Saudi Arabia threatens to expel Yemeni officials from Riyadh

ADEN, July 18 (YPA) – Political sources familiar with the matter revealed on Saturday that Yemeni leaders and officials have been threatened with expulsion from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and with being sent back to Aden to confront escalating tensions in southern and eastern Yemen.

The sources said that the “Special Committee” had threatened several members of the Presidential Leadership Council, led by Rashad al-Alimi, and other officials with either returning them to Aden or finding alternative offices for them outside Saudi territory.

The sources suggested that the Saudi threats against officials allied with Riyadh are linked to the military escalation recently announced by Sana’a against Saudi Arabia, which aims to end the aggression and blockade imposed on the Yemeni people.

They added that Saudi measures against leaders residing in Riyadh represent an attempt by the kingdom to evade responsibility as the party accused of aggression against Yemen, particularly as it has recently promoted claims that the Saudi-backed Aden government was behind the escalation involving the strike on Sanaa International Airport.

The sources further stated that Saudi Arabia is seeking to place the leaders of its allied government, who reside in Riyadh, at the forefront of the latest escalation against Sanaa, as part of efforts to shift confrontations to the Yemeni interior and portray them as an internal crisis, allowing Riyadh to avoid the consequences of the destructive war that has affected Yemen.

AA