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Arab Times reported that Lieutenant General Fahd bin Hamad Al Salman, commander of the Saudi Joint Forces, met with General Tareq Saleh, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and commander of the National Resistance Forces, at the Joint Forces Command headquarters in Riyadh on Saturday. The discussions addressed recent developments in Yemen along with steps to strengthen military coordination between Saudi and Yemeni units. Officials focused on supporting the preparedness of Yemeni armed forces across multiple fronts while advancing coordinated plans to reinstate national institutions and governance structures. The gathering reflected continuing collaboration between the two commands on security matters that affect both nations.
Al Salman praised Saleh’s contributions to the Presidential Leadership Council and his direction of the National Resistance Forces throughout extended operations. He highlighted the substantial sacrifices made by those forces in the campaign to restore legitimate authority and counter the Houthi insurgency that began nearly a decade earlier. The Saudi commander described these actions as instrumental to broader regional stability objectives shared by the coalition partners.
Saleh expressed gratitude for the sustained assistance extended by the Joint Forces Command to Yemeni armed units and resistance groups alike. He noted that this support had measurably improved operational capacities and enabled more effective logistical planning over recent years. Saleh also recognized parallel initiatives to unify disparate military elements and prepare them to fulfill assigned national roles in the coming period.
The Yemeni commander reaffirmed his confidence in the capabilities of the armed forces and called for heightened emphasis on readiness, operational coordination and full integration of efforts in the next phase of activity. He indicated that such measures would prove critical to surmounting existing challenges and securing durable peace across the country. Saleh’s position echoed themes from earlier engagements in which he advocated consolidated command structures under the recognized government.
Both sides stressed the value of unified ranks, synchronized missions and mutually reinforcing responsibilities as the campaign progresses. They agreed to pursue continued activities aimed at boosting personnel morale, reorganizing formations and elevating combat effectiveness throughout the Yemeni theater. These understandings form part of a sustained framework designed to reestablish functioning state bodies and meet popular demands for security and orderly governance.
Yemen’s military has recorded substantial headway in unifying its command architecture since a nationwide truce entered into force in 2022, according to statements from Lieutenant General Sagheer bin Aziz. In an assessment published by Arab News in June 2026, the chief of the general staff and joint operations commander reported that approximately 80 percent of necessary operational and administrative reforms had been implemented. Bin Aziz attributed much of the improvement to Saudi training initiatives that had built the skills of hundreds of Yemeni officers and specialists in diverse technical fields.
