Following Al-Alimi’s announcement of the start of military operations to restore the state; the Coalition confirms full operational support for Yemeni forces and Saudi Arabia’s right to take the necessary measures to deter the Houthis and protect its security and navigation

Riyadh | BETH

The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced the continuation of full operational support for the Yemeni Armed Forces, affirming its continued support for the legitimate Yemeni government and the brotherly Yemeni people to end the coup and restore the state and its institutions.

The statement comes hours after the Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, announced the start of military operations to restore the remaining Yemeni territories and the transition from the stage of preparation and readiness to direct military action after the exhaustion of opportunities for de-escalation.

Al-Alimi had announced that the new phase aims to restore state institutions, while keeping the door of “Safe Return” open to those wishing to leave Houthi ranks, and stressing that the operations do not target civilians or social and sectarian components.

Full Text of the Coalition Statement

The official spokesperson for the Coalition Forces, the “Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen,” Major General Turki Al-Maliki, stated that the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition continues to provide full operational support to the Yemeni Armed Forces, and continues to stand with the legitimate Yemeni government and the brotherly Yemeni people to end the coup and restore the state and its national institutions in order to build Yemen’s future.

Major General Al-Maliki explained that the continuous terrorist attacks and repeated practices carried out by the terrorist Houthi militia against the brotherly Yemeni people — including internal sieges, the forced displacement of citizens from their cities and villages, starving them, looting and dividing their resources and harnessing them for what they call the war effort, insulting tribal sheikhs and members, tearing apart the social fabric of Yemeni society in all its segments, terrorizing women, and recruiting children for its criminal project — are nothing but blatant violations that have brought calamities and suffering upon Yemenis for many long years.

Major General Al-Maliki added that the terrorist Houthi militia’s attacks against the Kingdom, its attempt to target the Holy Capital, Makkah, and the city of the Prophet, Madinah, and the deliberate and systematic targeting of civilians and civilian objects in a number of Saudi cities — Riyadh, Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, Najran, Taif, and Yanbu — as well as its attempt to target Saudi vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, require the continuation of the necessary measures to deter the militia’s hostile acts, with the aim of protecting the security and sovereignty of the Kingdom, as well as regional and international security.

Major General Al-Maliki affirmed the Kingdom’s inherent right to defend its sovereignty, protect its security, and take all operational measures to deter this militia and halt its grave violations, stemming from its national responsibility toward the Two Holy Mosques, its citizens, its national assets, and residents on its territory. He also affirmed the continuation of the Kingdom’s support for Yemen and its brotherly people until the state and its institutions are restored, the terrorist Houthi militia is eliminated, and its threat to freedom of maritime navigation in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait is ended, considering this threat an undermining of regional and international security, a threat to freedom of navigation and international trade and the lifeline of the global economy, and an infringement upon regional and international security and the national interests of all countries.

BETH

What is new in the statement is the timing and the substance.

The Yemeni government announced the start of a new military phase, while the Coalition announced at the same time the continuation of full operational support for the Yemeni Armed Forces.

The statement also links three tracks that are now moving together: restoring the Yemeni state, protecting Saudi security, and securing navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.