The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates announced on Friday the operation of regular flights between the Jordanian capital Amman and the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

The Jordanian initiative to open flights between Sanaa and Amman and the welcome it received from the legitimate government represent a real test of the Houthis' credibility in their demand to lift what they call the siege.

The Jordanian initiative to open flights between Sanaa and Amman

Through these flights, all needs of the Yemeni people can be met, whether related to transporting passengers to and from Yemen or carrying out economic or humanitarian activities.

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The Houthis are supposed to welcome the Jordanian initiative to open flights between Sanaa and Amman if their true goal is to lift the so-called siege. But if they reject it, that reflects their desire to choke and besiege the Yemeni people and exacerbate their suffering, and to replace the Yemenia airline with Iran's Mahan Air to operate flights between Sanaa and Tehran, a step that serves only the Iranian agenda, and perpetuates using Yemen as a ground for cross-border extortion, and harnessing the resources of the Yemeni people to serve the leaders and families of the militias and their subversive project.

Protecting the interests of Yemenis

The legitimate Yemeni government's welcome of the Jordanian initiative to open flights between Sanaa and Amman for the Yemeni people, especially citizens in areas forcibly controlled by the Houthi militias, confirms the legitimate government's keenness to support any initiatives that can contribute to protecting the interests of Yemenis and alleviating their suffering. Operating commercial flights from Sanaa airport shows that those who obstructed the resumption of flights and worked to choke and besiege the Yemeni people and exacerbate their suffering over the past years are the Houthis. If the terrorist Houthi militia rejects the Jordanian initiative to open flights between Sanaa and Amman, it will clearly reflect that their demands to lift the so-called siege were nothing but part of their inciting rhetoric aimed at dragging the Yemeni people into reckless adventures that only serve the Iranian project, instead of engaging in responsible steps that enhance peace opportunities and preserve citizens' interests, placing them above all considerations. Moreover, the Jordanian initiative to open flights between Sanaa and Amman is fully consistent with initiatives previously proposed by the legitimate Yemeni government to operate Sanaa airport legally and safely through the national carrier, Yemenia, to any agreed-upon destination, ensuring service to all citizens without discrimination, preserving the country's sovereignty, respecting national laws and international law rules, and the exclusive state jurisdiction in managing its airspace and airports.

Opening flights between Sanaa and Amman

It is natural for the legitimate Yemeni government to welcome the Jordanian initiative to open flights between Sanaa and Amman and to reject operating flights via Mahan Air, which has been associated in recent years with international sanctions related to providing logistical support to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. This is in addition to its suspicious behavior during its flight that transported the Houthi delegation to Iran, where it repeatedly switched off the aircraft's tracking signals while crossing Yemeni airspace, reflecting its desire to conceal given that it was carrying elements of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Hezbollah, military equipment, weapons, and communication devices to enhance the capabilities of the Houthi militia, in a clear and explicit violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions. The legitimate Yemeni government will remain supportive of the option of a just and comprehensive peace based on national, regional, and international references, but at the same time it will work firmly to protect its sovereignty, deal with any escalation from the terrorist Houthi militias, fulfill its humanitarian obligations towards all Yemeni people, and achieve their aspirations for security, stability, and development. The Jordanian initiative to open flights between Sanaa and Amman comes as an extension of Jordan's steadfast position in supporting Yemen over the past decades, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan's well-known humanitarian and political contributions, reflecting the depth of brotherly relations between the two countries and peoples, and its constant concern for Yemen's security, stability, unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

Initiatives to open Sanaa airport

The Houthi militias rejected all initiatives by the legitimate government to open Sanaa airport and insisted on disabling the national carrier, in a step aimed at choking and besieging the Yemeni people and exacerbating their suffering, and replacing the Yemenia airline with Iran's Mahan Air to operate flights between Sanaa and Tehran, a step that serves only the Iranian agenda. It also perpetuates using Yemen as a ground for cross-border extortion and harnessing the resources of the Yemeni people to serve the leaders and families of the militias and their subversive project. The legitimate Yemeni government assures the Yemeni people, especially citizens in areas forcibly controlled by the Houthi militias, that Yemenia Airlines is fully ready to resume operating commercial flights from Sanaa airport to the Jordanian capital Amman and to any other agreed destinations, provided that adequate guarantees are in place to protect the aircraft and their crews, and to prevent interference or meddling in the company's affairs and flight operations.