End of Yemen war up to Houthis: Coalition spokesman

Arab coalition forces and their Yemeni allies will pursue a military campaign to end an Iranian-backed coup until the rebels agree to join UN-sponsored peace negotiations; the coalition spokesman was reported on Tuesday as saying.

“Halting the military operations is up to the Houthis and their allies…if they want to end this war and go to the negotiating table, then it will end…otherwise the operations will continue until security and stability in Yemen and its neighbors is achieved,” Brigadier Ahmed Assiri said, quoted by Rotana Gulf satellite TV channel.

He said the war, which has entered its ninth month, has dragged on because the insurgents have strong military capabilities.

But he stressed that the Saudi-dominated coalition as well as the national Yemeni army and the resistance would not stop the war before the rebels agree to peace terms.

“We are in a war against a large force which has a large number of men and large military capabilities…we are fighting the Houthis and their allies, including part of the Yemeni regular army and the Republican Guards, and the Central Security Forces…they are trained forces and have capabilities that surpass those of some Arab countries,” the Saudi army general said.

“But the military operation we launched early this year will continue until the other party reaches a conclusion that they must abide by UN Security Council Resolution 2216.”

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