Yemen President Says Army Continues to Inflict “Painful Blows” on Houthis

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:

Head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, on Monday called on the international community to strengthen the capabilities of national governments and legitimate institutions to protect their sovereignty and national security and to firmly confront Iranian interference in the region.

Speaking during a meeting with German Defense Ministry Secretary-General Nils Polter, attended by Foreign Minister and Expatriate Affairs Minister Afrah Al-Zouba, Al-Alimi said recent shifts in the international position toward Iran represented an opportunity to build a more sustainable framework for regional security.

Al-Alimi described the latest Houthi escalation as a desperate attempt to revive a policy of coercion and test the Yemeni state’s resolve after years of internationally backed de-escalation.

He said Yemeni army forces had demonstrated a high level of readiness and capability, delivering what he described as “painful blows” against Houthi command-and-control centers, gatherings and fighters across several fronts.

Al-Alimi also urged the international community to play a greater role in tracking networks involved in smuggling weapons and missile technology to the Houthis and stressed the importance of supporting the Yemeni government’s ability to protect the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and sovereign ports.