On Sunday, the military branch of the Houthi movement in Yemen released a video that included Saudi Arabian ports and airports. Images of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, King Fahd International Airport in Damman, and the ports at Ras Tanura, Jizan, and Jeddah were in the video called “Just try it.”
The photos were made accessible simultaneously with a speech by Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the commander of the Houthis, in which he directly targeted Saudi Arabia, stating “America is trying to entangle you, and if you want that, just try it. If you want good for yourselves, stability for your country, and your economy, stop your conspiracies against our country.” He also added “If the American succeeds in entangling you, it is a terrible stupidity and great failure, and it is our natural right to confront any aggressive steps.”
The movement blame the US and Saudi Arabia for attempting to economically destroy Yemen. The video is interpreted as a plot to reassure Saudi Arabia that they are still ready for striking deep inside the kingdom.
“Americans sent us messages that it will push the Saudi regime into aggressive steps, and American visits to Saudi Arabia took place for that purpose,” al-Houthi said. He also added “the pressure to transfer banks from Sanaa is a crazy and stupid step, and no one in the world thinks this way. America knows the negative impact of transferring banks on the living reality of the Yemeni people, their currency and prices in the country.”
Yemen War Reverberations
“We have directed advice and warnings through all intermediaries for the Saudis to back down from this foolish step, but they are still procrastinating.” Al-Houthi is actually alluding to the central bank of Aden, which is under the control of the Yemeni government recognized by the UN. The bank was given a 60-day ultimatum to move its corporate offices to the southern city and cease its Houthi policies, failing which it would be subject to sanctions pertaining to laundering money and anti-terrorism regulations.
Yemen’s economic position has gotten even worse due to the conflict between the government-owned central bank and the Houthi-owned one. The Houthis’ warning to Saudi Arabia coincides with news that the government and Houthis were unable to reach a new agreement on prisoner release.
On Saturday night, spokesmen from both parties announced that the negotiations in Muscat, which were conducted by the UN, had come to an end without a new prisoner deal. The discussions reached “a significant breakthrough,” according to UN Yemen envoy, when the Houthis and the Yemeni government reached an agreement to release famous politician Mohammed Qahtan.
Since 2015, when the Houthi movement staged a coup and Riyadh acted on behalf of the temporary government, Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have been at war. The conflict has left Yemen severely damaged. Both sides have committed war crimes, and the result is one of the greatest humanitarian disasters ever. With continuous talks, open hostilities between the two have mainly stopped, but tensions are still high because there isn’t an official peace yet.
