Latest from Yemen Press Agency
Yemen Press Agency
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yemen Press Agency
Foreign intelligence conflict threatens to erupt in Aden
SANAA, June 15 (YPA) – Turkish intelligence has established a foothold in the Yemeni governorates of Aden and Hadramout to conduct its activities in southern Yemen, assisted by leaders from the Islah Party within the Leadership Council and the government loyal to the Saudi-led coalition. The governorates of Aden, Lahj, Hadramout, and the areas extending along the Gulf of Aden and up to Bab al-Mandab have witnessed accelerating competition between relief programs run by the Turkish Red Crescent and the Emirates Red Crescent. Both sides conceal their intelligence activities under the guise of humanitarian work to enhance their influence in the region. Over the past two years, Turkish intelligence has emerged as an active player in competition with the Emirates Red Crescent by providing humanitarian aid, distributing sacrificial meat, and distributing fishing equipment, with the aim of gaining the loyalty of local communities. Southern political sources explained that the activities carried out by the Turkish Crescent in the southern regions are purely intelligence-based, aiming to achieve political goals in cooperation with government leaders and officials linked to the coalition, in an effort to restore the influence of the Islah Party, which has been declining since 2019. The sources indicated that Turkey is relying on these social activities after the failure of its military and security attempts to strengthen its presence in recent years. The intelligence competition between Turkey and the UAE has become clear, especially in light of both sides' efforts to achieve their political agendas through humanitarian assistance. This has exacerbated the fragility of the living and service landscape amid the complete absence of a role for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). The deteriorating living conditions and the inability of the coalition-backed government have transformed Aden and other areas into centers of regional and international intelligence competition involving parties such as Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the Israeli entity, in addition to Turkey and the UAE. Tensions also extend across the western coast of Yemen in the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, which overlooks the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, raising fears of an escalating conflict over strategic influence. Turkish and Emirati intelligence interests have recently emerged in governorates such as Aden, Lahj, Hadramout, and Abyan through formal humanitarian channels, within the context of a deeper competition for influence. Turkey has sought to reshape its image in the Arab world using intellectual and media outlets, such as promoting historical series, while confronting the heavy legacy of the practices of the former Ottoman era. On the other hand, the example of the Yemeni island of Socotra illustrates how humanitarian efforts initially transformed into direct military deployments led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, in partnership with 'Israel,' which established a military base on Abd al-Kuri Island after normalizing relations in 2020. Politicians warn of the possibility of a repetition of the Emirati-Turkish scenario in southern Yemen, where both parties seek to gain local loyalties through aid in the absence of state authority. This competition raises questions about the future of foreign influence in the region and its potential impact on local communities, especially with the continued manipulation of living conditions and services and the implementation of systematic starvation policies in Aden and the rest of the southern governorates.
Yemen Press Agency
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Press Agency
Al-Houthi reveals surprise about Sana'a's rapprochement with major countries
SANAA, May 18 (YPA) – Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Supreme Political Council in Sana'a province, revealed the existence of a great rapprochement between Sana'a and major countries. Al-Houthi said: 'This rapprochement will be revealed in the coming days.' 'The Yemeni position in the Red Sea serves Arab national security, noting that it has become clear to many countries that the Yemeni position is linked to Gaza,' he added. Al-Houthi stressed that Sana'a is with Egypt in having full sovereignty over the Suez Canal, considering Sana'a's military operations a guarantor for Egypt and the Suez Canal. Al-Houthi also confirmed, in an interview with Al-Masirah TV, the continuation of Yemen's position towards Gaza, noting that the Americans failed in their war on Yemen and that the Yemeni missiles forced them to stop their aggression against Yemen.
Yemen Press Agency
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Press Agency
UN experts: 'Israel' is committing genocide, planning to wipe out life in Gaza
NEW YORK, June 11 (YPA) – UN experts said that Israeli occupation committed a crime against humanity amounting to 'genocide' by killing civilians who had sought refuge in schools and religious sites in the Gaza Strip as part of a 'systematic campaign to erase Palestinian life'. In its report released on Tuesday, the committee noted that the occupying authorities have destroyed more than 90% of school and university buildings and more than half of the religious and cultural sites in Gaza. It concluded that the occupation committed war crimes, 'including directing attacks against civilians and educational facilities. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and 'Israel' was scheduled to present its report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 17. 'We are witnessing mounting evidence that Israel is waging a systematic campaign to erase Palestinian life in Gaza.' Navi Pillay, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights who chairs the commission, said in a statement, 'Israel's targeting of the educational, cultural, and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm current and future generations and undermine their right to self-determination.' The occupying authorities withdrew from the Human Rights Council in February, claiming it was biased. When the commission's latest report in March concluded that 'Israel' had committed 'acts of genocide' against Palestinians through the systematic destruction of women's healthcare facilities during the conflict in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the findings as biased and anti-Semitic. In response to the 'Al-Aqsa Intifada' Hamas launched on October 7, 2023, the occupying authorities launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip that, according to health authorities in the Strip, resulted in the deaths of more than 54,000 Palestinians. The report concluded that the damage to the Palestinian education system was not limited to Gaza, pointing to increased Israeli military operations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, along with harassment of students and attacks by settlers there. 'The Israeli authorities also targeted Israeli and Palestinian education workers and students inside Israel who expressed concern for or solidarity with civilians in Gaza, resulting in harassment, dismissal, or suspension, and in some cases, arrest and detention in a humiliating manner,' the report stated, adding that the Israeli authorities particularly target female teachers and students with the aim of deterring women and girls from activism in public spaces.'
Yemen Press Agency
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Press Agency
UN official warns of potential death of 14,000 infants in Gaza, breaking his silence to reveal series of Israeli crimes
GAZA, May 22 (YPA) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Michael Fakhri, warned on Thursday that 14,000 infants in the Gaza Strip could die if aid does not enter the Strip now. In an article in The Guardian, Fakhri called on the UN General Assembly to break the illegal blockade and stop the starvation of 2.3 million Palestinians. Israel uses hunger as a weapon against civilians Fakhri pointed out that the World Food Programme's stock of food allocated to Gaza kitchens ran out on April 25, while the World Central kitchen closed its operations on May 7. He emphasized that this is not a new development, as Israel has been using starvation as a weapon against civilians in Gaza since 2000. When Benjamin Netanyahu announced on March 1 that 'the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip [would] be halted,' Fakhri pointed out that Netanyahu was blatantly defying international law, ignoring the International Criminal Court's warrant calling for his arrest for the war crime of starvation, and the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in March 2024, which recognized that famine and starvation were widespread in Gaza, creating a risk of genocide. He confirmed that Israeli officials, along with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, had made the release of the hostages a condition for Hamas to provide humanitarian relief to Palestinian civilians. He added, 'While hostage-taking is prohibited under international law, there is no situation in which humanitarian aid to civilians can be used as a bargaining chip.' The UN official pointed out that 50% of Gaza's population was suffering from hunger before October 2023, and 80% of them were dependent on humanitarian aid, at a time when 500 trucks loaded with supplies were arriving daily. He emphasized that Palestinians in Gaza, after 19 months of starvation, need far more than 500 trucks daily. He pointed out that Israel presented an aid plan for Gaza that the UN Secretary-General described as not based on the international legal principles of humanity, impartiality, independence, and neutrality, but rather a system of 'ruthless control and restriction of aid, down to the last calorie and grain of flour.' An attempt to 'weaponize aid' Fakhri recognized that the Israeli aid plan is designed to forcibly relocate Palestinians, concentrating them in southern Gaza under strict oversight by mercenaries or armed Israeli troops. He noted that the United Nations has labeled this plan a military strategy and a deliberate effort to use aid as a weapon. He also cited UNICEF's statement that 'Israel uses aid as bait to lure civilians into military zones, forcing them to choose between displacement and death.' Fakhri noted that the United States may take over the aid plan in Israel, but that the U.S. government's operation will be managed by a private foundation, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, with support from the Israeli military. He criticized the foundation, noting that it is opaque and lacks clear details about its source of funding or how it operates in Gaza. Regardless of who runs it, the United Nations has rejected this 'made in Israel' plan, and UN-backed experts have determined that it will not prevent famine. 'Political threats are flimsy' The UN rapporteur explained that hundreds of UN aid trucks were ready to enter Gaza amid the Israeli occupation's shelling of a civilian ship attempting to deliver aid. Fakhri emphasized that the occupation's brutality and the harshness of American support are consistent with their statements, while the international response has been slow and disappointing. He recalled the statements of several countries, with the United Kingdom, France, and Canada threatening to take action if Israel does not halt its attacks and lift its restrictions on aid. He also pointed to the United Kingdom's suspension of trade negotiations with Israel, adding that monitoring the situation in Gaza over the past 19 months has demonstrated the impact of hunger on children. He considered the current threats and trade suspension to be futile. 'When the Security Council is unable to take action due to a veto, the UN Charter authorizes the General Assembly to intervene under the 'Uniting for Peace' clause,' said Fakhri. This enables the General Assembly to issue a resolution calling on peacekeeping forces to escort humanitarian convoys to Gaza. He accused Israel of planning to harm the population of Gaza after launching an intensive ground offensive dubbed 'Operation Gideon's Wagons.' He pointed to the escalation of Israeli violence after the blockade of food and water for more than 75 days, which led to a sharp increase in child malnutrition by more than 80% in March and a 3,000% increase in the price of wheat flour since February.
Yemen Press Agency
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Press Agency
Yemeni missile, drone strikes hit Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv
SANAA, May 18 (YPA) – The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a precision strike on Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, using a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile, a Zulfiqar ballistic missile, and a Yafa drone. The Yemeni Armed Forces issued the following statement: 'In support of the oppressed Palestinian people and their resistance fighters, and in rejection of the genocide being perpetrated by the Zionist enemy against our brothers in the Gaza Strip: The missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces has carried out a special military operation targeting Lod Airport—known in the 'Israeli' naming as 'Ben Gurion Airport', located in the occupied area of Yafa, using two ballistic missiles: one of them a hypersonic missile of the 'Palestine-2″ type, and with a ballistic missile of the 'Zulfiqar' type. By the grace of Allah, the operation successfully achieved its objective, causing millions of Zionist occupiers to flee into shelters and halting air traffic at the airport for nearly an hour. Earlier in the morning of the previous day, the drone force of the Yemeni Armed Forces conducted a military operation targeting Lod Airport using a drone of the 'Yafa' type. The Yemeni Armed Forces renew their call to the sons of the [Islamic] nation: Has a nation of two billion Muslims truly become incapable of saving two million of its own from genocide and starvation? This overwhelming failure and helplessness will only encourage the enemy to persist in its aggression against all peoples and nations. But Yemen—proud with its free people, faithful leadership, and resisting army—will, with the help of Allah and reliance upon Him, continue to act, support, and move forward until the aggression against Gaza is stopped and the siege lifted.'
