By Palestine Chronicle Staff
The leader of Yemen's Ansarallah movement, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. (Photo: via Ansarallah Media Center)
Ansarallah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi rejected allegations Yemen targeted Mecca as Saudi warplanes carried out 37 strikes across Taiz and Hajjah Thursday.
Key Takeaways
- Ansarallah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi described allegations that Yemeni forces targeted Mecca as a “lie of the century,” saying Yemen would instead defend Islamic holy sites.
- Al-Houthi called for an Islamic alliance against what he described as the Israeli threat to Palestine and Muslim holy sites, while demanding an end to Saudi attacks and the blockade.
- Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi F-15 aircraft launched 37 airstrikes during the previous 24 hours, targeting Taiz and Hajjah and causing civilian casualties.
Al-Houthi Rejects Mecca Allegation
Ansarallah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi on Thursday strongly rejected Saudi allegations that Yemeni forces had targeted Mecca, describing the accusation as “a great deception, a lie, a fabrication, a slander” and the “lie of the century.”
In a televised address, al-Houthi said Yemen would neither target Islamic holy sites nor accept attacks against them.
“The land of faith and the Yemeni people cannot target the holy sites or accept aggression against them, but rather they would sacrifice their lives and money to protect Mecca and the holy sites,” he said.
Al-Houthi accused Saudi Arabia of using its media apparatus to discredit Yemen, justify its military campaign, draw additional countries into the confrontation and obscure battlefield setbacks.
His remarks followed a series of denials by Yemeni officials and religious figures after Saudi Arabia alleged that a threat had been directed against Mecca.
Al-Houthi also addressed Yemenis in the south, saying Ansarallah was not targeting them and that its military operations were directed against Saudi-backed troop concentrations.
‘More than 2,000 Mosques’ Targeted
Al-Houthi accused the Saudi-led military campaign of targeting more than 2,000 mosques in Yemen, including historic mosques located far from active front lines. He said attacks had also struck a center for the blind in Sana’a, cemeteries and historic landmarks.
Al-Houthi said Ansarallah possessed documentation of the attacks and argued that they demonstrated a consistent pattern during the war.
He further accused the United States, Israel and Britain of direct involvement in Saudi military operations, saying US aircraft and weapons were being used while American, Israeli and British experts were involved in operational planning.
Al-Houthi argued that Riyadh was attempting to broaden the confrontation by drawing these countries into more direct military involvement.
Calls for Islamic Alliance against Israeli Threat
The Ansarallah leader also criticized Arab and Muslim governments that had condemned the alleged threat to Mecca while, he said, failing to respond to Israeli actions against Palestinians and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Houthi described Israel as the principal threat to Islamic holy sites and said Ansarallah was prepared to participate in an Islamic alliance confronting that threat.
He reiterated Yemen’s position in support of Palestine and said the immediate demands remained an end to Saudi military operations and the lifting of the blockade on Yemen.
Al-Houthi also called on Yemenis to take to the streets on Friday in what he said should become a two-million-strong demonstration rejecting the Saudi allegations.
Yemen Reports 37 Saudi Airstrikes
The Yemeni Armed Forces, affiliated with the Ansarallah movement, meanwhile said Saudi Arabia had launched dozens of new attacks across Yemen.
Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said Saudi F-15 fighter jets carried out 37 airstrikes during the previous 24 hours. According to Saree, the aircraft operated from King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait and targeted Taiz and Hajjah governorates, causing civilian deaths and injuries.
SABA news agency reported that Saudi aircraft struck the Al-Barah bridge in Maqbana district, west of Taiz, twice.
Two additional strikes targeted the city of Abs in Hajjah Governorate, damaging four vehicles.
Saudi aircraft also struck three telecommunications towers in the Al-Dhakra and Al-Hawban areas of Al-Ta’iziyah district and Al-Rahida in Khadir district, according to SABA.
The latest attacks come amid continuing clashes between Ansarallah and Saudi-backed forces across several Yemeni fronts, alongside Yemeni strikes against military and other strategic facilities inside Saudi Arabia.
(PC, Al Mayadeen, SABA)
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