Yemen Monitor / Sana’a / Special:
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Supreme Political Council of the Houthi movement, issued a direct warning to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against entering new alliances against the armed movement, stressing that “surrender is more costly than confrontation.”
He claimed that his group has acquired more precise targeting capabilities, while downplaying the significance of local forces opposed to them, describing those forces as lacking a genuine national project.
The remarks came during a lengthy interview with Al-Masirah channel on Wednesday evening (October 8), which Yemen Monitor followed, in response to questions about the risks of a broader international alliance after Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi called for an international coalition against the Houthis during meetings at the United Nations General Assembly last month.
Al-Houthi emphasized that any new “involvement” by Saudi Arabia and the UAE in military action that serves what he described as the Israeli agenda is something “they should take a lesson from America,” which he said was forced to halt its aggression against Yemen.
He pointed out that any battle launched against them at the present stage would merely be “retribution for what we do in support of Gaza,” asserting that they would confront it “with all pride, with all strength, with all determination,” implying that the regional conflict has become a justification for any potential military response against neighboring states.
Addressing Saudi Arabia and the UAE, al-Houthi said: “We had missiles that were not as precise as those we have today, and we are capable of striking sites inside any country.”
On the domestic front, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi attacked the (governmental and anti-movement) forces, alleging that their primary aim is “to preserve their financial and material gains.”
He also criticized the internationally recognized Yemeni government, saying those actors are not serious about fighting under the banner of America and Israel unless it “leads them to wealth, to an increase in their bank balances.”
Al-Houthi minimized the impact of attempts by what he called “enemies” to exploit the moment to engage in confrontation, saying that “no reliance is placed on their role” and that “their burning cards have been used and burned.”
He stressed that assassinations of leaders, such as the targeting of a former prime minister and several ministers, will not succeed in affecting the group’s stance or weakening it: “That will not affect us at all. We said from day one… there will be thousands of deputies until the end.”
He concluded by reaffirming the core doctrine of the group that “surrender is more costly than confrontation,” the slogan by which they justify continuing the state of war and rejecting a comprehensive political settlement.
