DUBAI: The Lebanese-based Hezbollah is involved in terrorist activities in Yemen and is planning terror attacks in Saudi Arabia, according to Al Arabiya News Channel.
It said the government in Yemen confirmed that Hezbollah is directly caught up with the war tearing through the country between legitimate forces and terrorists.
The insurgency is being led by Houthis and militias affiliated with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The video cited by Al Arabiya featured a Hezbollah commander referred to as “Abu-Saleh,” who is responsible for training Houthi terrorists. Training revolved around terror operations to be staged in Saudi Arabia in the future.
Also Thursday, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the rising death toll among Hezbollah cadres in Syria has pushed Tehran toward sending more Iranian troops to the battlefronts there.
A higher number of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) troops are now fighting alongside Bashar Assad’s forces, especially after the increase of Hezbollah deaths on Syrian battlefronts.
Citing the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Asharq Al-Awsat also said that not less than 865 Hezbollah combatants were killed between September 2012 and February 2016 in Syria.
According to the report, Saudi officials said that Iran is using Afghan refugees to fight along with Hezbollah and Assad’s forces in Syria.
Iran sent thousands of Shiite Afghan refugees to fight alongside Iranian troops and Hezbollah. Refugees in Iran are being threatened with deportation back to Afghanistan if they did not join the battle in Syria, said the report.
Thousands of Afghan troops are joining the “A-Fatimiyin” brigade — the second largest group of combatants fighting next to the Assad regime, according to the report.
An Iranian agency recently gave details of 68 Iranian soldiers killed last month in brawls against the Syrian opposition. Most of them died in Aleppo’s northern rural areas, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
Hezbollah ‘training Houthis for new terrorist attacks’
Hezbollah ‘training Houthis for new terrorist attacks’
Canada eyes stronger ties with Saudi Arabia in 2026
- Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu highlights connectivity, investment, and business opportunities between the two countries
- More than 150 Canadian companies already active in Saudi Arabia as ties deepen in tech, mining, and defense
RIYADH: On the sidelines of OpenText’s regional headquarters opening in Riyadh, Canada’s Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu told Arab News that Saudi-Canadian cooperation will “speed up” under Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new government.
“You are going to see a quick speeding up of this relationship in 2026,” Sidhu said.
“This was my first visit to the region, and I did that on purpose because this region plays a vital role to Canada. This is about friendship and, of course, allyship,” he added.
During the visit, Sidhu will hold meetings in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE with a Canadian senior-level business delegation.
When asked about the primary goal of the visit to the Kingdom, he said: “Well, for this visit, I think it is about connectivity — making sure conversations happen between the Saudi ecosystem, Saudi businesses, and Canadian businesses.
“But of course, government-to-government is very important to establish initiatives that enable more businesses.”
The minister noted that two-way trade between Saudi Arabia and Canada currently stands at $4 billion, with room to grow.
“Right now, I am focused on opening doors for businesses on both sides, but also to show collaboration. You are seeing a lot more coming. Companies set up their regional hubs here to create economic opportunities.”
During his visit, Sidhu met with Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih to discuss advancing Saudi-Canadian industry and investment partnerships and supporting both countries’ trade diversification efforts.
In November 2025, a high-level Saudi delegation led by Al-Falih visited Ottawa, during which both sides announced the reactivation of the Joint Economic Commission.
More than 150 Canadian companies are currently active in the Kingdom, in sectors such as artificial intelligence, mining, creative economy, healthcare, and defense.
Sidhu aims to use his visit to further business-to-business cooperation, both in the Kingdom and in Canada.
“We are also welcoming Saudi companies to come to Canada because the physical distance between our two nations is very wide, and we serve different regions,” Sidhu said.
“And so there is a lot of complementary opportunities that we should be looking at. In Canada, we have 15 trade agreements with 51 countries. We welcome Saudi companies to set up there, just as OpenText has done in the region, to continue collaborating.”
During the interview, the minister also highlighted mining as a key area of cooperation and said he hopes to further develop it.
Sidhu noted that more than 100 Canadian companies are participating in the Future Minerals Forum, running until Jan. 15 in Riyadh.
The minister also said that defense cooperation will expand, noting that while 40 Canadian companies participated in 2025, this year’s World Defense Show will welcome 80.
Sidhu also met with Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha to discuss strengthening bilateral partnerships in AI, innovation, and advanced technologies, supporting Saudi Arabia’s goal to become a global hub for AI and the digital economy.
Closing the interview, Sidhu noted the many similarities between the two countries: “We (Saudi Arabia and Canada) are roughly 40 million people, and we have a lot of alignment in education, healthcare, and tourism.”
