Yemen Issues Stark Warning After Saudi Arabia Strikes Hodeidah Province
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Yemeni media outlets reported on the night of the recent past that Hodeidah province was targeted by Saudi Arabian attacks. Reuters, citing eyewitnesses, also reported that several airstrikes hit the port of Hodeidah in Yemen. Al-Masirah further reported that facilities of the telecommunications company in the city of Hodeidah and Kamaran Island were targeted by airstrikes.
In the initial Yemeni reaction to the Saudi attacks, Hazam Al-Assad, a member of Ansarullah’s political office, stated, “Port for port, airport for airport, and any escalation of tension will be met with greater tension.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Salvation Government of Yemen also issued a statement in response to the Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes on Hodeidah province, warning Riyadh officials of the grave consequences of this action.
The statement asserted that the Saudi regime bears full responsibility for all repercussions that will arise from this criminal act. It added that the Saudi government, instead of accepting the just and legitimate demand to lift the blockade on Yemen, committed a great folly that will come at a very high price. The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded by specifying that, with the recent Saudi action targeting Hodeidah province, the equation of an attack in response to an attack will be the primary principle of the upcoming phase.
The Saudi-led coalition, in a statement reiterating its claims against Yemen’s Ansarullah movement, claimed responsibility for these attacks. Meanwhile, the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, in response to these developments, claimed that Saudi Arabia has always strived to support peace and assist in achieving a political solution to end the suffering of the Yemeni people, and remains committed to this path. He further alleged that the Houthi militias (Ansarullah) have turned Yemen into a pawn for foreign countries that use it for their own interests at the expense of Yemen’s security.
Ansarullah’s political office announced that the Saudi enemy’s targeting of civilian centers in Hodeidah and Kamaran Island, especially the port of Hodeidah, constitutes dangerous escalation and is in line with the continuation of the policy of collective punishment and siege against the Yemeni people. The statement indicated that the Saudi enemy is attempting to compensate for its military and political defeats by striking at the necessities of life for the Yemeni people.
The political office of Ansarullah further stated that the attack on civilian sites is a clear violation of international laws and places the international community before a moral and legal responsibility. The statement, referring to future responses, emphasized, “We emphasize that recent crimes will not go unanswered; the deterrence equation that our people, leadership, and armed forces have established is now completely clear and fixed.”
This morning, Saudi sources reported that a fire broke out in Jizan after the sound of several explosions was heard. Aviation data also indicated that aircraft movements at airports in southern Saudi Arabia were disrupted, with flights bound for Riyadh returning to the runway and military aircraft awaiting the stabilization of the situation. An hour prior, the Saudi Red Crescent Authority announced that a danger warning had been issued through the ‘National Early Warning System’ in the Yanbu governorate in the west of the country.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, head of Sanaa’s negotiating delegation, stressed that the aggression against Sanaa Airport served as a reminder to those who had forgotten that Saudi Arabia insists on keeping the airport closed. He noted that Riyadh claims its objective is to protect Yemen’s sovereignty. He added, “The behaviors of Saudi Arabia in all aspects, including lying, malice, and aggression, are very much like Israel. Hiding behind unjust UN statements, issued based on oil relations with Saudi Arabia, cannot conceal the reality of the unjust blockade on Yemen. Saudi Arabia is behind this unjust blockade, an aggressor country that launched an 8-year war against Yemen and ultimately failed, is now seeking to recover its losses.”
The Yemeni armed forces announced that an important statement is scheduled to be issued at 15:00 local time (15:30 Tehran time), detailing significant military operations. A military source from the Yemeni Ministry of Defense reported that the country’s air defenses successfully prevented some Saudi fighter jets from entering Yemeni airspace. According to the report, the Saudi fighter jets were forced to retreat due to the Yemeni air defense’s engagement.
