The chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council said that the government will no longer allow the Houthis to monopolise decisions on war and peace, following a recent escalation that included a Houthi attack on the port of Mokha in southwestern Yemen.
Speaking at a meeting with ambassadors of countries sponsoring Yemen's political process, Rashad al-Alimi said on Monday that the Yemeni state did not initiate the latest escalation but would not allow its commitment to peace to give the Houthis the freedom to decide when and where to attack, according to a statement by his office.
He said the missile and drone attack on Mokha caused civilian casualties, including women and children, and damaged the port's maritime pier, service facilities, cargo-handling cranes, food supplies, and commercial vessels.
Al-Alimi said the attack also damaged a Saudi hospital, the immigration and passport authority, and water projects.
He described the Mokha attack as part of a broader escalation that has continued for weeks, adding that the government has repeatedly warned the international community that “lasting peace cannot be built with an armed group that has ballistic missiles and controls decisions of war and peace.”
He said the government has prioritised peace and exercised restraint, facilitating air and port traffic and the flow of goods while cooperating with UN, regional and international efforts.
‘Illegitimate gains’
Al-Alimi said the latest developments showed that the political and military equation had changed and warned that “the period of Houthi attacks without consequences has ended.”
“The state will no longer allow the (Houthis) militias to monopolise the decision to start the confrontation, its timing, location and scale, and then also monopolise the decision on when it should stop,” he said.
He called on the international community to protect civilians, civilian facilities, and commercial ports, respect state sovereignty, and reject the use of missiles and drones to obtain “illegitimate gains.”
The ambassadors strongly condemned the latest Houthi attacks on government forces, civilian sites, and economic facilities, including the port, as well as attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels, according to the statement.
On Sunday, at least seven civilians and military personnel were killed and around 35 others injured in the Houthi attack on the port near the Bab al Mandeb Strait and nearby residential areas, according to official Yemeni sources.
Fighting has periodically intensified along several Yemeni fronts since last month, leaving dozens of people dead and wounded on both sides.
Yemen had been under a relative lull since April 2022 after nearly 12 years of war between government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who seized control of the capital Sanaa and large parts of the country in 2014.
