Saudi-led coalition warns Houthis against attacks on kingdom
The warning followed Houthi threats against Saudi targets and the arrival of an Iranian civilian flight in Sanaa.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
The Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government said Saturday it would use strong force against any Houthi attempt to strike Saudi Arabia or breach Yemeni sovereignty. The warning points to a fresh escalation after the Houthis threatened Saudi airports and other targets and said they had helped an Iranian civilian plane land in Sanaa.
Coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement that the Iran-aligned Houthis were trying to shift attention away from their conduct inside Yemen. He accused the group of trying to export the economic distress he said it had created, while distracting from political and social pressure in areas under its control.
Al-Maliki said the Houthis’ recent claims reflected what he called repeated escalation and hostile conduct aimed at weakening regional and international security. He said the coalition would respond with “unprecedented determination and force” to attempts to target Saudi citizens, residents or national assets, or to violate Yemen’s sovereignty.
Houthi warning over Saudi targets
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Friday that the group was prepared for a “comprehensive” response against Saudi airports and key interests on land and at sea. Saree said Houthi forces had fired air defence missiles to stop Saudi warplanes from preventing an Iranian civilian aircraft from reaching Sanaa International Airport.
According to Saree, the aircraft carried more than 200 patients and a Houthi delegation headed to Tehran for the funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader. Al Jazeera reported that the flight was the first publicly confirmed Iranian civilian plane to arrive in Sanaa in about 10 years.
The coalition said the Houthis’ military stance had put civilian infrastructure in Yemen at risk. Al-Maliki listed Sanaa International Airport, power plants, industrial sites and the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and as-Salif among facilities he said could be exposed to targeting because of Houthi activity.
The coalition also repeated accusations that the Houthis have threatened shipping and international commerce in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis have previously announced measures against ships they link to Israel, according to Al Jazeera.
Yemeni government condemns flight
Yemen’s internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council held an emergency meeting Friday under President Rashad al-Alimi. In a statement, the council condemned the Iranian flight to Sanaa as a breach of Yemeni sovereignty and said it violated international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The council warned Iran against further escalation. It also urged the United Nations and regional partners to take deterrent steps, including tighter controls on channels it said support and arm the Houthis.
The Saudi-led coalition entered Yemen’s war in 2015 after the Houthis took Sanaa and removed the internationally backed government. The conflict has displaced large numbers of people and damaged much of the country, with the United Nations describing Yemen as one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.