Yemen warns Saudi Arabia against ‘US trap’ to reignite war

The Cradle, July 8, 2024 — 

The leader of Yemen’s ruling Ansarallah resistance movement, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, on 7 July warned Saudi Arabia against “colluding” with the US and UK to take “aggressive steps” against Sanaa and in support of Israel.

“The Saudis must realize that their reckless, foolish steps cannot be tolerated, and they must get off their misguided path … The US sent us messages that it would push the Saudi regime to take aggressive steps [against us], and there were American visits to Saudi Arabia for that reason,” Houthi said during Sunday’s speech.

“The American wants to involve Saudi Arabia in a comprehensive war, meaning that the situation with us [and Saudi Arabia] will return to what it was at the height of the escalation,” the resistance leader stressed, adding that the Yemeni people “endure because they believe there is an important battle and because they prioritize the Palestinian cause over their own.”

“The Americans are trying to entangle you [Saudi Arabia], and if you want that, then try it. If you want good for yourselves and stability for your country and economy, stop your conspiracies against our country. The move towards aggressive escalation against our country is something we can never accept,” Houthi said, warning Riyadh that falling for this trap would be “a terrible mistake and a great failure, and it is our natural right to counter any aggressive step.”

“If you get more entangled, our escalation will be greater, and do not rely on the Americans; they are failures.”

Houthi’s speech followed UN-sponsored prisoner release talks between Sanaa and the Saudi-appointed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) in Oman.

“The negotiations led to a significant breakthrough, where the parties reached an understanding on releasing Mohamed Qahtan, a matter that has been contentious for years,” the office of the UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said on Sunday.

The two sides agreed to another meeting to “finalize the names of detainees to be released and arrangements pertaining to the release of Qahtan,” the UN statement added.