Ansarullah Chief Says Saudi Arabia Allows Israel to Use Bases for Reconnaissance Operations Against Yemen

Yemen’s Ansarullah leader has said Saudi Arabia allowed Israeli aircraft to use military bases within the kingdom for reconnaissance missions targeting Yemen.

In a televised address on Monday marking the 12th anniversary of the September 21 Revolution, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi accused the Riyadh regime of launching “a full-fledged and unjustified military aggression” against Yemen with the support, oversight and cooperation of the United States, Britain and Israel.

He said Saudi Arabia had targeted critical civilian infrastructure and essential services in Yemen, describing the campaign as involving alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Al-Houthi criticized most Arab and Muslim countries for failing to act against what he described as ongoing Saudi aggression, saying the conflict had resonated only with supporters of the Axis of Resistance and freedom advocates around the world.

He said Washington had shielded Saudi Arabia from accountability for alleged atrocities in Yemen and signed multibillion-dollar arms agreements that, he argued, enabled the killing of Yemenis.

He said Saudi Arabia had demonstrated what he described as its “Zionist nature” through years of military operations and a blockade against Yemen, claiming that more than 2,000 mosques, as well as celebrations and funeral processions, had been targeted. He added that the alleged crimes were well documented.

Critics say Saudi Arabia has avoided accountability for its actions in Yemen because of a lack of ethical standards in the policies of many countries.

Al-Houthi also criticized the United Nations, the UN Security Council and other international bodies, accusing them of failing to take action over Saudi Arabia’s alleged atrocities in Yemen.

Houthi said the group confronted Saudi Arabia’s aggression out of humanitarian, religious and national duty to defend Yemen’s sovereignty, dignity and independence. He added that Saudi Arabia and its allies had been defeated despite using extensive military operations and imposing a blockade.

He added that Saudi Arabia had a major opportunity after the 2022 peace agreement to reassess its strategy and demonstrate that it did not seek to subjugate the Yemeni people, but ultimately squandered it.

The Houthis said Saudi Arabia had renewed its military campaign against Yemen, carrying out airstrikes on Sana’a International Airport on July 13 and mobilizing allied forces for ground offensives.

The Yemeni armed forces retaliated by targeting strategic sites deep inside Saudi Arabia, directly responding to the attacks, the Ansarullah leader said. He added that Saudi officials later sought assistance from other countries in the conflict against Yemen.

The Houthis said US and Israeli analysts and military advisers are supporting Saudi Arabia’s ongoing military campaign in Yemen, adding that Riyadh is seeking to involve Turkey and Pakistan in the offensive.

He said Saudi Arabia had bombed civilian facilities, bridges and other public infrastructure across Yemen, most recently striking the Central Corrective Facility in the northern province of al-Jawf, killing several people, including women and children who were visiting the site.

The Houthi movement rejected Saudi officials’ allegations that it had attempted to launch a drone attack on the holy city of Mecca, saying Yemenis are among the strongest defenders of Muslim holy sites.

The Ansarullah leader accused Saudi Arabia of treating Muslim holy sites as commercial assets and using them to advance US, Israeli and British interests. He also claimed that Saudi authorities gifted a kiswah—the cloth covering the Kaaba in Mecca—to Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted American sex offender.

Houthi urged Muslims worldwide to acknowledge Saudi Arabia’s role in deepening divisions among Muslim nations and weakening support for Palestine.

He stressed that Muslim governments should support the Palestinian people rather than Saudi Arabia, which he accused of cooperating with the United States, Britain and Israel against the Muslim community.

Houthi said Yemen, despite severe challenges and widespread suffering, remains committed to defending its legitimate rights and addressing the concerns of the Muslim world, particularly the Palestinian cause.

The Ansarullah chief said Sana’a welcomed Saudi Arabia’s genuine willingness to end its aggression and blockade against Yemen, withdraw from Yemeni territories it occupies, and unfreeze Yemeni assets.

The Houthi movement urged all Yemenis to maintain mobilization, reform state institutions, confront the Saudi blockade and aggression, and strengthen the country’s military and security capabilities.