Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council: Protecting Yemen's coastlines is an Arab and international interest

Yemeni Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi stated that protecting his country’s coastline represents a “shared Arab and international interest.” Yemen’s Saba News Agency reported that al-Alimi, during a meeting with Egyptian Ambassador to Yemen Ehab Abu Sarieq, warned of the repercussions of the Houthi militia’s escalation on the western coast. He emphasized that any attempt to alter the military situation near the Bab al-Mandab Strait cannot be treated solely as an internal Yemeni matter, affirming that “protecting the Yemeni coast and restoring the state’s control over its territory, ports, and territorial waters constitute a shared Yemeni, Egyptian, Arab, and international interest.”

Al-Alimi noted that the Houthi group has intensified its operations on several fronts, specifically pointing to the western coast of Taiz Governorate, according to Saba News Agency. He further stressed that Bab al-Mandab’s significance as a vital international waterway means any potential threat to it has repercussions extending beyond Yemen’s borders, reaching the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, and global trade.

He reiterated that safeguarding the Yemeni coast and restoring government control over land, ports, and territorial waters is a shared interest for Yemen, Egypt, Arab nations, and the international community.

Al-Alimi explained that Houthi movements on the western coast are linked to Iran’s efforts to empower the militia to exert greater influence over Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea, thereby allowing Tehran to translate the pressures it faces into regional consequences affecting trade flows and global markets.

He expressed appreciation for Egypt’s supportive stance on Red Sea security and the stability of regional countries, and voiced confidence in the continuation of Egypt’s role in supporting Yemeni state institutions, advancing the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, and preventing the flow of weapons, technology, and military expertise to the Houthi group.