The leader of the Houthi Ansar Allah rebel militia has said that air strikes led by Saudi Arabia on the movement’s locations in Yemen have not humbled their strength, adding that all options are available should the military strikes continue.
Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, the Houthis second in command, who is designated as Yemen’s caretaker president, and also heads Ansar Allah’s “popular committees”, told Al-Masry al-Youm in a phone interview that the Saudi-led strikes represent “an unjustified assault that violates Yemenis’ rights”.
Ali denied news reports that the strikes killed Houthi’s supreme leader, Abdel Malek al-Houthi, and the movement’s spokesperson, Mohamed Abdel Salam, adding that the movement maintains full control over the Yemeni army.
“If a land invasion occurs, we know our country better than any other soldier,” he said, commenting on reports that the Arab coalition was deliberating a ground attack on Houthi strongholds.
Ali said the movement had not expected Egypt’s participation in the military action. “We are not enemies, we would love to always be your brothers ” he said, addressing both the Egyptian leadership and the public.
Ali blamed the absence of communication with Egypt on what he called the “Muslim Brotherhood infiltration of the Yemeni intelligence service,” adding that reports submitted by Yemen’s secret service to Egypt seek to “provoke Egyptian fears of the possibility of us taking over the Bab al-Mandab Strait”.
Ali denied accusations that Houthis had staged a coup against President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. “We did not carry out a coup against the president’s legitimacy because that legitimacy ended on 15 February 2014, with the end of the two years set by the Gulf initiative which we did not recognize in the first place.” Referring to Hadi, Ali said, “He has no more legitimacy to fight for.”
The second in command said the Houthi takeover of power in Yemen was due to their fear of Al-Qaeda’s takeover of the south. “We wanted to protect Yemen’s public interest, which includes Egypt’s, from Al-Qaeda, only to be met with bombing,” he said. “I wonder how Egypt can fight Al-Qaeda in Sinai and support it in Yemen?”.
Speaking of Iran’s alleged role in the crisis, Ali said his movement has not contacted any party outside Yemen. “We only communicated with UN Envoy Jamal Benomar. Whoever wants to communicate with us should do that through his embassy.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
