JEDDAH: The spokesperson for the Saudi-led Arab coalition Col. Turki Al-Maliki said on Friday that operations in Yemen are “aimed at pressuring the Houthi militias to accept the political solution.”
During a press conference in Brussels, Al-Maliki said that the safety of people was the coalition’s top priority.
“The political diplomatic solution is always the best option for the Yemeni people,” he added, stating that the coalition was continuing its efforts to restore “legitimacy in Yemen.”
Al-Maliki was in Belgium to hold talks with European officials on the situation in Yemen and aid delivery to the war-torn country.
Yemen’s national army, backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, launched last week an operation to liberate Hodeidah and its strategic port from the Iran-backed Houthi militias.
The liberation of the western province will end the threat against international navigation in the Red Sea, he said.
Al-Maliki also accused the Houthis of using civilian residences as military fortifications. They have also imposed additional taxes on business owners to fund their war effort.
Meanwhile he said that the coalition had been providing all possible ways to deliver medical and food aid to Hodeidah. “Aid is being delivered throughout Yemen without discrimination,” he said.
On the otherhand, Al-Maliki said that the Houthis have arrested several human rights groups workers.
