“The UAE reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to supporting all endeavors aimed at strengthening stability and development in Yemen,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
PEOPLE HOLD a banner with images of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia during a rally organised by Yemen’s main separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), in Aden, Yeme(photo credit: REUTERS/Fawaz Salman)ByREUTERS, SETH J. FRANTZMANThe United Arab Emirates welcomes Saudi Arabian efforts to support security and stability in Yemen and remains committed to backing stability in the country, the UAE’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
Yemen’s main southern separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is supported by Abu Dhabi, has pushed the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government from its headquarters in Aden while claiming broad control across the south earlier this month.
“The UAE reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to supporting all endeavors aimed at strengthening stability and development in Yemen,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Now that the STC has gained some ground in recent weeks, the Houthis might be planning a counterattack, according to UAE-based news site Al-Ain News.
A Yemeni government soldier holds a weapon as he stands by an emblem of the STC at the headquarters of the separatist Southern Transitional Council in Ataq (credit: ALI OWIDHA/ REUTERS)
“Al-Ain News learned from Yemeni security and military sources that the Houthi militias have deployed unprecedented military reinforcements to the southern internal fronts in the country,” the report said.
“The sources explained that the Houthi militia’s mobilization comes as part of preparations for a major military offensive towards southern Yemen in response to the southern forces cutting off the militia’s supply lines in Al-Mahra Governorate.”
STC historical record of action
The STC was initially part of the Sunni Muslim Saudi-led alliance that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Iran-aligned Houthis. But the group has turned on the government and sought self-rule in the south.
Yemen has already been marred by a civil war since 2014, with the Houthis controlling the northern part of the country, including the capital Sanaa, after forcing the Saudi-backed government to flee south.
“Yemen was unified in 1990, but political disputes in the south later fueled renewed secessionist calls, particularly after the outbreak of the current civil war in 2014,” the report said. “It is currently under the effective control of multiple administrations, including the Houthis, the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), and the STC.”
“The STC currently controls around 52% of Yemen’s territory,” Anadolu Agency reported. “The Houthis hold approximately 33%, while about 10% remains under the control of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and its allied forces. The remaining 5% is controlled by forces loyal to Tareq Saleh, a nephew of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.”
Istanbul Police obtained information that Islamic State members had planned attacks in Turkey during Christmas and New Year celebrations, the prosecutor’s office posted on X.
A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa June 29, 2014(photo credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)ByREUTERSTurkish authorities have detained 115 suspected Islamic State members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations in the country, the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Istanbul Police obtained information that Islamic State members had planned attacks in Turkey, against non-Muslims in particular, during Christmas and New Year celebrations, the prosecutor’s office posted on X.
The police raided 124 locations in Istanbul and captured 115 of the 137 suspects they were seeking, the statement said. Several pistols and ammunition were seized, it said.
Kashmiri demonstrators hold up a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during a demonstration against Israeli military operations in Gaza, in downtown Srinagar on July 18, 2014. (credit: TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP via Getty Images)
Attacks in Istanbul and Bondi Beach
Istanbul has faced other attacks against non-Muslims recently. On Sunday, Jews were attacked on their way to light Hanukkah candles at Neve Shalom Synagogue. The synagogue has been the target of several other terrorist attacks, including a massacre in 1986 that killed 22 people and truck bombings in 2003.
According to Army Radio, the attack targeted a vehicle in the city of Jannata, located in the Tyre district, in what seems to be a targeted assassination of a Hezbollah terrorist.
Israel Air Force, April 14, 2024.(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: The IDF carried out a strike on a Hezbollah terrorist near Jannata in southern Lebanon, the military confirmed on Wednesday night.
According to Army Radio, the attack targeted a vehicle in the city of Jannata, located in the Tyre district, in what seems to be a targeted assassination of a Hezbollah terrorist.
The IDF did not comment on the target of the strike, with the official statement saying it struck “a Hezbollah terrorist near the area of Jannata.”
This is the second strike against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon of the day, with a previous operation targeting launch sites and military infrastructure in the Tebna area of southern Lebanon’s Sidon District, as well as Wadi Houmin.
Previously, on Sunday, the IDF struck Hezbollah positions, killing at least one person involved in attempts to rehabilitate the group’s military infrastructure in the area of Yater. According to the IDF, the targeted operative was linked to efforts to restore capabilities in southern Lebanon after previous Israeli strikes.
Smoke billows from Nabatieh district, following Israeli strikes, according to two Lebanese security sources, as seen from Marjayoun, in southern Lebanon, May 8, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/KARAMALLAH DAHER)
IDF confirms Lebanese soldier had Hezbollah connection
On Tuesday, the IDF had sent out a photo of Abdullah in a Lebanese Army uniform, and Hezbollah did not deny that the two other individuals he was killed with were connected to the terror organization.
Additionally on Wednesday, IDF sources said they have extensive evidence confirming that Abdullah also worked for Hezbollah, even though there is no photograph of him in a Hezbollah uniform (which would have blown his cover).
Yonah Jeremy Bob, Sam Halper, and Fraidy Moser contributed to this report.
