Saudi-led coalition warns Houthis of 'unprecedented' force

The Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognised government has warned it will respond with "unprecedented determination and force" following fresh threats by the Houthi movement against the kingdom. In a statement issued on Saturday, coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki dismissed the Houthis' recent warnings as an attempt to divert attention from the group's actions against the Yemeni people. He accused the Iran-aligned movement of attempting to shift focus away from the economic hardship and humanitarian suffering it has caused, while deflecting attention from growing opposition among Yemeni tribal and social groups. "The claims they made are an extension of escalations and hostile behaviour demonstrated by the Houthi Militia and their attempts to undermine regional and international security," al-Maliki said. He also accused the group of trying "to export the economic disasters and Yemeni suffering they have caused", while deflecting attention from the rejection they face from Yemeni tribal and social groups by directing tensions towards neighbouring countries. Al-Maliki said Saudi Arabia, the coalition and international partners had sought to alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused by the Houthi takeover and had supported a political roadmap accepted by Yemen's internationally recognised government but rejected by the Houthis. Instead, he alleged, the group had continued to attack shipping routes and international trade in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. "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 in a manner that conforms with the Customary International Humanitarian Law," he said. Al-Maliki also claimed that the Houthis' military activities had exposed Yemeni civilian infrastructure to potential military action, including the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as Sanaa International Airport, power stations and industrial facilities. The coalition further repeated its longstanding accusations that the Houthis have targeted commercial shipping and international trade passing through the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait . The statement followed comments by Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree , who threatened a "comprehensive" response targeting Saudi airports and other vital infrastructure on Friday. Saree claimed Houthi air defence missiles had forced Saudi warplanes to abandon an attempt to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport on Friday. According to Saree, the aircraft was carrying more than 200 stranded, injured and sick passengers, along with a Houthi delegation travelling to Tehran to attend the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The flight marked the first publicly confirmed Iranian civilian aircraft to land in Sanaa in around a decade, although Iran had not officially acknowledged the flight as of Saturday. In response, Yemen's internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council held an emergency meeting, chaired by President Rashad al-Alimi . In a statement, the council described the Iranian flight as a "flagrant violation" of Yemen's sovereignty and a "blatant defiance" of international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions. It also warned Tehran against further escalation and urged the UN and regional partners to move "from condemnation to deterrent action", including tighter measures to curb channels used to support and arm the Houthis.