Saudi-Led Coalition Warns Houthis of Unprecedented Determination
Photo: REUTERS
Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen issued a warning early Saturday, saying that any attempts by Houthi rebels to target the Kingdom will face “unprecedented determination and force.”
Major General Turki Al-Maliki, the coalition’s spokesperson, dismissed recent Houthi threats as a diversion from their internal “grave violations against the brotherly people of Yemen.”
Al-Maliki said, “The coalition will respond with unprecedented determination and force to any and all attempts to target the Kingdom, its citizens and residents and national assets, or any attempt to violate the sovereignty of the brotherly Republic of Yemen in a manner that conforms with the Customary International Humanitarian Law.”
This statement follows a Friday threat by the Iran-backed group’s military spokesperson to attack Saudi airports and vital interests across land and sea.
The spokesperson accused the militia of trying to deflect from domestic rejection by tribal groups.
He added, “They try to export the economic disasters and Yemeni suffering they have caused, in addition to covering the rejections they face from tribal and social components of Yemen, to their regional periphery and neighboring countries.”
Since the 2014 seizure of Sanaa, the coalition has fought to restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Al-Maliki highlighted that while the legitimate government accepted a peace roadmap, the Houthis rejected it in favor of attacking international trade in the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.
He remarked, “The Kingdom along with the coalition and international partners have endeavored to undertake initiatives and efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people caused by the coup carried out by the Houthi Militia.
“In addition to resolving the Yemeni crisis through a roadmap, which the legitimate Yemeni Government approved, while the Houthis rejected; as they went beyond by rejecting efforts for lasting peace and attacked Sea Lines of Communication and international trade in the Southern Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait.”
These hostile actions, he added, have devastated Yemeni infrastructure, including the Ports of Hodeida, Ras Isa, and Salif, as well as Sana’a International Airport.
He concluded, “These actions have exposed the capabilities of the Yemeni people to targeting and mass destruction in the Ports of Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif, in addition to Sana’a International Airport and power stations and industrial plants infrastructures and other major economic components that belong to the Yemeni people.”
Source: Arab News (adapted)
