Riyadh: The Arab coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has denied responsibility for the bombing that resulted in civilian casualties in Yemeni areas under the control of the Houthi group on the border with Saudi in the north of the country.
This came in a statement issued by coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki on Sunday evening, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Al-Maliki said, “The Houthi militia’s allegations of border shelling on the districts of Munabbih and Shada (in Saada) and the presence of civilian casualties are baseless.”
He explained that the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition supports all efforts to stabilize the armistice that ended on October 2. It also exercises the highest levels of restraint in light of the continued violations of the Houthi militia on the borders and the Yemeni interior.”
“What is being circulated comes within the context of the ongoing Houthi allegations of areas under its control, which represent hotspots for disputes and liquidations of operations of organized crime groups, such as smuggling, drug trafficking and human trafficking, which are managed by leaders and affiliated elements,” he added.
On October 2, 2022, a six-month truce ended in Yemen, and the government and the Houthis exchanged accusations about responsibility for not renewing it, amid international efforts seeking a lasting peace.
On Sunday, January 22, the Houthis’ Al-Masirah channel announced that 7 people had been killed and 91 others wounded by Saudi army fire in border areas since the beginning of January.
The Yemeni war began after the Houthis took control of the capital, Sana’a, and several provinces at the end of 2014, with the support of the forces of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed in 2017 in confrontations with the group’s militants, following the end of the alliance between them.
The conflict has escalated since March 2015, after an Arab military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened to support the legitimate government forces in confronting the Iranian-backed Houthi group.
