Yemeni President: I Ordered That the Confrontation Not Be Expanded; We Will Not Allow Future Violations of Yemeni Airspace

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:

The Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, said he had instructed the armed forces to prioritize protecting civilian lives and safeguarding public property while avoiding any expansion of the confrontation. At the same time, he stressed that the state “will not allow any aircraft in the future to violate Yemeni airspace, whether through Sana’a Airport or any other airport.”

In a statement, Al-Alimi said he had issued these directives in his capacity as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, after military, security, and political assessments had been completed, with the aim of sparing Yemenis from any escalation that, in his words, would serve “Iranian interests” in the region.

He added that the decision “was not a retreat from the state’s duty to protect its sovereignty, nor was it leniency toward any violation,” but rather “a responsible sovereign decision” taken after the armed forces had demonstrated their readiness to defend the country’s sovereignty while ensuring that civilians and public property were not exposed to danger.

Al-Alimi affirmed that the authorities would deter any attempt to impose a fait accompli that undermines the state’s sovereignty or diminishes its authority over its territory, airspace, and land, sea, and air ports of entry.

He said the armed forces had been at the highest level of readiness and had carried out defensive measures by targeting the runway at Sana’a Airport, describing the action as necessary to protect national sovereignty and prevent the imposition of a new reality outside the framework of the constitution and the law.

The president accused the Houthi group of rejecting initiatives and mediation efforts aimed at containing the escalation and of insisting on operating flights that he described as unlawful. He held the group directly responsible for the consequences of the escalation and also blamed Iran for its continued support of the Houthis.

Al-Alimi reiterated that the government remains committed to the continued lawful and safe operation of Sana’a Airport through Yemenia Airways. He said the government had proposed initiatives to facilitate civilian flights and the transportation of the Houthi delegation, but that the group had rejected them, according to the statement.

He also announced that he had called an emergency meeting of the Presidential Leadership Council to review the latest developments, directing the government, the armed forces, and the security services to raise their level of readiness and take the necessary political, diplomatic, and legal measures to protect the sovereignty of the Republic of Yemen and prevent any recurrence of what he described as violations of Yemeni airspace.

The Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council called on the international community, led by the United Nations Security Council, to move beyond condemnation to deterrence by enforcing international legitimacy resolutions related to the arms embargo and sanctions regime, in order to protect Yemen’s sovereignty and put an end to what he described as violations threatening regional and international peace and security.