Al-Houthi turns his conditions into an “initiative” and gives Saudi Arabia a deadline for approval
English - Sunday 27 March 2022 الساعة 07:18 pm
Aden, NewsYemen:
The terrorist Houthi militia said, on Saturday, that it had suspended attacks using missiles and drones on Saudi Arabia for three days, conditioned on a permanent commitment from the Arab coalition to stop its air strikes in Yemen once and for all and lift restrictions on ports."
Mahdi Al-Mashat, head of the so-called "political council" of the Houthis, said in a televised speech that the group also announced the suspension of offensive field operations in Yemen for three days, including in the Ma'rib governorate.
Al-Mashat said: "We unilaterally announce the suspension of missile strikes, drones and all military actions towards Saudi Arabia by land, sea and air for a period of 3 days."
The Houthi announcement came a day after the terrorist group launched a series of attacks on Saudi Arabia, which included an oil facility in Jeddah, causing a huge fire and a huge cloud of black smoke rising in the sky.
The Houthi vision of the truce is based on stopping the air, land and sea military operations of the Arab coalition, and completely lifting restrictions on Yemeni ports and airports first, before any ceasefire agreement.
Lifting restrictions imposed by coalition warships on Yemeni ports on the Red Sea was a prerequisite for the Houthis' ceasefire.
Al-Mashat said that the initiative he announced on Saturday will continue if the coalition opens the ports and stops its air strikes.
In exchange for extending the suspension of ground offensive operations, he said: “Saudi Arabia should announce the withdrawal of foreign forces from Yemen and stop supporting the Yemeni military formations resisting the group.”
It is unlikely that the kingdom would agree to such conditions as Riyadh seeks a comprehensive ceasefire in conjunction with the reopening of ports and Sanaa airport.
A high-ranking Saudi official confirmed earlier that the Houthis had recently presented a ceasefire initiative that includes a military truce and the opening of Sanaa airport and the port of Hodeidah, while continuing their attacks targeting important economic facilities in Saudi Arabia.
And Agence France-Presse quoted the Saudi official as saying: "The Houthis put forward an initiative through mediators that includes a truce, opening the airport and the port, in addition to starting Yemeni-Yemeni consultations."
He added that the Houthis are continuing their attacks because they "want to announce the initiative as if they are still strong."
Regarding Riyadh's position on the initiative, the Saudi official said: "We are waiting for it to be officially announced because they (the Houthis) are constantly changing their words," in a sign from Riyadh that can be read positively.
