Houthis Say Drone Strikes a Response to Saudis Spurning Yemen Peace Process

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.