Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, confirmed that the state will not allow any aircraft in the future to violate Yemeni airspace, whether over Sana'a Airport or any other airport.

In a statement issued Monday, he said that what the terrorist Houthi militias did today reaffirms their determination to undermine peace opportunities and reject all initiatives aimed at protecting citizens' interests and preserving Yemen's security and stability.

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He continued: 'The Houthi militias insisted, despite the efforts made by brothers and friends and the good offices and mediation aimed at containing the situation, on imposing a new fait accompli by receiving a new illegal flight, in a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Yemeni Republic, a deliberate contempt for state institutions, and an explicit rejection of all efforts that sought to prevent Yemen from sliding into further escalation.' He added: 'In light of this development, our armed forces and security agencies were at the highest levels of readiness and preparedness, and carried out the necessary defensive measures by targeting Sana'a Airport runway, in protection of national sovereignty, and proved their high efficiency and full ability to deter this threat that affects the airspace of the Yemeni Republic, and prevent the imposition of any fait accompli outside the framework of the constitution and law, thus confirming the state's readiness to defend its sovereignty and security by all legitimate means.'

Priority to protecting civilian lives

Al-Alimi affirmed that after completing all military, security, and political assessments, he directed that priority be given to protecting civilian lives and public property, and not to expand the scope of confrontation to achieve the goal sought by Iran of dragging Yemen and its people into wars that serve its interests and use Yemen, land and people, as a card in its regional conflict. He stressed that 'this decision was not a retreat from the state's duty to protect its sovereignty, nor leniency with any violation, but a responsible sovereign decision, taken from a position of strength and confidence in the capabilities of our armed forces, and after the state demonstrated its full readiness to defend its sovereignty, while ensuring that our people are spared any risks or repercussions that the militias sought to exploit politically and media-wise.' He explained that the Yemeni government has always been and remains the most keen party on the continued operation of Sana'a Airport in a legal and safe manner, as it put forward practical initiatives to operate civilian flights through Yemen Airways, the only national carrier legally authorized, and also expressed its readiness to facilitate the transport of the militia delegation via a plane chartered by the company to the agreed destination, in a way that preserves citizens' interests and ensures the continued operation of the airport according to law. He continued that the Houthi militias rejected all initiatives and insisted on imposing a fait accompli that serves their agendas and exposes Yemen and its people to more risks, and said: 'We reaffirm once again the government's continued seriousness in operating Sana'a Airport with commercial flights out of concern for alleviating the suffering of our people and lifting the siege imposed on them by the Houthi militias.'

Violation of state sovereignty

Al-Alimi affirmed that the direct responsibility for this escalation and its repercussions falls on the terrorist Houthi militias, which chose to reject all initiatives and deliberately violated state sovereignty and undermined peace opportunities, while the Iranian regime bears full responsibility for its continued support and enabling of these practices that violate international law and Security Council resolutions.

The Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council directed the government, armed forces, and security agencies to continue raising the highest levels of readiness and vigilance, and to take all political, diplomatic, and legal measures, and all legitimate procedures guaranteed by the constitution and international law, to ensure the protection of the sovereignty of the Yemeni Republic and its airspace, land, sea, and air ports, and to prevent the recurrence of such violations in the future at any of the country's ports or airports.

He also called for an emergency meeting of the Presidential Leadership Council to review the latest developments, assess the situation at various levels, and adopt procedures and measures to enhance the readiness of state institutions, coordinate their efforts, and ensure full implementation of issued decisions and directives, in a way that preserves the sovereignty of the Yemeni Republic.

He renewed his call on the international community, led by the Security Council, to move from the stage of condemnation to the stage of deterrence, and to enforce international legitimacy resolutions, especially those related to the arms embargo and sanctions regime, to ensure respect for Yemen's sovereignty and put an end to the repeated violations that threaten regional and international peace and security.