Riyadh De-escalates: Signs of Progress in Muscat Negotiations

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Amid warnings from Sana’a to Riyadh and a three-day ultimatum — which ended last night — for Riyadh to retract its escalatory measures, the kingdom agreed to release over 1,300 pilgrims stranded at Jeddah Airport for about a week. This situation arose from Saudi authorities halting Yemenia flights to Sana’a Airport following a request from the Aden government loyal to Riyadh. This response, which occurred on Thursday evening, coincided with Saudi directives to the Aden government to halt its economic escalation against Sana’a. This escalation included targeting banks, money exchange companies, telecommunications firms, remittances from Yemeni expatriates abroad, and the local currency used in “Ansar Allah” controlled areas.

A political source in Sana’a confirmed to “Al-Akhbar” that the kingdom agreed to start returning Yemeni pilgrims from yesterday. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan preempted “Ansar Allah” from carrying out their threats by affirming his country’s commitment to signing the peace roadmap in Yemen and its readiness to work according to its provisions. He expressed hope that peace talks would be held in the Spanish capital, Madrid, and that the kingdom could sign the agreements “as soon as possible.” He pointed out that “we need to move to a better state because the situation in Yemen is still difficult, especially economically.”

Diplomatic sources familiar with the matter told “Al-Akhbar” that Russian mediation between Sana’a and Riyadh in recent hours led to de-escalation, which was reflected in the return of Yemeni pilgrims.

While the ongoing negotiations in Muscat, under UN auspices, between the delegations of Aden and Sana’a remain unclear, sources close to the former told “Al-Akhbar” that a “preliminary” agreement was signed on a prisoner exchange deal, which will include the release of Islah Party leader Mohammed Qahtan. However, the party rejected the agreement, with its leader, Mohammed al-Yadoumi, attacking the Aden negotiating delegation on “X” (formerly Twitter), claiming they “do not represent legitimacy.” The sources noted that the delegations “exchanged lists in preparation for a deal that would release another number of prisoners and detainees,” without mentioning the fate of the seven Saudi prisoners being negotiated in the Omani capital.

A preliminary agreement on a prisoner exchange deal was signed between the delegations of Sana’a and Aden

According to the preliminary agreement, if Qahtan is alive, he will be released in exchange for 50 Sana’a prisoners held by other parties, 30 of whom will be chosen by their negotiating team from the names in the lists, and 20 by the government team, noting that all were arrested on the Marib front. If Qahtan is deceased, his body will be exchanged for 30 bodies of Sana’a fighters who fell on the Marib front as well. However, the “final approval of the agreement’s terms depends on the Presidential Council in Aden,” the sources said, adding that “the Islah Party entirely rejects the agreement, being directly involved in its implementation and currently controlling the city of Marib, where the prisoners are held.”

Meanwhile, despite the reduction in Sana’a forces’ military operations against commercial ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden due to a “decrease in violating ships passing through the Mediterranean,” according to maritime sources, US and British air forces intensified their raids on Al-Hudaydah and Hajjah provinces. For the first time, American aircraft targeted the Midi area in Hajjah province, located on the Red Sea, north of Al-Hudaydah. This coincided with a series of raids on several coastal areas in the south of Al-Hudaydah province, western Yemen, while a maritime clash occurred between Sana’a naval forces and American navy vessels in the Red Sea, according to informed maritime sources. In this context, US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated yesterday that it had targeted several radars and two unmanned boats belonging to Sana’a forces within the past 48 hours.

Source: Al-Akhbar Newspaper (Lebanon)