The head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, held the Houthi group responsible for the current round of escalation, stressing that it “chose escalation” and must bear its consequences and its humanitarian and security repercussions. He called on the international community to change its approach to the Yemeni crisis, warning that containing the escalation without addressing its causes and preventing re-armament turns the calm into an opportunity to prepare for a new round of war.
Al-Alimi said, during his meeting, on Wednesday, with the ambassadors of the countries sponsoring the political process in Yemen, that experience has proven that a calm that is not accompanied by verifiable commitments, and does not prevent rearmament and the resumption of attacks, “often turns into an opportunity to prepare a new round of war.”
He stressed that the Houthis repeat escalation when they understand that peace is a “message of weakness,” stressing that calls for calm should not turn into equality between those who attack and those who defend their citizens, or to ask the state to refrain from performing its duty while the group continues to use force to impose a fait accompli.
The head of the Yemeni Leadership Council warned that continued tolerance of Houthi violations would lead to a new round of war, displacement and humanitarian disasters, saying that what the government warned about “is exactly happening now.”
What is required of the international community
Speaking about the role required of the international community, Al-Alimi said that the Yemeni government did not start the current round of escalation, nor was it seeking it, and that the Houthis were the ones who chose the escalation, and they must bear responsibility for its results and repercussions.
He added: “Therefore, we expect the international community to clearly say who started the escalation, to hold the militias responsible for what resulted from it, and to support the state’s right to protect its citizens and its sovereignty in accordance with international law.”
He stressed that Yemen is not asking the international community to fight on behalf of the Yemenis, but rather to “implement its decisions,” and support the efforts of the Yemeni state to restore its institutions, confine weapons and decide war and peace in its hands, and end the threat that has affected the Yemenis, the region, and international navigation.
He considered that the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, especially Resolutions 2140, 2216 and 2722, is not a Yemeni demand separated from international will, but rather an existing commitment that must find its way to effective implementation.
Al-Alimi put the ambassadors in front of all the developments on the Yemeni scene, most notably the Houthis’ escalation of their attacks, which were not limited to inside Yemen, but rather extended to targeting the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in what he described as an intensification of its “open blackmailing approach.”
He pointed out that the current round of escalation reflects, in his opinion, “dependence on the Iranian agenda,” explaining that the path of escalation began with an attempt to operate unauthorized flights to Sana’a, leading to an attempt to reach Bab al-Mandab, and making international navigation hostage to improving the negotiating conditions for the group’s supporters.
Adherence to the rules of engagement
He stressed that the protection of civilians will remain at the core of the state's duties, stressing the commitment of the armed forces and government military formations to international humanitarian law and the rules of engagement, protecting civilian objects, treating detainees well, and facilitating the arrival of aid.
He stressed that the battle is not against the people of the areas under the control of the Houthis, nor against any social or sectarian component, but rather against an armed project that “undermines the state and confiscates the Yemenis’ right to peace, freedom and normal life.”
He called on citizens in the areas under the group's control and those who are deceived not to throw their children into this war, and to give priority to the national interest, praising at the same time the performance of the armed forces and government military formations and their ability to confront Houthi attacks, regain the initiative and protect citizens.
Al-Alimi warned that the continued Iranian military and technical support for the Houthis, and the flow of weapons, expertise, and technology to them, contribute to expanding the scope of the Houthi threat, and undermine the chances of restoring state institutions through the peace option.
He said that supporting the Yemeni state in protecting its coasts, ports and territorial waters and preventing weapons smuggling “is not only a Yemeni matter, but is part of a shared responsibility for the security of the region and sea lanes.”
On Wednesday, Yemeni government forces expanded their military operations against the Houthi group on several fronts, with field progress east of the city of Al-Hazm in Al-Jawf Governorate and cutting off Houthi supply lines towards the eastern fronts, coinciding with the launch of a large operation south of Ma’rib, intensifying confrontations in southern Taiz and the western coast, and thwarting a Houthi attack with boats in the Red Sea.
A military source told the media center of the Yemeni Armed Forces that the government forces continued their advance east of Hazm Al-Jawf, reaching the outskirts of the Bir Al-Marazeeq area, and were able to cut off the Houthi supply lines on the eastern fronts of the city.
The source added that the forces took control of Al-Mathafat, Al-Masaryah Hill, and Al-Tabab, adjacent to Al-Faraid Hill, north of Al-Labanat Al-Ula, in addition to earth mounds and trenches extending for about 20 kilometers, from Al-Duhaidha sites, through Al-Sara’a, to Bir Al-Marazeeq, east of Al-Hazm city.
He explained that operations are still continuing amid heavy human and material losses among the Houthis, noting the detention and neutralization of a number of the group's members and the injury of others during the confrontations.
This progress comes days after government military movements in Al-Jawf, which were followed by the restoration of sites in the Al-Yatama area, and before that, sites in the Al-Labnat area, in an effort to consolidate gains and put pressure on Houthi supply lines instead of just restoring front sites.
Developments in Marib and Taiz
In Marib, the Third Military District of the Yemeni army launched a large military operation on the southern fronts of the governorate, targeting Houthi sites and gatherings, in a move that government forces said aimed to secure the southern strip of the governorate and push the group away from its defensive lines.
According to the military zone's statement, the operation, which began at dawn on Wednesday and is still ongoing, resulted in the killing, wounding, and capture of a number of Houthis, in addition to the destruction of combat vehicles and vehicles, while the army and popular resistance forces were able to control a number of sites and impose a fire cordon on the group's supply lines.
This operation coincides with military movements witnessed in Marib over the past days, and battles that extended to the north, west, and south of the governorate, at a time when government forces are trying to exploit field pressure to prevent the Houthis from reorganizing their ranks and sending reinforcements to other fronts.
In Taiz, confrontations continued on the fronts of the southeast of the governorate, especially Haifan, in conjunction with artillery shelling and air strikes targeting Houthi sites and gatherings in Al-Mamshah, Al-Ahkoum, Aerim, Al-Qubaitah, Al-Rahda, and Karsh.
A military source said that the Houthis sent reinforcements to a number of their positions in Al-Akbush School, Al-Zubaira Market, Al-Ahkoum Junction, Tabbat Houd, Al-Khazjah, Al-Abous and Tabbat Al-Mandhara, while the confrontations are still continuing.
These developments come at a time when the Al-Kadha, Al-Barah, and Al-Waziyah fronts, west of Taiz, are witnessing the fiercest battles, after government forces and the National Shield Forces, on Tuesday, began a joint operation in Al-Kadha and were able to retake Al-Makazma, Al-Mihal, and Tabab, adjacent to them.
In an indication of the scale of the battles on the West Coast, the military media of the National Resistance announced the downing of a Houthi suicide drone in the sky. It also reported the killing and capture of a number of leaders linked to the group’s plan to attack towards Bab al-Mandab, including the head of the medical division of the Houthi Reserve and Rapid Intervention Forces, Murtada al-Naimi, known as “Abdul Samad,” who said that the Giants’ Brigades had arrested him.
In a development related to the western coast, the naval forces announced that they had thwarted an attack launched by the Houthi group on boats in the Red Sea.
The military media said that the naval forces monitored the movements of Houthi boats and clashed with them, forcing them to withdraw north towards the port of Hodeidah.
In Al-Dhalea Governorate, the Yemeni Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Taher Al-Uqaili, inspected the fronts to review the progress of operations and the level of readiness and deployment. During the visit, he stressed raising vigilance and preparing to confront any Houthi attempts to target government forces’ positions.
