Sanaa, September 21 (IANS). Yemen’s Houthi rebels have said that their group is ready for a peace deal with the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition. However, the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, has also put forward some conditions for this.
“The only way to achieve peace is to pay Yemenis’ salaries, open Yemen’s airports and ports, and release all prisoners,” al-Mashat said in a televised speech on Friday, the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Houthi takeover of the capital, Sanaa.
“The requirements for peace also include the payment of compensation, restitution for losses and the complete withdrawal of all foreign forces from the Republic of Yemen,” al-Mashat said.
Recently, three soldiers were killed and five were injured in an attack by Houthi rebels. This attack took place in the southern Yemeni province of Dhale, although the Houthis did not comment on the attack.
According to news agency Xinhua, a source said that the Houthi group attacked a government military base with artillery and rockets on Sunday morning.
According to the source, the attack took place in the Bab Galak area of the Qataba district in the northwestern Dhale province. Among the dead was Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed al-Hamidi, commander of the military base.
Yemen has been mired in a devastating conflict since 2014. On September 21, 2014, Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces, forcing the internationally recognised Yemeni government to flee the capital, Sanaa.
Following the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza that has been continuing since October last year, Houthi rebels began attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis claim that they are carrying out these attacks to show support for the Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Houthis are believed to have the support of Iran.
–IANS
MK/KR
