Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)
Saudi Arabia vowed on July 4 to respond “with unprecedented determination and force” to any attempt to target Saudi Arabia or violate Yemen’s sovereignty, following threats from Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah).
Col. Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said in a statement that Houthi threats against the kingdom were “merely an attempt to divert attention away from their grave violations against the brotherly people of Yemen.”
He accused the Iran-backed group of trying “to export the economic disasters and Yemeni suffering they have caused,” while also deflecting attention from the rejection they face from Yemeni tribal and social groups onto neighboring countries.
Several tribes have rallied against the Houthis in recent weeks after a fraudster falsely claiming to be a secret daughter of the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, named “Mira,” accused the group of stealing her properties. Saudi Arabia was accused of backing these tribes.
Additionally, Al-Malki said that Saudi Arabia, the coalition and international partners had worked to ease Yemeni suffering caused by the Houthi takeover and to resolve the crisis through a roadmap accepted by Yemen’s government but rejected by the Houthis.
“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,” he added.
The Saudi-led coalition’s statement came after Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree threatened a “comprehensive” response targeting Saudi airports and vital interests, claiming that the group had used air defense missiles to force Saudi warplanes to abandon an attempt to block an Iranian civilian flight from landing at Sanaa International Airport on July 3.
Saree said that the flight was carrying more than 200 stranded, injured and sick passengers. It marked the first publicly confirmed flight from the Islamic Republic to the Yemeni capital in roughly a decade.
The latest developments suggest that war could soon resume, especially if tribal tensions turns into fighting. The Houthi’s threat was not just related to the Saudi blockade on Yemen, but also to rising tribal tensions.
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