Sami Aboudi and Mohammed Mukhashaf, Reuters

An arms depot explodes at the Jabal Hadeed military compound in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden March 28, 2015.

Saudi Arabia’s navy evacuated dozens of diplomats from Yemen on Saturday and the United Nations pulled out international staff after a third night of Saudi-led air strikes trying to stem advances by Iranian-allied Houthi fighters.

Residents reported heavy clashes between the Houthis and mainly Sunni tribal fighters in the south of the country, while the air campaign sought to stall a fresh offensive by the Shi’ite Muslim group on Aden from the east.

Riyadh’s intervention, a surprise move from a conservative monarchy better known for flexing its muscle in oil markets than through military might, is planned to last a month but could extend for five or six, a Gulf diplomatic source said.

  BEIRUT: Seven suspects attempting illegal entry into Lebanon led soldiers into a wild pursuit Thursday night, resulting in the death of one and the arrest of two others. A statement released by the Lebanese Army Friday said soldiers spotted a group of seven men attempting to “infiltrate Lebanese territory” through the Soweiri area near […]

  BEIRUT: There has been no improvement in the living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon over the past year, experts from the Palestinian Association for Human Rights said at a news conference Thursday. Palestinians suffer from poor education and health services and battle legally sanctioned discrimination, according to a report released by the association, […]

  Ross Mountain, the U.N. resident Coordinator in Lebanon, has warned that the needs of the region’s states, including Lebanon, are growing as result of the war in Syria, hoping that donor countries would assist the country at the upcoming conference in Kuwait. He also revealed that the International Support Group for Lebanon could meet […]

Armin Rosen

Saudi Arabia began a military operation in Yemen on March 25 to counter Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have dissolved the Yemeni state and forced president Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi to flee the country by boat.

The operation is a Saudi attempt to reclaim a strategic frontier from its primary regional adversary, or to at least limit Iran’s potentially reach into the Arabian peninsula. But it’s also becoming rapidly apparent that the Yemen operation, called Operation Decisive Storm, is driven by something more than just Saudi-Iranian competition.

Every single Arab monarchy (except for Oman) is involved in the effort, including distant Morocco — a sign that governments ruling a combined 90 million people across 8 countries believes that the prestige and core interests of traditional conservative powers are at stake in Yemen. 

  The cabinet referred on Thursday the crime of Btedei to the judicial council, two weeks after a judge indicted eight members of the Jaafar clan over links to the case. “The crime has been referred to the judicial council,” Information Minister Ramzi Jreij told reporters after the cabinet session at the Grand Serail. Earlier […]

  BEIRUT: The head of the U.N.’s peacekeeping force in Lebanon met separately with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri Thursday, a statement said. UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano discussed with Salam and Berri U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 and issues "related to the last tripartite meeting" which took place earlier this […]

  Lebanon on Thursday took an ambiguous stance that is in the vein of its famous “dissociation policy” towards regional conflicts, voicing support for any joint Arab action that “reassures everyone,” after Saudi warplanes bombed Shiite rebels in Yemen and sparked Iranian warnings. “Any joint Arab action is lauded if it is based on standards […]