Yemen Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Sagheer bin Aziz confirmed that the forces of the legitimate government are fully prepared to decide the battle and achieve victory.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he stressed that the formation of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council presents a practical transformation and an advanced step towards ending the conflict, stopping the war and restoring state institutions.
“I imagine that the Council, led by Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi and his brother members of the Council, possesses many traits that will allow it to achieve many of the aspirations of the Yemeni people,” bin Aziz said.
He stated that the Council includes political figures with great leadership experience who represent all the active political components in Yemen.
Moreover, he warned the Iran-backed Houthi militias that they had a choice to make, either give up arms and engage in political dialogue or lose to the battle with the army.
“The militias must determine their options, either to lay down their arms and join the dialogue as a political component to come up with solutions that guarantee the return of state institutions, or leave the issue to the army to decide the battle,” he said.
Ever since the UN-sponsored truce went into effect in early April, the Houthis have openly exploited the Saudi-led Arab coalition’s halt of aerial operations by doubling their building of fortifications, digging of trenches and opening secondary roads on various fronts, especially in the oil-rich Marib governorate.
“The Houthis are subject to follow-up and monitoring by international institutions and all humanitarian organizations interested in peace in the world, and I believe that they know the true extent of the commitment of the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia to this truce,” bin Aziz remarked.
In April alone, the Houthis committed 2,700 violations against army positions.
The militias also deployed heavy combat units that include tanks and armored vehicles to front lines. They repositioned missile and drone launchers as well.
“Asharq al-Awsat newspaper publishes dozens of news articles daily about the extent of the militias' infiltrations in the Marib, Al-Jawf, Saada, Hajjah, Hodeidah, Taiz and Dhale fronts,” noted bin Aziz.
He blamed the international community, which, according to him, continues to overlook the unprecedented terrorist acts and crimes committed by the militias.
He spoke against the international community’s acceptance of the blatant Iranian interference in Yemen and its attempts to implement an occupational agenda in the war-torn nation.
“The danger lies in the international community condoning the unprecedented terrorist acts and crimes committed by these militias, and what is more dangerous is its acceptance of the blatant Iranian interference in Yemen,” he said.
He warned that the truce from the militias’ perspective is nothing more than an opportunity to reorganize ranks, mobilize all human, material and armament capabilities, and assume offensive positions in preparation for a wide and surprising attack.
He predicted that the Houthis will focus their combat effort on major fronts, especially Marib.
However, bin Aziz underscored the readiness of the Yemeni army, popular resistance forces and tribesmen in repelling any Houthi aggression with the support of the Arab coalition.
“Our national army and with it the heroes in the popular resistance and tribesmen and all who support the legitimate government believe in the justice of defending the dignity and freedom of Yemen and Yemenis,” he asserted.
“Their historically proven courage, and their great combat experience gained in the eight years of battles, make them more able to defeat Houthi militias,” vowed bin Aziz.
