The spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement has lashed out at Saudi Arabia over sponsoring and supporting terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the southern parts of the conflict-stricken Arab country.
During a meeting with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed in the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a on Sunday evening, Mohammed Abdulsalam warned about the spread of terrorism and growth of Saudi-backed Takfiri militant outfits in Yemen’s southern provinces, Arabic-language al-Masirah satellite television network reported.
Abdulsalam further highlighted Ansarullah’s solidarity with the southern Yemenis. He described the status quo in southern Yemen as “a daunting challenge,” and voiced his movement’s full preparedness to help establish stability and security there.
The top Ansarullah official also lauded the efforts by the Yemeni army forces and fighters from allied Popular Committees to restore tranquility across Yemen, criticizing Saudi aerial attacks together with assaults by al-Qaeda- and Daesh-affiliated terrorists for undermining the relative calm in the northern Yemeni provinces.
The remarks came on the same day as the governor of the embattled southern province of Aden was killed after his convoy was hit by a car bomb attack.
Yemeni security officials said the incident took place, when Jaafar Mohammed Saad was travelling with his entourage in the Tawahi district of the port city of Aden, situated 346 kilometers (214 miles) south of the capital, Sana’a, on Sunday morning.
They said several members of his convoy also died in the attack. The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia since late March. The Saudi military strikes were launched to supposedly undermine the Ansarullah movement and bring fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, back to power.
More than 7,500 people have been killed and over 14,000 others injured since March. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools and factories.
There have been increased warnings that the aggression could strengthen the grip of terror groups across Yemen. Ansarullah revolutionaries have repeatedly declared the fight against extremism and terrorism as one of their main objectives.