‘UAE will not be intimidated by threats’
AL HOUTHI REMARKS TANGIBLE PROOF OF NEED FOR ‘DECISIVE STORM’ OPERATION — GARGASH
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash said on Twitter the UAE was not intimidated by threats by Al Houthi militia.
“Al Houthis’ comments threatening the UAE and its capital are tangible proof of the need for the Decisive Storm [operation],” Dr Gargash said, referring to the Saudi-led coalition fighting to restore the legitimate government in Yemen.
“Iran’s militias have vile objectives and represent a real threat,” he added.
“We are not afraid of the Houthi threats and stupidity; it reveals the desperation of those who defend fragmented illusions, and it certainly reveals the intentions for the Arabian Gulf region’s security and stability,” Dr Gargash wrote.
The UAE minister also said that the challenges “we are facing require more solidarity”
Iran’s militias have vile objectives and represent a real threat... We are not afraid of [Al] Houthi threats and stupidity.” Anwar Gargash | Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
among Arab countries. He said that the Arab coalition is an example of this solidarity.
Dr Gargash’s tweets came hours after open threats made by Al Houthi militia leader Abdul Malek Al Houthi.
Abdul Malek Al Houthi said on Thursday his group could target Saudi oil tankers should Riyadh attack Yemen’s main port at Hodeidah.
He also claimed his missiles were capable of reaching the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi without providing any proof or further explanation.
UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash said on Twitter his country was not intimidated by Al Houthi threats.
“Al Houthis’ comments threatening the UAE and its capital are tangible proof of the need for the Decisive Storm [operation],” Dr Gargash said, referring to the Saudi-led coalition fighting to restore the legitimate government in Yemen.
“Iran’s militias have vile objectives and represent a real threat,” he added.
“We are not afraid of the Houthi threats and stupidity; it reveals the desperation of those who defend fragmented illusions, and it certainly reveals the intentions for the Arabian Gulf region’s security and stability,” Dr Gargash wrote.
The UAE minister also said that the challenges we are facing require more solidarity among Arab countries. He said that the Arab coalition is an example of this solidarity.
Dr Gargash’s tweets came hours after open threats made by Al Houthi militia leader, Abdul Malek Al Houthi.
Abdul Malek Al Houthi said on Thursday his group could target Saudi oil tankers should Saudi Arabia attack Yemen’s main port at Hodeidah.
He also claimed rebel missiles could reach other areas in the Gulf.
Earlier last week, Yemeni president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi said that only a military option would put an end to the Al Houthi coup as peace efforts by the UN envoy to Yemen have largely reached a deadlock.
Speaking to London-based Al Quds Al Arabi daily, Hadi noted that his government was in agreement with the Saudiled coalition and the Americans that military pressure alone would bring the Iran-backed Al Houthi militia back to the table and would force them into disarming.
“The American administration seeks to strike Iranian interests in Yemen by supporting a military solution, because the Americans believe that the end of the Iranian project in Yemen would mark the beginning of the end of the Iranian imperial ambition,” Hadi said.
Hadi came to power in 2012 months after massive Arab Spring protests ousted his predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh and is recognised internationally as the legitimate ruler of Yemen. In early 2015, north Yemen rebels, backed by Iran and Saleh, placed Hadi under a house arrest, forcing him into fleeing to Aden.