Yemeni National Army spokesman Brigadier General Abdo Abdullah Majali said on Wednesday that Houthis “killed the Stockholm Agreement” they struck with the legitimate government in Sweden last December after they failed to abide by any of the clauses on redeploying their forces in the port city of Hodeidah.
Majali told Asharq Al-Awsat that the national army will retain its right to respond to any of the violations carried out by Houthi militias.
He also vowed that “what was taken from the legitimate government will be recovered.”
In parallel to Majali’s statements, the United Nations announced that Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths was conducting intensive talks with Yemeni warring parties in an effort to advance the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement and try to revive hope of redeployment from Hodeidah and the opening of humanitarian corridors.
The UN chief’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, stressed that Griffiths is focused on pushing the parties to implement the Hodeidah agreement in particular, and the warring sides have repeatedly expressed their commitment.
Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohamed Al Jaber announced that the Kingdom has established the Saudi program for the development and reconstruction of Yemen with hopes of bringing the war-torn country into peace and development.
Al Jaber stressed that Saudi Arabia is serious about establishing security and stability in Yemen and preventing the existence of a Hezbollah-styled entity that threatens Yemenis, neighboring countries and the world.
Houthis, like the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, have been advancing Tehran’s regional agenda. The group receives funds and arms from the cleric-led regime in Tehran.
“The biggest challenge facing Yemen today is Houthi militias taking control of state institutions,” Jaber said during a lecture at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh.
The Saudi diplomat also warned of the dangers entailed in Houthis working to stoke sectarian divides in the country and seeking to establish a Khomeini-inspired experience in Yemen.
