Yemeni Government: Houthi Escalation Is Dangerous and Threatens Regional Security
Yemen’s government has warned of a dangerous regional escalation following renewed attacks attributed to the Houthis on Maashiq Palace and Aden International Airport, alongside an attempted attack on Mecca. It said these assaults go beyond targeting state institutions and civilian facilities, threatening regional security and stability and violating the sanctity of Islam’s holy sites.
In a statement, the Cabinet said repeated attacks on Aden International Airport by the Iranian-backed militia constituted a direct assault on the public’s interests. It described the airport as a vital civilian facility serving citizens and connecting Yemen to the world, and said the attacks sought to disrupt public institutions and undermine the state’s ability to fulfil its obligations.
The statement stressed that targeting Maashiq Palace, the seat of government and state institutions in the temporary capital, Aden, would not prevent the authorities from carrying out their responsibilities. Nor, it said, would the attacks enable the militia to disrupt the institutions of the legitimate government or impose a new reality through force.
Protecting Facilities and Strengthening Security Readiness
The government said it regarded the attacks as a direct threat to state authority, public safety and the continued operation of essential services and infrastructure. It called for a comprehensive institutional response extending beyond immediate reactions to practical measures, including protecting facilities, strengthening security readiness, improving coordination among the relevant agencies and ensuring that civilian institutions and facilities continue operating without interruption.
The statement also described protecting citizens and public facilities and securing Aden as a national responsibility that allows no complacency. The government said repeated attacks would not deter it from fulfilling its duties to the public, strengthening its institutions’ presence, or exercising its constitutional powers. It pledged to act in coordination with the Presidential Leadership Council, local authorities and military and security agencies to maintain the cohesion of state institutions and their ability to confront challenges.
Solidarity with Saudi Arabia
The government expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia against threats to its security. It said the attacks’ coincidence with an attempted attack on Mecca placed a clear responsibility on the international community to address conduct threatening regional security, freedom of air navigation and civilian facilities, while also violating the sanctity of Islam’s holiest site.
It called for concrete international action proportionate to the gravity of these threats, preventing their continuation and ensuring that those responsible do not escape accountability.
The government also reaffirmed its commitment to its constitutional and national responsibilities, restoring state institutions and ending the coup, while protecting citizens and preserving their resources. It said attacks on the state would not disable its functions, and attacks on Aden would not strip the city of its role. Terrorism, it stressed, would neither replace state authority nor provide a means of imposing the coup on Yemenis.
