Shocked by Ansarullah Advances, Saudis Opted for Truce: Yemeni Figure
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An official with Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement said Riyadh had to go for dialogue and ceasefire after failing to achieve its objectives in the offensive against Yemen and after the Ansarullah forces made advances inside Saudi Arabia.
Speaking in a press conference at the Tasnim headquarters in Tehran on Wednesday, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said the Al Saud not only failed to reach its objectives in the war on Yemen, but also realized its weakness and vulnerability in the encounter with Yemenis.
Bukhaiti, a member of Ansarullah’s political council, noted that the Saudis “sensed danger” after the Yemeni Army and voluntary forces could penetrate deep into Saudi Arabian territories.
“These successes (by the Yemeni forces) alarmed the (Saudi) aggressors,” he added.
The upheaval forced Saudi Arabia to agree to negotiations and a truce, though it violated the ceasefire later, Bukhaiti explained.
Since March 26, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been launching deadly airstrikes against Yemen in an attempt to restore power to the fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
According to Yemeni sources, some 7,500 people have been killed in the Saudi-led aggressions so far.
On December 20, Yemen’s warring sides agreed to form a committee to oversee a fragile ceasefire as they engaged in peace talks in Switzerland mediated by the United Nations.
Houthi officials had threatened to pull out of the talks after forces loyal to Hadi captured a major town in northwestern Yemen.
The blitz into the town of Hazm in Jawf Province came one day after supporters of Hadi captured Harad in neighboring Hajjah Province in violation of a one-week truce which came into effect on December 15.
Truce violation was intensified after Saudi Arabia bombarded areas in northern Yemen and reportedly opened the southern borders to allow more pro-Hadi militants into the Yemeni territory.
Houthis and allies in the Yemeni army have recorded numerous cases of truce violation by Saudi Arabia and militants loyal to Hadi, saying Riyadh had intensified its campaign against Yemen in a bid to take advantage of the truce.
