Yemen/Anadolu

A Yemeni coalition comprising 22 parties expressed on Saturday its solidarity with Saudi Arabia in the face of Houthi escalation, calling on the legitimate government to confront the group firmly on all fronts.

This came in a statement issued by the National Coalition of Political Parties and Components, published on its account on the US-based platform "X", a day after the Houthis threatened to target airports and vital sites in Saudi Arabia.

The statement noted that the coalition "follows with grave concern the content of the statement issued by the spokesperson of the Iran-backed Houthi coup militia, and considers it a dangerous escalation targeting the stability of the nation and the region, seeking to exploit the current phase witnessed by the liberated governorates of rearranging their political and institutional ranks."

It added: "The National Coalition, while affirming that ending the coup remains the supreme goal for which it was founded, sees in this Houthi rhetoric a desperate attempt to portray the transitional phase in the liberated areas as a state of weakness or division, whereas what is happening is a natural path to build solid national institutions capable of confronting the coup project with higher efficiency."

The coalition called on the legitimate government "to confront any Houthi escalation with utmost firmness on all fronts, and not to be lenient or succumb to Houthi blackmail policy, in a message that leaves no doubt that Yemenis will not accept appeasement with a terrorist group affiliated with Iran."

It renewed "its full commitment to constitutional legitimacy, and its absolute rejection of all forms of Houthi guardianship over the Yemeni national decision."

The coalition affirmed that "any attempt to exploit this stage will only increase the national ranks' cohesion and unity."

It condemned in the strongest terms "the explicit threats made by the terrorist Houthi militia against the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

The coalition considered that "this blatant threat targets the security and interests of a sister country that leads efforts to support Yemeni legitimacy."

It stressed "its full solidarity with the Kingdom in facing this escalation."

It added that "these threats are nothing but a desperate attempt by the coup group to divert attention from its grave violations against the Yemeni people."

The coalition also condemned the Iranian aircraft's violation of Yemeni airspace and landing at Sanaa International Airport, which is under Houthi control.

It considered that "this breach" is an additional confirmation of Iran's insistence on continuing its military and logistical support to the Houthi militia, a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Yemen, and an open challenge to international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 2216.

The coalition called on "the legitimate leadership to continue efforts to recover the remaining Yemeni territories occupied by the coup militia."

It also called on the international community and the Security Council "to assume their legal and moral responsibilities regarding Iran's blatant violation of Yemen's sovereignty."

The coalition called on "all national political forces to further unite in the face of the Iranian-backed Houthi project."

It stressed that "ending the coup and restoring the state represent the core of the national battle until the Republic of Yemen regains its full sovereignty and extends its authority over all its national territory."

On Saturday morning, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen vowed to respond "with utmost firmness and unprecedented force" to any attempts to target Saudi Arabia or violate Yemen's sovereignty.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said in a statement that the Houthi statements against Saudi Arabia "are nothing but an attempt to divert attention from its grave violations against the Yemeni people, and through which it seeks to export the economic problems and suffering of the Yemeni people that it has caused."

The coalition's statement came after threats issued by the Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, in which he said that the group would respond to any attempt to violate Yemeni airspace or target the country with a "comprehensive response" targeting Saudi airports and vital interests "on land and sea."

Saree claimed in a statement that "a formation of Saudi warplanes violated the airspace of Yemeni governorates on Friday, in an attempt to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport."

Despite occasional confrontations, Yemen has been witnessing a truce since April 2022 in a war that began over 11 years ago between forces of the legitimate government and elements of the Houthi group, which has controlled provinces and cities including Sanaa (north) since September 21, 2014.

The war has damaged most sectors in Yemen and caused one of the most catastrophic humanitarian crises in the world, amid ongoing UN efforts to push forward the peace process in the country.