UAE envoy hails Security Council censure of Houthis as crucial step toward justice

Lana Nusseibeh was speaking on Friday after a Security Council meeting, convened at the UAE’s request, to discuss the attack on the country’s capital. (UN/File Photo)
Short Url
Updated 21 January 2022
Follow

UAE envoy hails Security Council censure of Houthis as crucial step toward justice

  • Council members unanimously condemned deadly attack on Abu Dhabi this week and called for perpetrators to be held accountable
  • Emirati representative to the UN Lana Nusseibeh said her country has a ‘sovereign right to defend itself, our people and our way of life’

NEW YORK: The UN Security Council’s unanimous condemnation of the deadly terrorist attack on Abu Dhabi this week is “a really important step” in efforts to hold the Houthi militia in Yemen accountable for its crimes and prevent future atrocities, according to the UAE’s permanent representative to the UN.

Lana Nusseibeh added that her country has a “sovereign right to defend itself, our people and our way of life, as any nation in same situation would do.”

She was speaking on Friday after a Security Council meeting, convened at the UAE’s request, to discuss the attack on the country’s capital.

Following the closed-door discussions, held under the title Threats to International Peace and Security, the 15 council members unanimously condemned the “heinous, terrorist” attack on Abu Dhabi and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

“The members of the Security Council condemn in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attacks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Monday, Jan. 17, as well as in other sites in Saudi Arabia,” they said.

They stressed the need to hold the “perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable” and urged all UN member states to cooperate with the UAE in achieving this.

Three people were killed and six injured in a drone assault on a key oil facility in the Emirati capital, and a separate fire was sparked at Abu Dhabi’s international airport. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which immediately drew condemnation worldwide.

The council members offered their condolences to the families of the victims, two of whom were Indian nationals and one a Pakistani, and to the governments of their countries.

They reiterated that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security” and that any acts of terrorism are “criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.”

The Security Council also reaffirmed the need for all states to “combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.”

Nusseibeh said that “the council has spoken with one voice that this egregious aggression by the Houthis, as well as the proliferation of missiles and other technology that enabled the terrorist attack, is a clear threat to the entire international community.”

Her country is strongly encouraged that the council joined more 100 nations and international organizations in strongly condemning the attack, she added.

“The UAE cares deeply about our citizens and about millions of citizens from around the world who have made our country their home,” Nusseibeh said.

“This meeting and this statement are clear indication of the concern that the international community takes at this attack. More than 200 nationalities call the UAE home and more than 60,000 passengers transit through Abu Dhabi International Airport every day.”

In the letter requesting the special session of the Security Council, addressed to the Norwegian delegation, which holds the presidency of the council this month, Nusseibeh described the latest escalation of violence as “a further step in the Houthis’ efforts to spread terrorism and chaos in our region. It is another attempt by the Houthis, using the capabilities they have unlawfully acquired in defiance of UN sanctions, to threaten peace and security.”

Many of the nations that sit on the council, including permanent members France, Russia, China, the US and the UK, had already issued statements condemning the Houthi assault on Abu Dhabi, with the US and the UK calling it a “terrorist attack.”

In response to a request by the UAE, US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that his administration is considering reinstating the designation of the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization.”

The attack on Monday was the second high-profile incident this month involving the Houthis and the UAE. The militia seized an Emirati-flagged cargo ship, the Rwabee, in the Red Sea off Yemen’s western coast on Jan. 3.

The Security Council previously unanimously condemned the seizure of the ship and the detention of its crew. In a statement drafted by the UK, members demanded the immediate release of the vessel and those on board, and urged the Houthis to guarantee the safety and well-being of the crew.

They also called on all sides to resolve the issue quickly and highlighted the importance of preserving freedom of navigation in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, in accordance with international law.

The hijacking of the Rwabee was the latest Houthi assault in the Red Sea, which is a crucial route for international trade and energy shipments.


Syrian mayor says Israel collected arms from locals in Golan buffer zone

Updated 3 sec ago
Follow

Syrian mayor says Israel collected arms from locals in Golan buffer zone

QUNEITRA: A Syrian mayor told AFP he had meetings with Israeli officers as the military conducted incursions in his village inside a Golan Heights buffer zone, saying they had demanded locals relinquish their weapons.
The Israeli military, contacted by AFP, said it could not comment.
Mohamed Mreiwel, mayor of the village of Jabata Al-Khashab in Quneitra province, said on Monday that he had met three times with Israeli officials who had asked to see him.
Israel, long a foe of Syria, has launched hundreds of strikes on Syrian military sites since the fall of president Bashar Assad on December 8, destroying most of the army’s arsenal, a war monitor has said.
The same day Assad was toppled by Islamist-led forces, Israel also announced that its troops were crossing the armistice line and occupying the UN-patrolled buffer zone that has separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the strategic Golan Heights since 1974.
Mreiwel said that in his first meeting with the Israelis, “they asked for weapons to be handed over to them within 48 hours.”
Residents of the village, which is located in the buffer zone, had complied with the request, he said.
Syria’s army collapsed in the face of the rebel offensive, with thousands of soldiers, policemen and other security officials deserting their posts.
Some Syrians seized weapons left behind by soldiers and security personnel, Mreiwel said, with the Israeli army “dedicating an area for people to hand over those weapons.”
During his latest meeting with the Israelis on Sunday, “we told them that we no longer had any weapons and that if we had any, we would hand them over to the Syrian government,” said Mreiwel.
He added that he told the Israeli officials that “we are not allowed to meet with you,” as Syria and Israel are still technically at war and do not have diplomatic ties.
Israeli troops have conducted patrols on the main street of Jabata Al-Khashab, an AFP correspondent said.
Israeli tanks are also stationed in nearby Baath City, named for the now suspended political party that ran Syria for decades until Assad’s ousting.
Israel seized much of the Golan Heights from Syria in war in 1967, later annexing the territory in a move largely unrecognized by the international community.

Jordan, Syria to combat arms and drugs smuggling, resurgence of Daesh

Updated 3 min 41 sec ago
Follow

Jordan, Syria to combat arms and drugs smuggling, resurgence of Daesh

DUBAI: Jordan and Syria agreed to form a joint security committee to secure their border and combat the smuggling of arms and drugs as well as cooperating to prevent the resurgence of Daesh, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Tuesday.

During the press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Al-Shibani said that the latest US move to ease sanctions should be a step towards full lifting of sanctions. Shibani said existing sanctions were a main hurdle to the recovery of Syria


Israel calls for pressure on Turkiye to stop attack on Kurds

Updated 33 min 36 sec ago
Follow

Israel calls for pressure on Turkiye to stop attack on Kurds

JERUSALEM: Turkiye must face pressure from world powers to stop attacks on Kurds in northern Syria, a senior Israeli foreign ministry official said on Tuesday.
"The international community must call on Turkey to stop these aggressions and killing. The Kurds must be protected by the international community," foreign ministry director general Eden Bar Tal told reporters.


Palestinian health ministry says 2 killed in Israeli West Bank raids

Updated 07 January 2025
Follow

Palestinian health ministry says 2 killed in Israeli West Bank raids

  • Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 820 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war

Ramallah: The Palestinian ministry of health said Israeli forces killed two people on Tuesday in separate raids in the northern West Bank, while the military said it had targeted a “terrorist cell.”
One Palestinian was killed in the town of Tammun, and another in the village of Talouza, the Ramallah-based ministry said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said its teams had transported the body of an 18-year-old from Tammun who was killed “as a result of shelling,” and that five other people were severely injured during the Israeli raid.
The body was taken to the Turkish Hospital in the nearby city of Tubas, where the director identified the deceased as Suleiman Qutaishat.
The Red Crescent said the other Palestinian was killed in an Israeli raid around the village of Talouza, near Nablus, and was 40 years old.
Residents in the area identified him as Jaafar Dababshe, who they said was shot dead by Israeli forces in front of his house.
The Israeli army when contacted did not offer details, but said on its Telegram channel: “An air force aircraft targeted an armed terrorist cell in the Tammun area” in the early hours of Tuesday.
Violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has soared since the war in Gaza erupted on October 7, 2023 after Hamas’ attack on Israel.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 820 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war, according to the Ramallah-based health ministry.
Palestinian attacks on Israelis have also killed at least 28 people in the West Bank in the same period, according to Israeli official figures.
On Monday, three Israelis were killed when gunmen opened fire on a bus and other vehicles in the West Bank, according to medics.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.


International flights resume at Damascus airport

Updated 07 January 2025
Follow

International flights resume at Damascus airport

  • Syria will receive two electricity-generating ships from Turkiye and Qatar to boost energy supplies hit by damage to infrastructure during President Bashar Assad’s rule

Damascus: International flights resumed at Syria’s main airport in Damascus on Tuesday for the first time since Islamist-led rebels toppled President Bashar Assad last month.
A Syrian Airlines flight bound for Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, took off at around 11:45 am, marking the first international commercial flight from the airport since December 8.
Syria to receive electricity-generating ships from Qatar and Turkiye
Syria will receive two electricity-generating ships from Turkiye and Qatar to boost energy supplies hit by damage to infrastructure during President Bashar Assad’s rule, state news agency SANA quoted an official as saying on Tuesday.
Khaled Abu Dai, director general of the General Establishment for Electricity Transmission and Distribution, told SANA the ships would provide a total of 800 megawatts of electricity but did not say over what period.
“The extent of damage to the generation and transformation stations and electrical connection lines during the period of the former regime is very large, we are seeking to rehabilitate (them) in order to transmit energy,” Abu Dai said.
He did not say when Syria would receive the two ships.
The United States on Monday issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months after the end of Assad’s rule to try to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance.
The exemption allows some energy transactions and personal remittances to Syria until July 7. The action did not remove any sanctions.
Syria suffers from severe power shortages, with state-supplied electricity available just two or three hours a day in most areas. The caretaker government says it aims within two months to provide electricity up to eight hours a day.