Senior Sanaa official warns Saudi Arabia against continued military buildup

SANAA, Aug. 16 (YPA) – Member of the Supreme Political Council in Sanaa Dr. Abdulaziz Saleh bin Habtour, issued on Sunday a strong warning to Saudi Arabia, saying continued military deployments and attempts to impose new military realities on the ground would be met with measures deemed necessary to protect Yemen’s security and sovereignty.

In remarks to the official Saba news agency, Bin Habtour said the ongoing Saudi military buildup was part of an escalation preceded by economic and political pressure, a blockade of airports and restrictions on ports, arguing that Riyadh’s policy of keeping Yemen under pressure remained in place.

He said attempts to shift the escalation into Yemen through local forces would not absolve Saudi Arabia of responsibility for the consequences, stressing that Sanaa does not seek a return to war, but would not accept the use of the period of calm to build up forces or create new military realities.

Bin Habtour also described reliance on US and Israeli support and the use of local forces to manage the confrontation as a miscalculation, warning against turning Yemeni territory into an open battlefield while Saudi territory and interests remained insulated from the consequences.

He said the Yemeni armed forces were closely monitoring what he described as hostile military movements, adding that continued deployments would be met with measures necessary to protect Yemen.

Bin Habtour concluded by saying the clearest way to avoid escalation was to halt military buildups and hostile measures and move from applying pressure on Yemen toward addressing the causes of the conflict and seriously implementing the requirements of peace.

AA