Yemen Demands Saudi Implementation of Peace Deal after Gaza War
Yemen is urging Saudi Arabia to carry out the peace deal frozen during the Gaza war, saying Riyadh’s hesitation serves the Israeli regime’s agenda and risks reigniting conflict.
Yemeni officials have renewed calls for Riyadh to implement the terms of a peace agreement reached after months of talks, saying execution was delayed by Sanaa’s entry into the Gaza support campaign and the fighting there, and blaming Saudi reluctance on pressure from the United States and the Israeli regime.
Yemeni leaders say the cessation of Israeli attacks on Gaza and the winding down of Yemen’s support operations have removed the main obstacle to enforcing the peace pact, and they are pressing Saudi Arabia to honour its commitments.
The agreement, negotiated over several months as the Storm of al-Aqsa operations began, aimed to halt the war with Yemen and resolve military, humanitarian and political disputes, Yemeni officials said.
Implementation of the accord was postponed when Sanaa entered the fighting to support Palestinian resistance and defend civilians in Gaza, they added.
Mahdi al-Mashat, head of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, said: “We call on the Saudi regime to move from de-escalation to ending aggression, siege and occupation and to implement the clear terms of peace with Yemen.”
Al-Mashat warned that failing to implement the deal risks empowering those who invest in intra-Islamic conflict to serve the Israeli regime.
Sanaa says it does not hide concerns that Saudi Arabia, under pressure from the United States and Israel, is evading its commitments, and it has warned it will not hesitate to return to a policy of military escalation if necessary.
Zayfullah al-Shami, a member of the Supreme Political Council, told Tasnim: “I believe Saudi Arabia and the UAE must understand that today the Yemeni people place the cause of supporting Gaza and standing with Palestine above narrow interests.”
Al-Shami added that after the Gaza war, pressing for enforcement of Yemen’s demands — whether by peace, dialogue or force — may return to the top of Yemen’s priorities.
Hamid Asim, a member of Yemen’s National Council, said there are “very important obligations” the Saudi regime must carry out, including a pact reached in Sanaa about a year and a half ago when Saudi forces suffered a setback in their offensive and near-decade-long siege.
He said Riyadh abandoned implementation under US guidance after the Storm of al-Aqsa operations.
Asim warned that while peace remains an option, Yemen retains “many options” including a return to war and that Saudi authorities should understand Sanaa’s capacity to inflict greater damage than before.
Following the halt of Israeli war in Gaza, Sanaa has resumed pursuing Saudi implementation of the peace terms that were deferred during Yemen’s support campaign for Gaza and says it is ready to press for those obligations that Riyadh previously declined under US pressure.
