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Yemen: Saudi escalates air strikes in response to border attacks | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri speaks to reporters gathered at the Riyadh Airbase in Saudi Arabia as he announces the end of Operation Decisive Storm, on April 21, 2015. (Asharq Al-Awsat/Meshal Al-Qudair)


Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri speaks to reporters gathered at the Riyadh Airbase in Saudi Arabia as he announces the end of Operation Decisive Storm, on April 21, 2015. (Asharq Al-Awsat/Meshal Al-Qudair)

Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri speaks to reporters gathered at the Riyadh Airbase in Saudi Arabia as he announces the end of Operation Decisive Storm, on April 21, 2015. (Asharq Al-Awsat/Meshal Al-Qudair)

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia has reiterated that its domestic security is a “red-line” in response to the latest advances of Iran-backed Shi’ite Houthi rebels across Yemen.

Responding to the Houthis’ recent offensives in Yemen, including rockets being fired at the Saudi border cities of Najran and Jazan earlier this week, Saudi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri warned the Houthis that Saudi Arabia’s security is a “red-line”, which the Houthis had now crossed.

“The Houthi aggression has no military goal and the targeting of Saudi civilians is simply for the sake of more killing,” he said.

Asiri said that the Houthis had committed a “grave mistake” by targeting Saudi territory, warning of retaliation against the “commanders of the Houthi militias.” He added that Saudi Arabia’s military response will now be “different” to its previous engagement in its southern neighbor following the Houthi attacks.

Saudi-led coalition warplanes distributed flyers to Yemeni civilians in the northern region of Saada—a Houthi stronghold—as it continued to carry out air strikes against Houthi targets. The leaflets urged civilians to leave the area ahead of an expected intensification in air strikes.

The latest military developments come as the Houthis expand their presence in the south of the country, entering the strategic southern port city of Aden on Wednesday and taking control of the central Al-Tawahi district amid reports of tens of civilian casualties.

Riyadh has been working to pressure all Yemeni parties to reach a negotiated solution to the crisis, with peace talks scheduled to take place in the Saudi capital later this month.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz met with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in Riyadh on Thursday to discuss the latest developments, including a possible five day ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid to Yemen.

Further discussions of a ceasefire are expected later on Friday in Paris where Kerry is expected to join Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers to discuss the situation in Yemen, as well as the status of nuclear talks with Tehran.