RIYADH: The Yemeni Armed Forces have said they remain at the highest level of operational readiness and fully prepared to reinforce security and stability to help restore state authority across the country’s territory.
In exclusive remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Brig. Gen. Abdo Majali, the official spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, warned against the continued targeting of commercial vessels by what he described as the “Houthi terrorist militias,” and their threats to Red Sea security and the freedom of international navigation.
He said the attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis reflected “the militia’s connection to the Iranian project aimed at undermining Yemeni and regional national security and threatening international interests.”
Majali said that, under the direction of Yemen’s political leadership, the armed forces would continue to coordinate with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen to deter threats from the Houthis, secure maritime routes, protect international shipping, and combat terrorism. He described the efforts as both a national responsibility and a firm commitment to safeguarding the security of Yemen and the region, while preserving international peace and security.
Majali said the armed forces were at the highest level of readiness, possessed full combat capability, and maintained the operational capacity and high morale necessary to carry out a wide range of military missions to defend the security and sovereignty of Yemen.
He added that, with the support of the Yemeni people, the armed forces would continue fulfilling their national duty until state institutions are restored, security and stability are reinforced, and government authority reestablished throughout the country.
Majali said that military operations carried out by the Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy had been launched in response to attacks by Houthis targeting Saudi vessels in the Red Sea. He said the operations were conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law while taking care to preserve Yemen’s national resources.
The Houthis had previously been subjected to what the coalition described as “decisive and painful” strikes against sites linked to threats to vessels in the Red Sea.
Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said the operations had focused exclusively on legitimate military targets and stressed that protecting the assets of the Yemeni people remained one of the coalition’s highest priorities.
The Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber said the Houthi militia had turned Yemen into a bargaining chip for external actors seeking to advance their own interests at the expense of the country’s security, stability, and the suffering of its people. He added that peace would not be achieved through slogans or political maneuvering, but through genuine political will that placed the interests of Yemen and its people above all else.
Majali said all Yemeni ports remained open to maritime traffic and continued to receive commercial vessels carrying food, fuel, and other goods.
According to official figures, more than 300 commercial ships entered the ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras Issa in the first half of 2026.
Majali said the continued rejection of peace initiatives by Iran and the Houthi militia, along with their ongoing military escalation and threats to regional security and maritime navigation — particularly the security of Saudi Arabia — demonstrated their determination to undermine regional stability while diverting attention from what he described as the crimes and violations committed by the Houthis against the Yemeni people.
Majali stressed that safeguarding freedom of international navigation and securing maritime routes required continued international support for efforts to protect global trade lanes, strengthen regional security and stability, and preserve the economic interests of countries around the world.
He said Yemen’s political leadership had handled recent developments with a strong sense of national responsibility, adopting carefully considered measures aimed at protecting civilians and their property, shielding the Yemeni people from the consequences of Houthi escalation, and preventing attempts to drag Yemen into conflicts serving the Iranian agenda.
Majali urged residents in Houthi-controlled areas not to allow their children to be recruited into the fighting or used as “fuel for a losing war,” adding that the group’s actions would only strengthen the Yemeni people’s determination to restore the state.
Majali praised what he described as Saudi Arabia’s steadfast fraternal support and its ongoing efforts to assist the Yemeni people, ease their suffering, and strengthen security and stability in Yemen and across the region.
Al-Jaber had said previously that Saudi Arabia would continue supporting the Yemeni people and back all initiatives aimed at reopening Sanaa International Airport to commercial flights. These would allow Yemenis to travel following action from the Houthis to prevent commercial operations under “unfounded pretexts.”
Al-Jaber also said that Saudi Arabia would continue supporting the arrival of ships at Hodeidah to meet the needs of the Yemeni people. This support was granted despite the Houthi militia’s continued attacks on civilian commercial vessels in the Red Sea which threatened freedom of international navigation and regional security.
