On Wednesday the Houthis and their ally, former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, put the final touches on all their previous efforts at killing any semblance of political legitimacy in the country. After their advance on Amran came the takeover of Sana’a; and these have thus far been the two mai
Sharm El-Sheikh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin has called for Arab military intervention in Yemen, warning that Tehran is supplying the Shi’ite Houthi movement with heavy artillery, in comments to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of a forthcoming Arab Leagu
Paris and Seyne-Les-Alpes, Reuters—The co-pilot of the Germanwings airliner that crashed in the French Alps killing all 150 people aboard appears to have brought the A320 Airbus down deliberately, the Marseille prosecutor said on Thursday. German Andreas Lubitz, 28, left in sole control of the Airbu
Sana’a, AP—Saudi Arabia bombed key military installations in Yemen on Thursday after announcing a broad regional coalition to oust Shiite rebels that forced the country’s embattled president to flee. Some of the strikes hit positions in the country’s capital, Sana’a, and flat
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—As Lebanon’s presidential vacuum continues for its 10th month and the country of almost 4.5 million inhabitants continues to reel from the economic and social pressure caused by the influx of an estimated 1.5 million refugees fleeing the conflict in neighboring Syria—no
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia will re-open its embassy in Baghdad before the end of April, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Baha Araji told Asharq Al-Awsat. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat from the Saudi capital Riyadh, Araji praised the move, adding that this is an important step in normalizing
Seyne-Les-Alpes, France, Reuters—Lufthansa said on Wednesday it could not explain why its Germanwings Airbus had crashed into an Alpine ravine killing all 150 on board as investigators tried to discover what had caused the first major air disaster in France in 15 years. Investigators said the remote
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz has affirmed that the Kingdom’s judiciary is independent of the executive and that its judicial system is based on the Qur’an and Sunnah. The King met with Saudi Arabia’s Justice Minister Waleed Al-Samani and a number of other senior judi
Aden, Reuters—Houthi forces in Yemen backed by allied army units seized a key air base on Wednesday and appeared poised to capture the southern port of Aden from defenders loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, local residents said. The Houthis and their military allies later advanced to within
What is currently happening in Yemen is not the first problem Saudi Arabia has faced with respect to its neighbor to the south. But the current problems don’t just concern Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is of course the most affected out of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, but it is by no means al
Jerusalem, AP—Arab political leaders in Israel on Tuesday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology for comments he made in last week’s national elections that offended members of the Arab community and said his words made him unsuitable to return for a third consecutive term
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari praised Saudi Arabia’s “serious” efforts to reopen its embassy in Baghdad in a joint press conference he held with his New Zealand counterpart in the Iraqi capital on Monday. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has suspended its diplomatic
La Javie, Reuters—An Airbus operated by Lufthansa’s Germanwings budget airline crashed in a remote snowy area of the French Alps on Tuesday and all 150 on board were feared dead. French President François Hollande said he believed none of those on board the A320 had survived, while the head of
Few would argue that Tunisia escaped the repercussions of its so-called Arab Spring with the least damage. The recent attack on its Bardo National Museum, however, reminds us that states like Tunisia nonetheless remain hostage to their geographic locations and cultural and social environments. Tunis
Riyadh and Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s internationally-recognized government on Sunday called on the UN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to impose a no-fly zone over parts of the country after the third largest city of Taiz fell to Houthi rebels. Tensions in Yemen escalated on Sunday after
Beirut, Reuters—Islamic State fighters attacked a military airport in Syria’s Homs province on Monday as they pushed on with an offensive against government strongholds towards the west, a monitoring group said. Skirmishes by Islamic State—which is strongest in the northeast and east—into the
Sana’a and Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Fighters from the Shi’ite Houthi movement seized Yemen’s third-largest city Taiz late on Saturday as the political crisis currently gripping the country threatened to boil over into a full-scale internal conflict. Local eyewitnesses told the Reuters news agen
Paris, Reuters—Voting began on Sunday in the first round of French local elections where the anti-immigration National Front (FN) hopes to come top and consolidate leader Marine Le Pen’s bid for the presidency in 2017. Opinion polls suggest voters are unexcited about the election for councilor
The battle to rid Tikrit of the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has revealed the depth of the Iranian military’s role in Iraq, as well as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders’ authority over what have been dubbed the Popular Mobilization forces, an alliance of
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—There has been strong regional and international condemnation of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Yemen’s history that resulted in the deaths of at least 137 people in Sana’a on Friday. A Yemeni branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed respo
