SANAA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group warned Tuesday it could intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia's airports, ports and other infrastructure and retaliate against any foreign country that joins the conflict, as fighting escalates along Yemen's strategic Red Sea coast.
In an interview broadcast by Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen television, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi Political Bureau, said government forces had breached Houthi lines during their latest offensive on Monday, but claimed the advance had since been contained.
"There was a breach, but we have plugged it," he said. He also said that the group has the military capability to shut down Saudi airports and seaports, warning that continued hostilities could expose wider Saudi infrastructure to attack.
Addressing possible regional involvement, al-Bukhaiti said the Houthis did not expect Türkiye or Pakistan to directly join combat operations inside Yemen, but warned that the group would consider even indirect involvement as participation in the war and would be prepared to respond.
The two countries said on Monday that they will provide military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in Saudi Arabia in accordance with their commitments under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.
Despite the threats, al-Bukhaiti called ending the conflict a "shared interest," arguing that de-escalation would benefit both Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
His remarks came amid intensified fighting along Yemen's southwestern coast, where Saudi-backed government forces launched a major offensive on Monday against Houthi positions around the Bab al-Mandab Strait with extensive Saudi air support. The Houthis seized Mocha and nearby Mayyun Island in September, expanding their presence around the strategic waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The renewed government ground campaign has been accompanied by an escalation in cross-border attacks, with the Houthis launching ballistic missiles and drones at airports, energy facilities and military targets inside Saudi Arabia, while Saudi warplanes have intensified strikes on Houthi positions across Yemen.
Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.■
