Deputy FM Sends Letters to Islamic States on Saudi Aggression, Warns of Bab al-Mandab Militarization

In the letters, the Deputy Foreign Minister noted that the Saudi regime has continued its unjust aggression and brutal siege on Yemen since March 26, 2015, during which it has launched more than 274,302 airstrikes targeting civilians and civilian objects and committed the most heinous crimes that make humanity’s forehead sweat, resulting in the worst humanitarian crisis in modern history.

He affirmed that Sana’a, since the first day of the aggression, has dealt positively in all rounds of negotiations, and that the Saudi regime and its mercenaries are the ones placing obstacles before efforts to establish peace in Yemen.

Abu Ras noted that Sana’a engaged in the recent consultations sponsored by Oman, which resulted in reaching a roadmap. However, the Saudi regime reneged on what was agreed upon and sought to entrench a state of no peace and no war, aiming to prolong the suffering of the Yemeni people and believing it could achieve through this what it failed to achieve through military force.

He said: “Although Sana’a has repeatedly and continuously demanded that the international community pressure the Saudi regime to lean toward peace, those demands have fallen on deaf ears.”

He added that the Saudi regime recently concluded defensive alliances against Sana’a to involve others in the aggression on Yemen. It also mobilized its mercenaries and began the current escalation by targeting Sana’a Airport on July 13 to prevent the arrival of a humanitarian flight carrying passengers and patients.

The Deputy Foreign Minister noted that “in the face of this escalation, and as a result of the continuation of the aggression and siege imposed on Yemen, and the continuous deterioration of the economic and humanitarian situation, the Yemeni people decided to impose the equation of ‘siege for siege and escalation for escalation’ to pressure the Saudi regime to lean toward peace, end its aggression, and lift its siege on Yemen.”

The letters noted that since the beginning of the resumption of aggressive operations and escalation, the Saudi regime has launched more than 2,350 airstrikes and missiles targeting civilians, resulting in the martyrdom of 107 people and 278 wounded, distributed across 13 provinces, with women and children representing more than 60 percent of the victims.

During its recent escalation, the Saudi regime also targeted civilian objects, including homes, schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, factories, gas stations, and others.

The Deputy Foreign Minister affirmed that the Saudi regime did not stop there but sought to repeat its false and offensive narrative about Islamic sanctities, claiming that Sana’a targets the Islamic sanctities in Mecca and Medina—while it is Yemen that has offered sacrifices upon sacrifices in defense of the sanctities.

He said: “Despite all of the above, Sana’a’s hand was, remains, and will remain extended for a just, honorable, and sustainable peace. It is open to any efforts made by brotherly countries to establish peace in Yemen. At the same time, however, it continues to consolidate this equation, exercise its right to self-defense, strike Saudi mobilizations, and extend sovereignty over Yemeni territory.”

The Deputy Foreign Minister concluded the letters by affirming Sana’a’s commitment to respecting international humanitarian law, its concern for the safety of navigation in the Red Sea, and its commitment to all international obligations regarding the security and safety of maritime navigation.

He affirmed that what threatens the safety of international navigation is Saudi Arabia’s transformation of Bab al-Mandab into a war zone.