The Arab coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen said on Wednesday that slain Houthi commander Saleh al-Sammad was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Yemenis and posed a threat to Saudi Arabia.
Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said that he was also behind the firing of ballistic missiles from Yemen.
“He was responsible for threatening Saudi Arabia and marine navigation,” he told a press conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
He warned that “any dangerous escalation from the Houthis will only accelerate their demise.”
Furthermore, Maliki said that the Iran-backed Houthis have so far fired 125 ballistic missiles towards Saudi Arabia. The rockets have all failed in reaching their targets after being intercepted by the Kingdom’s air defenses.
“The Houthi militias have arbitrarily fired missiles at Saudi Arabia,” he stressed.
Sammad was killed last week in a coalition air strike in Yemen’s Hodeidah region.
He was head of the so-called Houthi political council and the second most wanted figure on a list released by the Arab coalition.
His death was confirmed earlier this week, dealing a strong blow to the Houthis at a time when the pro-legitimacy forces are scoring numerous victories on the battlefield.
Observers believe that other prominent Houthi leaders are expected to fall after Sammad’s death.
Sources told al-Arabiya television on Monday that over 20 leading Houthi figures were also killed in the strike that eliminated Sammad. The militia has not however revealed the fate of any of them.
