Saudi Arabia

Yemen Presidential Body Sacks Last UAE-Backed Member

Yemen's eight-seat presidential body on Thursday dismissed its last UAE-backed member, a southern separatist, consolidating Saudi Arabia's full control over the country's decision-making body. In December, forces from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council briefly captured two key provinces, infuriating Saudi Arabia, which rolled back their ...

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman Convince Trump to ‘Give Iran a Chance:’ Senior Saudi Official

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman led efforts to talk U.S. President Donald Trump out of an attack on Iran, fearing “grave blowbacks in the region,” a senior Saudi official told AFP on Thursday. The Gulf trio “led a long, frantic, diplomatic last-minute effort to convince President Trump to give Iran a chance to show good ...

Yemen Separatist Chief Calls for Protests in First Message Since Disappearance

The UAE-backed leader of a Yemeni separatist movement on Thursday called for protests in Aden in a message to a TV channel, his first public statement since his disappearance over a week ago. Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, the leader of the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), called for "the people of South Arabia to rally in the ...

The ‘Five-Nation Committee’ Confirms Support for Lebanese State

The five-nation committee of ambassadors from Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, Egypt, and the United States met with Lebanese Prime Minister Salam to discuss the ongoing weapons inventory, among other issues, reaffirming their support for the Lebanese state and urging timely progress on the disarmament file. Egyptian diplomat Alaa Moussa said, “We ...

Yemen's Anti-Houthi Council Expels Separatist Leader

A council fighting against Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Wednesday it expelled the leader of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarous al-Zubaidi, and charged him with treason after he reportedly declined to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks. The statement from SABA accused al-Zubaidi of “damaging the republic’s military, ...

Yemen Separatists Set for Riyadh Talks After Fighting: Official

The leader of Yemen's separatists is heading to Riyadh on Tuesday for talks, a Yemeni official told AFP, after days of fighting between his UAE-backed forces and pro-Saudi rivals. The Saudi-organised talks indicate the beginning of de-escalation efforts after the clashes in Yemen's government-run areas that exposed a rift between Gulf powers ...

Lebanon Must Become Independent of Saudi Arabia Too

If Lebanon’s Shia are to finally divorce Iran and reclaim patriotism for their nation, other sects must also place Lebanon’s national interests above the diktats of foreign patrons. That means the Sunnis, the Christian Lebanese Forces, and Walid Jumblatt’s Druze political bloc must end their humiliating dependence on Saudi Arabia. For too ...

KSA-Backed Forces Reclaim Eastern Yemen as Rift with UAE-Allied STC Deepens

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have regained control of the eastern governorates of Hadramout and al-Mahra from the United Arab Emirates–supported Southern Transitional Council (STC), marking a major shift in the balance of power as tensions among Gulf allies intensify. Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership ...

Yemen's Separatists Say Fighting 'Existential' War Against Saudi-Backed Forces

Yemen's UAE-backed separatists said they were fighting a critical war against Islamists and Al-Qaeda extremists supported by Saudi Arabia, their military spokesman said on Friday. "This war is decisive and existential," Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Al-Naqib said in a statement, after the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes and ...

Yemen Declares State of Emergency as Separatist Conflict Flares

The leader of Yemen's presidential council declared a state of emergency and cancelled a security pact with the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday after Abu Dhabi-backed separatists seized swathes of territory. "The Joint Defence Agreement with the United Arab Emirates is hereby cancelled," a statement said, while a separate decree announced a ...

Yemen Separatists Report Saudi Air Strikes in Hadramawt

Saudi Arabia, the main backer of Yemen's internationally-recognised government, conducted air strikes on separatist positions in Hadramawt on Friday, according to local media and the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the strikes, which came a day after Saudi Arabia urged the ...

Hezbollah’s Ammar Al-Moussawi Makes Secret Visit to Saudi Arabia

Hezbollah official Ammar Al-Moussawi has been on a secret three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, coordinated through Turkish mediation following his trip to Istanbul for the “Al-Ahd for Jerusalem Conference,” according to Nidaa Al-Watan. Sources cited by the newspaper said the meetings focused on providing “reassurances” regarding the recent ...