Yemeni minister vows ‘more painful strikes’ against Saudi Arabia if aggression, siege persist

Yemen’s information minister has warned Saudi Arabia of “more painful and crippling” counterattacks in case Riyadh presses ahead with its war and brutal siege against its southern neighbor.

In remarks on Sunday, Dhaifullah al-Shami hailed the successful implementation of the “Eighth Deterrence Balance Operation” through the bombing of a number of military and vital targets inside Saudi Arabia, using 14 domestically-developed combat drones, Yemen’s official Saba news agency reported.

He underlined that the strikes come within the framework of the legitimate right of response, guaranteed by the country’s national law and international principles, against the continuing Saudi-led aggression and siege on Yemen.

Yemeni drones pound Saudi military sites after massive bombings

Yemeni army forces and allied fighters from Popular Committees have conducted a massive aerial attack against several military targets in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

“Future deterrence operations will be more painful and crippling in case the [Saudi] aggression does not stop and the siege is not lifted. Yemeni people will not stand idly by in the face of crimes being committed by the coalition of aggression and the unjust blockade,” Shami pointed out.

The senior Yemeni official noted that the recent Eighth Deterrence Balance Operation inflicted huge losses on Saudi Arabia, adding that officials in the kingdom restored to a media blackout in order to conceal the damage and hide their embarrassment, all while keeping their invincibility myth alive.

Shami highlighted that the operation conveyed an important message to members of the Saudi-led coalition and reminded them that the Yemeni armed forces are in possession of powerful weapons capable of deterring the aggressors.

In a statement carried by Yemen’s Arabic-language al-Masirah television network, spokesman of Yemen’s Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that Yemeni armed forces had successfully carried a massive aerial operation against Saudi Arabia.

Yemeni army drones hit Saudi Arabia’s King Khaled airbase, Aramco refinery

The drones hit the airbase and Aramco oil refinery in a large-scale operation inside the Arab kingdom.

He said four Sammad-3 (Invincible-3) combat drones bombed the King Khalid Air Base near capital Riyadh, adding that four Sammad-2 drones also bombed military targets at King Abdullah International Airport and Saudi Aramco refineries in Jeddah.

Separately, military targets at Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern province of Asir were bombarded by Sammad-3 and five Qasef-2K (Striker-2K) drones bombed various military targets in Asir, Jizan, and Najran regions.

Yemeni forces advance to southern edge of Ma’rib

Moreover, Yemeni army troops and Popular Committees fighters have advanced to the southern edge of the strategic Ma’rib city in the central part of the country.

Al-Masirah television network reported on Sunday that army forces and their allies had entered the al-Falaj area, which is among the last bastions of Saudi militants loyal to Yemen’s former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur in Ma’rib province.

Yemeni forces gain more ground near Ma’rib City

Yemeni army troops and allied fighters from Popular Committees take control over new areas near Ma’rib as part of a battle to liberate the city from occupation by Saudi-backed militants.

The report said Falaj serves as the gateway to the city of Ma’rib, noting that heavy clashes have been going on over the past hours between Yemeni army troops and Saudi mercenaries in Wadi Zaneh area as well as Central al-Balaq and Eastern al-Balaq Heights.

Saudi Arabia, backed by the US and other key Western powers, launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing Hadi’s government back to power and crushing the popular Ansarullah resistance movement.

Having failed to reach its professed goals, the war has left hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead and displaced millions more. It has also destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and spread famine and infectious diseases there.

Despite heavily-armed Saudi Arabia’s continuous bombardment of the impoverished country, Yemeni armed forces and the Popular Committees have grown steadily in strength against the Saudi invaders and left Riyadh and its allies bogged down in the country.

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