RIYADH, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Lieutenant General Fahd bin Hamad Al Salman, commander of the Joint Forces of the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government, and General Tariq Saleh, a member of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council and commander of the National Resistance Forces, met on Saturday in Riyadh to discuss enhancing their military readiness.The Joint Forces Command said in a statement on social media platform X that the meeting at its Riyadh headquarters discussed ways to support the readiness of the Yemeni Armed Forces on all fronts to restore the state and its national institutions.Al Salman thanked Saleh for his role in the Presidential Leadership Council and his command of the National Resistance Forces, as well as for the sacrifices his forces have made in the fight to restore the state, the statement read.For his part, Saleh praised the Joint Forces Command's support for the Yemeni Armed Forces and the National Resistance Forces in enhancing their capabilities, while commending efforts to unify ranks and rehabilitate forces for their national duties, according to the statement.The two sides also stressed concerted efforts and continued coordination to strengthen morale and raise combat readiness, it added.Yemen's conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

TEHRAN, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) denied in a statement on Saturday that Iran would take military retaliatory action in response to the recent aviation restrictions imposed on the country, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.The SNSC issued the statement in response to certain misleading interpretations and quotes from recent remarks by its Secretary Mohsen Rezaei regarding the air transport issue, which have given rise to questions and ambiguities.It said the claim that Iran would resort to military retaliation in response to recent aviation restrictions was rejected, adding that negotiations with relevant countries were being pursued seriously to remove certain illegal aviation restrictions.The SNSC underlined that there were numerous non-military ways to retaliate against those complying with the restrictions, which could be applied to certain airports if necessary, while expressing hope that the situation would not reach that point.On Monday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world from Wednesday, threatening to impose secondary sanctions on companies that provide them with aviation services.He told broadcaster CNBC that when Iranian carriers land at an airport, you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system.In an interview with state-run IRIB TV on Wednesday hours after the U.S. sanctions on Iranian airlines took effect, Rezaei called on countries, especially Iran's neighbors, not to join the U.S. adventurism as it would soon be doomed to failure.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and 12 others injured after a bus overturned in Brazil's northeastern state of Bahia, police said Saturday.The accident occurred around 11 p.m. local time on Friday near Iraquara, in the Diamantina region, with 22 passengers aboard the bus.Seven people died at the scene, while one later succumbed to injuries despite medical treatment. All the injured are being treated in nearby hospitals.The cause of the accident remains under investigation.