Sanaa signals escalating pressure on Saudi Arabia over humanitarian demands

SANAA, Aug. 04 (YPA) – The Sanaa-based authorities has stepped up its rhetoric toward Saudi Arabia, signaling a new phase of escalating pressure to secure humanitarian and livelihood-related demands, including lifting restrictions on airports and seaports and paying public-sector salaries.

Abdulmalik Al-Ajri, a member of Sanaa’s negotiating delegation, said in a post on X that pressure to achieve the Yemeni people’s demands “will take an escalating course,” adding that there would be “no retreat unless there is a serious response to these fundamental entitlements.”

Al-Ajri held Saudi Arabia fully responsible for the consequences of any future escalation, a statement observers viewed as reaffirming Sanaa’s insistence on the complete lifting of the blockade.

He also criticized Saudi and Gulf policies, arguing that the belief regional crises can continue while remaining insulated under U.S. protection “is no longer realistic.”

He warned that regional security is interconnected and that continued instability would have consequences for all parties.

Al-Ajri reiterated that Yemen’s conflict could have been resolved years ago if not for the Saudi-led military intervention in 2015, adding that Saudi policies have deepened the crisis and warning Riyadh that developments in Yemen would ultimately affect Saudi Arabia’s own security.