Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman, Rashad Al-Alimi, has called on the Iran-backed Houthis to lay down their arms and join the political process, saying the government wants a lasting peace rather than another temporary truce.
Speaking to local media editors, Al-Alimi said anti-Houthi military and security forces had been brought under a unified command and warned that the government would respond to the group’s latest escalation.
He said another UN-brokered ceasefire was not the government’s preferred option, insisting that lasting peace must restore state authority and place all weapons under government control.
The appeal came as Houthi attacks on government-held areas entered a seventh consecutive day. Three government soldiers were reportedly killed and several others wounded after a Houthi drone struck a military base in Hadramout province.
The latest escalation began last Thursday, when the Houthis launched drones and missiles at army positions in Hadramout and Marib, reportedly killing 17 soldiers and wounding 30 others.
