Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia says US is prolonging war by imposing sanctions

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia says US is prolonging war by imposing sanctions
March 3, 2021, 11:45 am

Newly recruited Houthi fighters parade before heading to the frontline to fight against government forces, in Sanaa, Yemen January 4, 2017. (Reuters)

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia said on Wednesday the United States’ sanctions on two of their commanders are proof that it is prolonging the war and making the humanitarian crisis worse, the militia’s al-Masirah TV channel reported.

“America is condemning itself and confirming that it is not thinking about stopping the aggression (..) and that it stands behind the prolongation of the war and the exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis,” said a Houthi official, Mohammed Abdulsalam, according to the TV.

The Biden administration announced sanctions on two Houthi leaders Tuesday, weeks after revoking the terror designation on the Iran-backed group.

The Treasury Department said Mansour al-Saadi and Ahmad Ali Ahsan al-Hamzi were being sanctioned for being responsible for “orchestrating attacks by Houthi forces impacting Yemeni civilians, bordering nations, and commercial vessels in international waters.”

“These individuals command forces that are worsening the humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” the Director of the US Office of Foreign Assets Control Andrea Gacki had said.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia called on the United Nations Security Council to continue shouldering its responsibility towards the Iran-backed Houthi militia and hold them accountable for their acts of terrorism, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The Kingdom’s permanent representative to the UN Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi said that the “Houthi militias continue their behavior in ignoring and violating Security Council resolutions and International Humanitarian Law,” in a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General and President of the UN Security Council.

source: Reuters

Image source: Reuters

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