Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Oct. 11

ADEN, Yemen– Scores of the Houthi rebels were killed during their military attacks to seize key areas in the country’s northern oil-rich province of Marib on Monday, a government official told Xinhua. “Several simultaneous Houthi attacks targeted Marib’s key district of Abdiya that’s besieged for nearly three weeks, sparking non-stop armed confrontations,”…

TUNIS — New Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden Romdhane announced on Monday the lineup of her government, said the Tunisian Presidency.

Bouden and members of her cabinet took the oath in front of President Kais Saied during a ceremony held at the Carthage Palace.

The new cabinet is composed of 24 ministers, including eight women, and one secretary of state. (Tunisia-PM-Cabinet)

– – – –

ADEN, Yemen — Scores of the Houthi rebels were killed during their military attacks to seize key areas in the country’s northern oil-rich province of Marib on Monday, a government official told Xinhua.

“Several simultaneous Houthi attacks targeted Marib’s key district of Abdiya that’s besieged for nearly three weeks, sparking non-stop armed confrontations,” the local government source said on condition of anonymity.

Ferocious armed confrontations are still taking place between the Houthis and the government forces backed by local tribal fighters in the district, and the casualties included mid-level commanders of the rebel group, he added. (Yemen-Houthis-Conflict)

– – – –

BEIRUT — A huge fire broke out on Monday at a fuel storage tank of an oil facility in southern Lebanon, causing the loss of about 250,000 liters of fuel, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Lebanese Energy Minister Walid Fayyad announced that the fire at the al-Zahrani oil facility was caused by a technical error in the transport of fuel.

The Lebanese army evacuated the area while firefighters rushed to the oil facility to extinguish the fire and stop it from spreading to other tanks and residential areas, said the NNA. (Lebanon-Fire-Oil plant)

– – – –

TRIPOLI — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday said that 491 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya in the past week.

“In the period of Oct. 3 – 9, 491 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya,” IOM said.

So far in 2021, a total of 26,314 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while 474 died and 689 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the organization. (Libya-Migrants-Rescue) Enditem