The leader of the Yemeni Houthi movement, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, issued a statement over the weekend confirming that his movement was behind recent drone attacks
against Saudi Arabia, insisting that they were an independent decision
of the group, and denying that Iran, as alleged by the Saudis, were
ordering them to do so.
Houthi said the attacks were a response to Saudi Arabia repeatedly
spurning “peace initiatives” offered by his group over the past month.
He did not elaborate on those, but there have been UN-backed peace talks
ongoing at times, mostly centered on the vital aid port of Hodeidah.
The Saudis have at times given lip service to such international talks,
but generally their allies within Yemen, centered around the Hadi
government, spurn any proposed deal as unacceptable, and insist on full
Houthi disarmament as a minimum first step.
The Saudis have generally responded to failed proposals, even proposals
from the Houthis, with escalating airstrikes, and several incidents of
large civilian casualties have been reported in Saudi airstrikes over
the past week.
Skip to content
Original and up-to-date news