ADEN, Yemen -- Yemen's Houthi group on Sunday intensified their military operations targeting various areas controlled by the country's government, further exacerbating the years-long conflict, a government official told Xinhua.
"The Houthis attacked the government's Shabwa Defense Forces stationed in a mountainous area that links the Merkhah Al Ulya district with the adjacent Bayda province, parking bloody armed confrontations," the local government official said on condition of anonymity. (Yemen-Houthis-Defying Peace Calls)
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JERUSALEM -- A free trade agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) came into effect on Sunday, the first such economic deal Israel reached with an Arab country.
Officials from both countries signed a customs agreement on Sunday, enabling the free trade agreement signed in May 2022 to come into effect, said a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. (Israel-UAE-FTA)
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KHARTOUM -- Sudan launched Sunday a workshop to push for the reorganization of irregular forces into a unified national military, as part of the political process agreed in a key deal last year for the country's transition to civilian rule.
Launched at the Friendship Hall in Khartoum with the attendance of Sudanese military stakeholders as well as representatives of the United Nations and the African Union, the workshop is the last one established under the requirement of the political framework agreement. (Sudan-Military Reform-Workshop)
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JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday, a day after the minister called on the government to halt its contentious judiciary overhaul plan.
Netanyahu's office issued a short statement saying he decided to remove Gallant from his position, without citing any reasons. (Israel-Defense Minister-Oust)
