Yemen’s Houthi group has warned Saudi Arabia of potential attacks if the Saudi-backed Yemeni government proceeds with suspending banks in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Friday that the group is prepared for a “legitimate response” to what it described as Saudi “hostile activities,” according to Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
The warning came after Sanaa-based banks disregarded the government-imposed deadline for them to relocate to Aden, a port city under the government’s control, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier this week, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said Saudi Arabia is pushing the Yemeni government to move against the banks in Sanaa, accusing the US and Israel of standing behind the Saudi attempts.
The Houthi leader threatened to target banks in Riyadh if “banks in Sanaa are targeted”.
However, neither the US nor Saudi Arabia have made comments on the Houthi allegations.
Rasheed al-Haddad, a member of the Houthi higher economic council, told Xinhua exclusively that banks in Sanaa are currently operating but face an imminent shutdown of both international and internal bank wire services.
On Wednesday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg sent a letter to the Yemeni government, urging it to delay measures against those banks until August to facilitate peace talks.
On April 2, the government-run Central Bank of Yemen ordered all banks in Sanaa to move their headquarters to Aden within 60 days, threatening legal action against non-compliant firms.
Aden was declared the temporary capital of Yemen by former President Abdrabbuh Hadi in 2015 after the government was forced out of Sanaa by the Houthis during the civil war.
The relocation order is part of the government’s escalating financial measures aimed at undermining the Houthis’ control over state institutions and the economy.
On Friday, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council issued a warning to the Houthi group against resuming military hostilities and undermining peace efforts.
In a stance against potential Houthi escalation, the council cautioned the group against reverting to military action, saying it would “double the suffering and destroy the remaining components of life and scarce sources of livelihood for the Yemeni people”.
The council urged the Houthis not to use military threats to deflect from internal pressures and economic priorities.
Meanwhile, it also expressed its support for ongoing peace initiatives led by Saudi Arabia and Oman, while simultaneously affirming “the readiness of Yemen’s armed forces to counter any hostile Houthi actions”.
Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthi group seized control of much of northern Yemen, forcing the government out of the capital Sanaa.
The war has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis, displaced four million, and pushed the country to the brink of famine. AGENCIES
