Information Minister Abdul Salam Jaber, who announced his defection from the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen, revealed on Sunday that disputes over power have been mounting within the group.
The coming days will witness the manifestation of these disputes and negatively affect their war effort, he declared during a press conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
“The silent masses in Houthi-controlled regions are waiting in anticipation and they may rise up at any moment,” he continued, saying that the militias are nearing their demise.
He called on other officials to immediately defect from the militias and contact the legitimate forces and Saudi-led Arab coalition, adding that the future of Yemen is on the line.
“If figures seeking to defect do not act soon, then the situation will become more costly for them,” Jaber warned.
He thanked the legitimate forces and coalition for helping secure his safe departure from Houthi-held Sanaa after he voiced his desire to defect. He was safely transported to Aden and later Riyadh.
He admitted to helping the militias draw up their media policies, saying: “The Houthi agenda is alien to the Yemeni people, their history and values.”
“The people are frustrated and they reject the Houthi hegemony… I have good news from the Houthi-controlled regions. Some sides will soon rise up and stand alongside the national army and coalition,” he vowed.
“The Houthis are breathing their last breaths,” Jaber stated, hoping for tranquility to reign in Yemen after the militias’ defeat.
“Yemen is part of the Arab world. It cannot tolerate a presence that violates its history and undermines our role in the Arab ummah. Yemen will return to the way it was and more thanks to the major aid we are receiving from our brothers in the Arab coalition, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” he stressed.
“Our people will unite with these countries in order to rid themselves of this oppression,” Jaber continued.
Moreover, he called on the media to focus on the violations committed by the militias against thousands of Yemeni journalists and detainees.
“Entire cities have turned into slaughterhouses against our people, brothers and sons. Our children are being forced to head to battlefronts. We should therefore, save them from those who are exploiting them in the name of religion,” he demanded.
