Yemen has warned Saudi Arabia of “serious consequences” following major escalation of deadly onslaught against Yemeni provinces, saying Riyadh and its allies conducted 65 airstrikes in the past 24 hours.
“In a major escalation, the forces of the Saudi-American aggression have launched more than 65 air raids over the past 24 hours across a number of governorates of the Republic,” spokesman of the Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree wrote in a tweet on Thursday night.
“This escalation will have serious consequences for the forces of aggression, they must bear the consequences,” he added.
في تصعيد كبير قوى العدوان السعودي الأمريكي تشن خلال 24 ساعة الماضية أكثر من 65 غارة جوية توزعت على عدد من محافظات الجمهورية.
— العميد يحيى سريع (@army21ye) November 18, 2021
هذا التصعيد سيكون له عواقب وخيمة على قوى العدوان، وعليها تحمل نتائجه.
The remarks came after the Saudi state TV reported that the Riyadh-led military campaign against Yemen had launched airstrikes on four provinces in Yemen.
Early on Thursday, Saudi Arabia conducted a massive operation against Sana’a, Dhamar, Sa’ada, and al-Jawf provinces in response to what it called threats of drone and ballistic missile raids, according to the report.
The kingdom earlier said that it had destroyed an explosive-laden drone targeting the kingdom’s Abha international airport on Wednesday.
Saudi raids injure several civilians in Sa’ada
On Thursday, the Yemeni media reported that at least three civilians were injured by Saudi raids in Sa’ada province, north of Yemen.
The Saudi army fire targeted the border district of Munabeh, which seriously wounded three citizens, a security source told Yemen Press Agency (YPA).
The attack came a day after the Saudi army’s raids left five civilians wounded, including an African immigrant, in the border districts of Munabeh and Baqim in Sa’ada province.
Saudi warplanes also attacked the capital Sana’a, Tai'zz, Ma’rib, and Hudaydah provinces on Thursday.
In Dhamar province, it launched a raid targeting a livestock farm in Mayfa'a Ans district, killing more than 200 sheep.
Enjoying the backing of key Western powers, Saudi Arabia has been leading the war on Yemen since March 2015 to reinstall the former Riyadh-backed regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
However, Riyadh has failed to achieve any of its goals six years after launching the war and blockade against Yemen, leaving hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead and spreading famine and infectious diseases there.
In recent months, Saudi Arabia has ramped up its attacks against densely-populated areas across Yemen.
Observers say the rise in attacks comes due to major advances made by the Yemeni forces in Ma’rib province and other key areas that are being liberated from the control of Saudi mercenaries.
The kingdom is also being targeted by the Yemeni army and its allied popular forces continuously, with the Sana’a government saying that it will keep hitting targets deep inside Saudi Arabia as long as the war and siege continue.
Throughout the course of the war, the United States has supported and armed Saudi Arabia.
Despite his February promise to end “all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales,” US President Joe Biden has recently approved $650 million worth of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.