Saudi-Led Coalition Warns Houthis Against Attacks on Kingdom
RIYADH-The Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen warned on Saturday that any attempt by Yemen’s Houthi movement to target Saudi Arabia would be met with what it described as an unprecedented and forceful response, following fresh threats issued by the Iran-backed group against the Kingdom.
The warning came in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency and published on the coalition’s official social media channels. Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki said recent Houthi statements were intended to divert attention from what he described as the group’s violations against the Yemeni people and its deteriorating position inside Yemen.
Al-Maliki said the coalition viewed the latest Houthi threats as an attempt to undermine regional and international security. He added that any attack targeting Saudi Arabia, its citizens, residents, strategic infrastructure or national assets would be met with decisive action consistent with customary international humanitarian law.
“The coalition will respond with unprecedented determination and force to any and all attempts to target the Kingdom, its citizens and residents and national assets, or any attempt to violate the sovereignty of the brotherly Republic of Yemen,” Al-Maliki said in the statement.
The coalition’s warning followed comments issued on Friday by the Houthis’ military spokesperson, who threatened to target Saudi airports and other vital interests on land and at sea. The group did not immediately provide further details regarding the nature or timing of the threatened attacks.
Al-Maliki accused the Houthis of attempting to shift attention away from Yemen’s worsening humanitarian and economic conditions, which he blamed on the group’s policies. He also said the movement was seeking to deflect attention from what he described as growing opposition from tribal and social groups within Yemen.
According to the coalition, the Houthis have sought to export Yemen’s economic crisis and instability to neighboring countries while escalating tensions across the wider region. Al-Maliki said such actions threatened both regional stability and international security.
The conflict in Yemen began after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, forcing the internationally recognized government from power. Saudi Arabia subsequently formed the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen in support of the internationally recognized government, and the conflict has since evolved into one of the region’s longest-running wars.
The coalition reiterated its position that Saudi Arabia, together with its regional and international partners, has pursued political and humanitarian initiatives aimed at reducing the suffering of the Yemeni population. Al-Maliki said those efforts included support for a political roadmap endorsed by Yemen’s internationally recognized government but rejected by the Houthis.
He further accused the movement of rejecting initiatives aimed at achieving a lasting political settlement while carrying out attacks on maritime routes and international commercial shipping in the southern Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, waterways that are strategically important for global trade.
Al-Maliki also said Houthi actions had exposed key Yemeni infrastructure to destruction, including facilities at the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as Sanaa International Airport, electricity infrastructure, industrial facilities and other economic assets that he said belonged to the Yemeni people.
The Houthis, who control Sanaa and large areas of northern Yemen, have long been accused by Saudi Arabia and its allies of receiving military support and weapons from Iran. Tehran has acknowledged political support for the movement but has denied directing its military operations.
The latest exchange of threats highlights the continuing fragility of the security situation in Yemen and the broader Gulf region, where efforts to revive a political settlement continue alongside recurring military tensions.
