Ansarullah leader: US seeks to occupy Yemen, plunder its oil wealth
The leader of Yemen's Ansarullah movement has decried the United States' malicious plans for his country, saying Washington seeks to control Yemeni oil resources.
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi made the remarks while delivering a speech on Saturday to mark the eighth anniversary of a US-backed Saudi-led war against his country, Yemen’s al-Masirah television network reported.
“Americans and their mercenaries seek to occupy our country and control its oil resources and riches, as well as its strategic locations to use them as military bases,” Houthi said.
The coalition led by Saudi Arabia started the war in March 2015 in order to return Yemen’s former Washington- and Riyadh-friendly government to power. Since then, the US and its allies have been providing the coalition with all kinds of weapons as well as logistical and political support.
“The war started with the goal of occupying the country and complete control of the nation to hijack its freedom and independence,” Houthi said.
“Most weapons that have killed our children during the war are US-made, which have been fired from American fighter jets through training and supervision of Americans,” the Ansarullah leader said.
However, Houthi asserted, the invading coalition has suffered a “clear defeat,” and this has prompted its Western and Zionist supporters to look for other options and alternative tactics.
“The objective pursued by America, Britain and the Zionist regime is to keep Saudi and the United Arab Emirates engaged in the Yemen war,” Houthi said.
He also advised Saudi Arabia and the UAE to stop attacking Yemen in line with the interests of the United States, and think about their own interests by pursuing exchange of prisoners of war and lifting the siege of Yemen.
Houthi warned the invaders against continuation of the aggression, war and blockade of Yemen, telling them not to think about the option of “neither war, nor peace,” which would be unacceptable for Yemenis.
The Ansarullah leader added that the only path to peace in Yemen is through halting the Saudi-led coalition’s attacks, lifting of the country’s blockade, ending the occupation of Yemen, starting reconstruction of the country, payment of war reparations, and completing the process of prisoner swap between the warring sides.
