The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council warned on Sunday the Iran-backed Houthi militias against escalating the situation in the country and undermining peace efforts.
Tensions have soared in Yemen after the Houthis launched a series of attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea, prompting retaliatory strikes by the United States and UK against the militias.
The Houthis claim their attacks are a in solidarity with the Palestinian people amid Israel’s war on Gaza. They have said they are targeting vessels bound for Israel.
The PLC called on the international community to support its military forces to help them secure marine navigation in the Red Sea.
The council met in Riyadh to tackle the latest Houthi attacks in Yemen.
The militias attacked military positions on several fronts, using rockers and drones, in an attempt to make advances on the ground.
Official sources said the PLC discussed the security and military situation in Yemen, warning the “terrorist Houthis against escalating the situation on various fronts and exploiting the just Palestinian cause”.
PLC Chairman Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi chaired the meeting. He praised the readiness and vigilance displayed by the military and security forces in the battle of restoring the state and defending the republican system.
The meeting reviewed the repercussions the Houthi attacks are having on marine navigation, saying the militias were “desperate to militarize the regional waters, compound economic burdens, raise shipping costs and the prices of essential goods, and harm national sovereignty and the interests of the Yemeni people.”
The PLC hailed the “unity of the international community towards the Yemeni file and its united stance against the dangerous threats to global trade.”
It hoped the threats will reveal the “terrorist nature of the Houthi militias and the Iranian regime that supports them.” It also hoped that this would lead to more support to the government and coast guard, in line with a United Nations Security Council resolution that seeks to protect regional waters.
The PLC welcomed Washington’s re-designation of the Houthis as a terrorist organization, hoping more sanctions will be imposed on them and that the international resolution on an arms embargo on Yemen would be imposed.
This is the best option to restore peace and stability in Yemen that the people deserve, it said.
The PLC instructed the government to make “coordinated efforts” with concerned parties to limit the impact the Houthi terrorist attacks in the Red Sea are having on living conditions, such as supplies of essential goods, reported Yemeni state media.
