SANAA — Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi delivered a sweeping address marking the anniversary of the 2016 Saudi airstrike on Sanaa’s Great Hall, using the occasion to issue stark warnings to Qatar and declare that Yemen will inevitably outlast the Saudi-led aggression.
Recalling the devastating 2016 attack that killed and wounded approximately 1,000 civilians, Sayyed al-Houthi condemned what he described as a decade-long campaign of “crimes against humanity and war crimes” committed by Riyadh alongside its US and Israeli partners. He dismissed Saudi Arabia’s goal of forcing Yemen into submission as “an illusion and a mirage,” emphasising that Riyadh’s losses “continue to mount the longer it persists with its aggression and blockade.”
Challenging Riyadh’s Religious Standing
In a sharp rhetorical attack, the Ansar Allah leader challenged Saudi Arabia’s claim to religious authority. While Riyadh presents itself as the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Sayyed al-Houthi argued that the sword on the Saudi flag “has only been drawn against the peoples of our Islamic nation.”
Accusing the kingdom of being “addicted to shedding innocent blood,” he urged Muslims worldwide to view the Saudi regime as a criminal entity that “does not represent Islam but follows the Zionist approach.” He warned that any nation or entity siding with Riyadh in its war on Yemen becomes directly complicit in its wrongdoing.
A Stark Warning to Qatar
A significant portion of the speech was directed at neighbouring Qatar. Sayyed al-Houthi revealed intelligence suggesting that Saudi Arabia, along with Bahrain’s ruling Al Khalifa family, harbours ambitions of orchestrating regime change in Doha.
He cautioned Qatari leadership against their renewed involvement in supporting the Saudi-led coalition. “Even this level of involvement makes Qatar complicit in the injustice inflicted on the Yemeni people,” he warned. Reminding Doha of the geopolitical realities of the region, he noted that when Qatar previously joined Riyadh’s campaign against Yemen, it received no gratitude. Instead, Saudi Arabia responded with a crippling political and economic boycott, military intimidation, and incitement aimed at completely isolating the Gulf state.
Maritime Capabilities Affirmed
Touching on the military front amid escalating regional tensions, Sayyed al-Houthi affirmed the expanding reach of the Yemeni Armed Forces. He stated that Yemen is fully capable of striking any target in the Red Sea or the Arabian Sea from anywhere within the country.
He noted that Yemen’s enemies are growing increasingly angry precisely because Sanaa has successfully “asserted sovereignty over its territory,” vowing that the more blood Saudi Arabia sheds, the more determined the Yemeni people become to confront the aggressor.
Reference: Al-Mayadeen