Houthi militants, Iran aiming to impoverish Yemeni people: Saudi Ambassador

LONDON: Houthi militia in Yemen are bent on “starving” the Yemeni people, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen Mohamed Al-Jaber said.

The Saudi official said in a media interview that “Houthi militants are pursuing Iranian policies aimed at impoverishing and starving civilians in Yemen.”

Al-Jaber who is also the head of the Direct Humanitarian Operation Support Center in Yemen added: “Houthi militia have robbed the funds of United Nations set aside for aid operations many times.”

Al-Jaber explained that a “political solution” is the only way to end the war in Yemen, and that Houthi militia and Iran’s strategy rejects all political settlement as part of keeping the region in a state of chaos.

The Saudi ambassador said that Iran and their Houthi allies have refused repeatedly to cooperate with UN plans to facilitate humanitarian access to the needy in Yemen.

Recently, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other coalition members have pledged over $1.5 billion to help fund UN operations in Yemen.

“Coalition donations are huge and historic and could help restart the Yemeni economy and job creation for all Yemeni,” said Al-Jaber