Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who are poised to return to the US terrorism blacklist, released more than 150 prisoners of war in tearful scenes on Saturday. Those freed, who included elderly men with long, grey beards, hugged and kissed relatives, some of them crying, as they were reunited in the rebel-held capital Sanaa.

The move will authorize harsher penalties on the Iran-backed group, which has attacked Israel and disrupted global shipping trade in the Red Sea for over a year.

Gaza Yemen’s Houthi rebels freed 153 prisoners of war on Saturday, the Red Cross said, one of several overtures in recent days to ease tensions after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Earlier prisoner releases have been regarded as a way to jump-start talks on a permanent end to Yemen's