The legitimate Yemeni government warned on Tuesday that it may wage a “decisive” battle against the Iran-bqacked Houthi militias should peace efforts fail.
It stressed the need for the international community to take a firm stance against the terrorist militias, especially in wake of its increasing violations of the truce and crimes against civilians in regions under their control.
Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed held talks with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of a donors conference for Yemen in Geneva this week.
Official Yemeni sources said the officials discussed UN and international efforts to achieve peace in Yemen. They tackled the Houthis’ deliberate obstruction of the extension of the nationwide truce that was in place from April to October 2022.
They discussed the partnership between the Yemeni government and its institutions with the UN with the aim to address the dire humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country. They also covered the delivery of relief aid and the implementation of the 2023 humanitarian response plan and garnering international support for it.
Abdulmalik underscored his government and the Presidential Leadership Council’s (PLC) support for UN peace efforts, stressing the need for the international community to pressure the Houthis and their backers in Tehran to be receptive to these efforts and quit their criminal practices against the Yemeni people, reported the state news agency Saba.
The PM spoke with Guterres about the “mounting terrorist Houthi militias’ violations and crimes against civilians.” The latest of these violations was the imposing of restrictions on women in regions under their control. Abdulmalik described the restrictions as alien to Yemeni society.
Furthermore, he discussed the challenges that have emerged from the Houthi attacks on oil export ports and threats to marine navigation. He highlighted the government’s efforts in addressing these challenges and the importance of supporting the national economy and maintaining its stability.
Guterres, for his part, stressed that Yemen will remain a priority for the UN, adding that he was closely monitoring the developments there. He stated that efforts to revive the political process and renew the humanitarian truce will continue.
Meanwhile, in Yemen’s Khokha, PLC member Tareq Saleh declared that waging a “decisive” battle against the Houthis was “inevitable” after the militias demonstrated that they were not interested in peace.
He underlined the need to unify ranks, saying that Yemen needed to “cleanse itself from the alien phenomenon that is the Houthis,” whom he described as the number one enemy to all Yemenis.
The militias had in recent days launched intense attacks against military positions in the Taiz and Marib provinces. The army managed to repel the attacks, said military media.
