Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
Two Yemeni officials stated that the government thwarted an attempt to establish a “direct air-route” with Iran that the Houthi group was seeking to benefit from, considering that the step prevented, as they described it, the opening of a conduit to support the group and enhance its capabilities.
Minister of Interior Ibrahim Haydan said that the government has “restored the consideration for the battle to restore state institutions and consolidate national sovereignty” after foiling what he described as an attempt to establish a direct air-route. He added that this route would have been used, in his words, to support the Iranian project and enable the Houthis to enhance their military capabilities, posing a threat to regional security and navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas.
For his part, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mustafa Al-Numan said that the government has made “successive concessions” over the past period, stems from its national and humanitarian responsibilities to alleviate the suffering of citizens, accusing the Houthis of rejecting initiatives that serve the interests of Yemenis.
Al-Numan added that the government, in coordination with Jordan, agreed to operate regular flights between Sana’a and Amman to serve citizens, but the Houthis rejected the proposal, considering that this reflects, according to him, the group’s prioritization of its own interests over those of the population.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs accused the Houthis of continuing policies that he said deprive citizens of their basic rights, stressing that the group’s positions contradict what it declares regarding its keenness to alleviate the suffering of Yemenis.
