luna Al-Shibl: Al-Majalla
LONDON: The late Iranian General Qassem Soleimani confronted Syria’s National Security Bureau chief Ali Mamlouk in late 2019 after seeing Luna Al-Shibl leaving his office. Al-Majalla magazine claims its reporters reviewed a document containing the full Arabic transcript of their exchange.
Soleimani reportedly asked, “Who is this?” and Mamlouk replied, “She is Louna Al-Shibl, the president’s adviser.”
The Quds Force commander pressed further: “I know, I know… but who is she really? Where did she work?”
According to Al-Majalla, a sister publication of Arab News, he said her former salary was “ten thousand dollars,” compared with her current salary of “five hundred thousand Syrian pounds,” before asking: “Does it make sense for someone to leave ten thousand dollars for five hundred thousand pounds? She is a spy.”
Both Soleimani and Maher Al-Assad, commander of the Syrian army’s powerful Fourth Division, had warned the ousted president’s inner circle about Al-Shibl, Al-Majalla reported.
‘Suspicious’ car crash
On July 2, 2024, Al-Shibl was involved in what officials described as a traffic accident on the Damascus-Dimas highway. She was hospitalized and died four days later.
But Al-Majalla reported that photos of her armored BMW showed only minor damage, raising immediate questions among those close to the case.
Eyewitnesses told the magazine that the crash was intentional. One said, “a car approached and rammed her vehicle,” and before her bodyguard could exit, “a man attacked her and struck her on the back of the head,” causing paralysis that led to her death.
She was first taken to Al-Saboura clinic, then transferred to Al-Shami Hospital. Several senior regime-linked figures, including businessman Mohammed Hamsho and an aide to Maher Al-Assad, were present when her condition deteriorated. One witness told Al-Majalla that when her bodyguard tried to explain what had happened, “he was arrested immediately in front of the others.”
The presidency later issued a brief statement announcing her death. Her funeral was attended only by a handful of officials. Then president Al-Assad did not attend.
