The pro-Qatari newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadid reported on Tuesday morning that a delegation of senior Houthi militia officials left Sana'a Airport on its way to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj season. It was the first delegation since the war in Yemen began in 2015 and a sign of progress in negotiations to an end. However, despite the ceasefires, the war is still ongoing.
The Houthi delegation includes representatives of the Ministry of Guidance and Pilgrimage Affairs in the rebel government. It includes Minister Fouad Naji, General Yahya al-Razzami, who heads the military negotiations committee, and several other senior officials. The delegation is traveling as part of a larger group of immigrants from Yemen that includes 180 people
The plane departed for the city of Jeddah and from there passengers are expected to continue to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. This is the second group of pilgrims from Yemen. The first group consisted of 273 people and set off on Saturday.
Houthi fighters in Yemen // Photo: Reuters,
Negotiations to end the war in Yemen have seen progress since Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to resume relations. Saudi Arabia led a coalition of Arab states and local forces against Houthi rebels who forcibly captured the capital Sanaa in 2014. On the other hand, the rebels have received consistent support from Iran. During the war, hundreds of thousands of people were killed.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Hossein Abdollahian embarked on a political tour Tuesday night that will begin in Qatar and continue in Oman. The second country is a key arbiter in the war in Yemen. The diplomatic trip follows a high-profile visit to Iran by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farrakhan, where he met with his Iranian counterpart and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Yemen, naturally, was one of the main issues discussed by the sides.
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