The Takeaway: Yemen’s truce renewed but permanent peace elusive
Strains in Israel-Russia ties; psychological toll of Israeli warplanes over Lebanon; Gulf expands ESG investment; Tunisia’s water shortage and Erdogan's diplomatic star turn on Black Sea grain initiative.
Our take: Yemen’s warring parties have agreed to a two-month extension of a United Nations-mediated truce, but a political settlement to end the civil war remains a distant prospect.
On Tuesday, United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg announced the renewal of a truce that since April has brought relative calm to Yemen after more than seven years of grueling conflict between the Iran-aligned Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed government.
The truce has resulted in a major drop in civilian casualties and increased humanitarian access to a country where more than two-thirds of the population requires outside aid to survive.
Both Saudi Arabia and Iran have expressed support for the truce's extension. In a statement Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Yemen’s warring parties “not to let this opportunity pass,” and to work with Grundberg on his proposal for an expanded truce agreement.
