Yemeni Official to "Ofoq News": There is No Option with the Houthis but War to Restore the State

The Undersecretary of the Yemeni Ministry of Information, Najeeb Ghalab, told "Afaq News Bloomberg" on Sunday that "there is no option with the Houthis but war," after the group rejected, over the past years, efforts for calm and settlement, considering that ending the war requires restoring state institutions and ending Houthi control.

Ghalab described the upcoming phase as a "just and mandatory national battle," stating that the legitimate government has made several concessions for peace, but the Houthis have treated the peace process as "a tool of war" to enhance their capabilities and continue fighting.

Live coverage of the developments of battles and military operations against the Houthis in Yemen to establish state authority over all Yemeni territories.

He added that Yemenis are facing a "comprehensive rescue operation" that does not aim to engage in intermittent wars, noting that the country has witnessed, over the past years, wars, military operations, and multiple attempts to reach peace, without succeeding in ending the conflict.

Ghalab stated that the Houthis have "attacked international trade" and expanded the scope of confrontation to Bab al-Mandab and neighboring countries, considering that the group represents "an ideological system with a military structure linked to Iran," and uses state resources and institutions to enhance their capabilities and continue the war.

Ghalab continued: "The option of war is mandatory and deserved," pointing out that there are fronts and forces ready to move, considering that the confrontation "is not just a war of the state, but a war of all Yemenis," aimed at restoring state institutions and ending the conflict.

Yemeni Presidential Council Chairman Rashad Muhammad Alimi announced on Sunday the start of military operations to reclaim what remains of the country's territory.

He confirmed that the battle, if it breaks out, will be "major" and will not stop until its objectives are achieved, noting that there is readiness for mobilization, and that the movement of fronts surrounding areas controlled by the Houthis will increase pressure on the group, expand the scope of confrontations, and dismantle their military lines.

Ghalab indicated that the legitimate government will pardon, according to him, anyone who lays down their arms, adding that the tribesmen in areas under Houthi control are ready to welcome the army forces. He considered that the residents of those areas, who have "suffered under" Houthi rule, are waiting for the battle to begin.

He added that the international community, Arab countries, and coalition countries have become, in his estimation, more convinced that achieving peace requires weakening the Houthis and ending their control, considering that the group has become a threat to international peace and security.

Ghalab stated that the war "was only declared with the approval of the international community," pointing out that the legitimate government has faced pressures over the past years to engage in a peace process, but he considered that these pressures weakened its position and contributed to the Houthis, as he described them, becoming a "terrorist entity and an Iranian function" that affects international security and peace.

Regarding previous settlement pathways, Ghalab said that the roadmap presented by Saudi Arabia and approved by the legitimate government granted the Houthis a central position in power within the framework of the state, emphasizing that what is required is the establishment of a "unifying state for Yemenis" that does not violate their rights and is not used as a territory to wage wars against others.

He considered that the United Nations resolutions and previous settlement pathways aimed to contain the Houthis and involve them in the political process, but the group, according to him, opted for a "unilateral option that does not accept partnership."

Ghalab confirmed that if the war breaks out, it will not stop before "restoring the state and ending this crime that has drained the blood of Yemenis."