The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen confirmed in a statement that the Houthis’ statements against Saudi Arabia are an attempt to divert attention and escape from their violations against the Yemeni people and to export their problems.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen vowed on Saturday to respond "with unprecedented firmness and force" to any attempts targeting the security of Saudi Arabia, its citizens, its national assets, or infringing upon the sovereignty of the Republic of Yemen.
The official spokesman for the coalition forces, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, said that the statements issued by the Houthi group yesterday against the Kingdom represent “an attempt to divert attention from its grave violations against the Yemeni people,” considering that they aim to “export the economic problems caused by the group, and to cover up the tribal and social rejection it faces inside Yemen by transferring its crisis to the regional environment and neighboring countries.”
Al-Maliki added that these statements are an extension of what he described as the Houthis' "escalation and hostile behavior" and their attempts to undermine regional and international security.
He pointed out that the Kingdom, the coalition, and international partners have worked on launching initiatives and efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people caused by the Houthi practices. They also sought to resolve the Yemeni crisis through a roadmap that was approved by the Yemeni government, but the group rejected it, along with, according to him, “solutions for lasting peace.”
Al-Maliki accused the Houthis of attacking maritime shipping lanes and global trade in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, considering that these attacks exposed the capabilities of the Yemeni people to targeting and destruction, including the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa, and Sana’a International Airport, as well as the infrastructure that includes power stations, factories and other economic assets.
The coalition spokesman affirmed that coalition forces "will respond and strike with unprecedented firmness and force" against any attempts targeting the Kingdom, its citizens, or its national assets, or any attempts to violate the sovereignty of the Republic of Yemen, stressing that this will be done "in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules."
Earlier, the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) in Yemen threatened to target Saudi airports and vital interests on land and sea in response to the Iranian plane incident.
The Houthi group in Yemen issued a statement on Friday threatening Saudi Arabia with a "comprehensive response" that would include targeting airports and vital interests on land and sea, if it repeated what it described as "violations of Yemeni airspace" or carried out any attack on the country, following an incident it said occurred at dawn on Friday when an Iranian civilian plane attempted to land at Sana'a International Airport.
This escalation comes amid ongoing tensions related to air traffic to Sana'a airport, and an exchange of accusations between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition regarding restrictions on air traffic to Yemen.
