Sana’a Foreign Ministry: Saudi Arabia Closes Sana’a Airport and Its Escalation Threatens the Security of Navigation in Bab Al-Mandeb

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in Sana’a on Saturday refuted what it described as the fallacies that were stated in the Security Council session regarding Yemen, affirming that Saudi Arabia bears the responsibility for the continuation of the war and the siege, and warning of the repercussions of the military escalation on the security of navigation and trade in Bab Al-Mandeb.

Sana’a — Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

The Ministry welcomed, in a statement, what was stated in the interventions of the Russian and Chinese delegates during the periodic briefing of the UN envoy to Yemen before the Security Council, affirming Sana’a’s readiness to neutralize the targets of a humanitarian nature, foremost among them the airports and ports, from the siege and targeting in all its forms.

The Ministry accused Saudi Arabia of closing Sana’a International Airport, noting that the Saudi escalation ended the phase of de-escalation by targeting the airport on the 13th of last July, to prevent the arrival of a humanitarian flight, challenging the other parties to deny that.

The statement affirmed Sana’a’s rejection of any attempt to impose what it described as the Saudi occupation on Yemen, stressing that this will not be acceptable no matter how high the level of the confrontation reaches or what its repercussions are.

The Ministry also criticized the positions of the parties that legitimize the Saudi military operations in the Yemeni governorates, while rejecting Yemen’s right to respond, considering that these positions make their holders partners in the crimes committed against the Yemeni people.

With regard to Bab Al-Mandeb, the Ministry affirmed that extending national sovereignty over the lands and territorial waters is a legitimate right, warning that Saudi Arabia’s turning of the strait and the surrounding areas into a theater for military operations threatens the security and stability of the region, and inflicts damage on the movement of trade, holding Riyadh responsible for the repercussions of the continuation of the military operations there.

The Foreign Ministry rejected the characterization of what is happening in Yemen as an internal war, considering that the Saudi military operations continuing since March 26, 2015, nullify this proposition, and it also criticized what it described as an attempt to impose figures loyal to Riyadh on the Yemenis.

The Ministry called on the international community to obligate Saudi Arabia to stop its hostile activities and lift the siege on Yemen, affirming that ending the war and dealing according to the principle of good neighborliness would put an end to the confrontations and the humanitarian repercussions resulting from them.