The Yemeni government warned that Houthi militants are planning to target international shipping lines and trade in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Red Sea waters.
Government spokesman Rajeh Badi said Houthis are planning to blow up “Safer” tanks in Ras Isa port on the Red Sea, north of the western Hodeidah province.
In remarks quoted by the state news agency Saba, he said that the Iran-backed militants started destroying government facilities in retaliation to heavy losses they suffered.
“The militia began to carry out its terrorist plans as a result of the heavy losses by detonating the Ras Issa offshore terminal, which contains nearly 1 million barrels of crude oil that could cause an environmental and economic catastrophe for Yemen and the countries of the region,” he added.
Badi said Houthis started targeting government buildings and the key port of Hodeidah.
“The Houthi militia deliberately placed heavy weapons inside populated neighborhoods,” he said while noting that the group’s activities have inhibited humanitarian relief to some Yemen’s neediest areas.
“The Houthi militias deliberately targeted civilians,” he said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Khalid al-Yamani, in a meeting with UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths in Riyadh, discussed means to advance the Yemeni peace process and confidence-building measures between warring parties.
Yamani’s discussions are in line with preparations for rebooting peace negotiations to end the bloodshed.
Yamani stressed the keenness of the Yemeni government headed by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi to cooperate with peace efforts led by the United Nations, emphasizing the government’s openness to discuss confidence-building measures proposed by the envoy, most notably the release of war prisoners.
He noted the efforts made by the United Nations on the humanitarian side, which is the top priority and concern of the Yemeni government that is also working diligently for achieving economic recovery and launching reconstruction projects.
