The information minister in Yemen’s rebel government has defected to neighboring Saudi Arabia, according to a government official on Sunday.
The information minister in Yemen’s rebel government has defected to neighboring Saudi Arabia, according to a government official on Sunday.
Abdul Salam Gaber had fled Sanaa and flown to Riyadh, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.
Gaber is scheduled to attend a press conference to be held in the Yemeni Embassy in Riyadh on Sunday.
There was no comment from the Houthi group on the defection, but the pro-Houthi Al Masirah television said Deifullah al-Shami was appointed as an information minister in the Houthi government.
Gaber is the most senior rebel official to defect since the Yemeni conflict broke out in 2014 when the Shia Houthi group overran much of Yemen, including capital Sanaa.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
Security forces have arrested a Daesh cell in Yemen’s southern Lahij province, according to the country’s interior ministry on Saturday.In a statement, the ministry said the cell had been plotting attacks against officials in the province and the coastal city of Aden.The ministry blamed the Daesh cell for a spate of attacks in Aden, the current seat of the Yemeni government.Daesh has claimed a series of attacks that struck Lahij and Aden in recent months.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.Last year, the Pentagon said Daesh has used ungoverned spaces of Yemen to plot, direct, instigate, supply and recruit for attacks against the U.S. and its allies around the world.US asked to stop refueling Saudi aircraft in Yemen war
Yemeni forces arrest Daesh cell in Lahij
Saudi Arabia on Saturday requested the United States to halt refueling the Kingdom's aircraft fighting in the Yemen war.The Saudi press agency reported the Saudi-led coalition has increased its capability to independently conduct inflight refueling in the war-torn country."As a result, in consultation with the United States, the Coalition has requested cessation of inflight refueling support for its operations in Yemen," it said in a statement.A decision on halting refueling the Saudi planes would have little impact on the fight, said the U.S. media, adding it would allow the U.S. administration to signal action against Saudi Arabia.According to the agency, the coalition hoped that the upcoming UN sponsored negotiations in a third country would lead to a negotiated settlement and see an end to the aggression by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias' against the Yemeni people and countries in the region, including the threat of ballistic missiles and unarmed aerial vehicles (UAVs).Saudi-backed Yemeni forces launch new offensive to capture Hodeidah from HouthisThe move comes amid outrage by American lawmakers about the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.After offering vacillating explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance, Riyadh has acknowledged he was killed in a fist fight after he entered the diplomatic facility.Khashoggi's body has not returned to his family despite calls for the Kingdom to do so amid speculation it was chemically dissolved.U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said the U.S. supported Riyadh decision for Washington to halt refueling of aircraft."We are all focused on supporting resolution of the conflict, led by UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths," Mattis said in a statement. "The U.S. and the Coalition are planning to collaborate on building up legitimate Yemeni forces to defend the Yemeni people, secure their country's borders, and contribute to counter Al Qaeda and ISIS [Daesh] efforts in Yemen and the region."Iran blames US for crimes against humanity in YemenüHe said Washington will continue working with the caalition and Yemen to minimize civilian casualties and expand urgent humanitarian efforts throughout the country.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.Yemen defense minister appointed after 3-year vacancy
US asked to stop refueling Saudi aircraft in Yemen war
Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition launched on Friday a "vast offensive" to take full control of Hodeidah, the internationally recognized government based in the southern city of Aden said in a statement."A military operation has begun and the national army forces have advanced towards the north and the western sides of the city of Hodeidah, progressing from all front with the support of the Arab coalition," it said. "Fierce battles are taking place at these moments." 
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces launch new offensive to capture Hodeidah from Houthis
The U.S. is responsible for crimes against humanity regarding Iran and Yemen, Iran’s Foreign Minister said Thursday."You know what @SecPompeo? It's the Yemenis themselves who're responsible for famine they're facing. They should've simply allowed your butcher clients—who spend billions on bombing school buses "millions to mitigate this risk"--to annihilate them w/o resisting. #HaveYouNoShame,"Javad Zarif said on Twitter.On Oct. 30, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for the cessation of hostilities in Yemen. He said in a statement that missile and drone strikes by Iran-allied Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates should stop and air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition must cease in all populated areas of Yemen.Yemen defense minister appointed after 3-year vacancy"Just as with Yemen, @SecPompeo blames Iran for unlawful US sanctions preventing Iranians’ access to financial services for food and medicine. Naturally, we will provide them for our people in spite of US efforts. But US is accountable for crimes against humanity re Iran Yemen," Zarif said.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.EU allocates additional $100 million for Yemen crisisIn recent months, the fighting has been largely concentrated in Al-Hudaydah, where the two sides continue to fight over a strategic seaport located between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.Ongoing violence in Yemen has destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure, prompting the UN to describe the situation as one of “the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.Scores of rebels reportedly killed in Yemen clashes
Iran blames US for crimes against humanity in Yemen