Any Houthi gains temporary, will not become ‘geographic reality’: Yemen’s National Defense Council

Ilayda Cakirtekin

Yemen’s National Defense Council said Thursday that any gains by the Houthis are temporary and will not turn into a “geographic reality,” according to the official Saba news agency.

The council, chaired by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi, reportedly said any attempt by Houthis “to turn a temporary field gain into a permanent political or geographic reality is merely an illusion that will be dispelled by the will of Yemenis and the bravery of their armed forces.”

Reviewing recent developments in the western coastal area of Taiz province and the redeployment of forces in the area, the council stressed that “temporary field advance will not give the militias the right to impose a fait accompli by force.”

It also said the battle to restore state institutions cannot leave any part of the republic’s territory outside its sovereignty, or allow any part of Yemen’s territory “to be turned into a platform for threatening Yemen, its neighbors, or international shipping.”

The council affirmed that “the state is continuing to fulfill its constitutional and national responsibility until the end of the coup and the threat that has affected Yemen, the region, and the world.”

It further underscored that Yemen, while defending the Bab al-Mandab Strait, its coasts, islands, and territorial waters, is not only defending itself but also protecting freedom of navigation, maritime security, global trade stability, and the interests of countries and peoples beyond its borders.

Solidarity with Saudi Arabia in wake of attacks

The council called on the international community to not allow the strait and Yemen’s coasts and islands “to be turned into blackmail cards or platforms for threatening international navigation and trade.”

It stressed that Yemen is simply asking the world to implement international legitimacy resolutions and support its government’s efforts to protect its territory, sovereignty, territorial waters, and national institutions.

The council “held the Houthi militias fully responsible for the consequences of their terrorist escalation,” underlining that they started this war and must bear the consequences.

It also “strongly condemned the renewed attacks by the terrorist Houthi militias on the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reiterating the Republic of Yemen’s full solidarity with the kingdom.”

The remarks came as Yemen’s western coast witnessed rapid military developments, with the media reporting Houthi advances on several fronts toward areas near Mocha and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Yemeni media reported Thursday that Houthi forces had entered areas in the Hays and Al-Khawkhah districts in the southern Al-Hudaydah province after government and allied forces withdrew from positions in the area.

Mocha and its surrounding coast have strategic importance due to their proximity to Bab al-Mandeb, one of the world’s key maritime routes linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Yemen has seen renewed military escalation between government forces and the Houthis since July, after years of relative calm following a truce that began in April 2022.

The Houthis have controlled the capital Sanaa and large areas of northern and western Yemen since 2014, while the government and allied forces control areas in the south and east.