Security Official: Yemeni Army, Popular Forces Moving to Borders with Saudi Arabia

A Yemeni security official declared on Tuesday that the country’s army and popular forces are moving towards the border with Saudi Arabia in order to “suppress the Saudi aggression”.

Abdul Sattar Monem al-Bashiri, a Yemeni security official, told FNA that the popular committees and the Yemeni army are moving towards the Saudi border region of Najran in order to suppress the Saudi army aggression and thwart an impending Saudi ground assault into Yemen.

He further said the purpose of the movements is to control the borders and to cut off the supply route of the terrorists which is used to smuggle arms and equipment from neighboring Saudi Arabia.

“The army and the popular committees are doing very transparent and goal-oriented actions,” he said, indicating that the Yemeni troops do not plan to go deep into the Saudi territories.

Referring to the Saudi financial support for the pro-Hadi militants and the terrorists, al-Bashiri said, “We have to protect ourselves and our country.”

He added that the Yemeni army and the popular forces, known as the revolutionary committees, are concerned about the terrorists’ movements near the borders as well as Saudi Arabia’s likely misusing of the situation in Sana’a to interfere in the Yemeni affairs.

Saudi officials said the al-Wadiah border crossing along the border with Yemen, and in the Sharurah governorate in Najran region has been closed.

Saudi Arabia launched its bombing campaign against Yemen on March 26 in an attempt to restore power to fugitive President Mansour Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

Hadi stepped down in January and refused to reconsider the decision despite calls by Ansarullah revolutionaries of the Houthi movement.

Despite Riyadh’s claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi warplanes are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

According to FNA tallies, the Monarchy’s attacks have so far claimed the lives of at least 3,024 civilians, mostly women and children.

Meanwhile, according to a report by Yemen’s Freedom House Foundation, Saudi airstrikes have killed 3,512 Yemeni people, including 492 children and 209 women, since the beginning of the aggression until April 25.

The report added that 6,189 people were injured, including 978 children and 713 women, during the same period.

About 95,000 families have been displaced due to the Saudi-led airstrikes, according to the report.

The foundation further said 4,898 residential buildings have been either destroyed or damaged and some 857 civil service and public utility facilities have been destroyed.

On April 21, after four weeks of bombings, Riyadh declared end to military operations in Yemen, but Saudi warplanes are still bombing residential areas across the war-ravaged nation one week after.