Houthis remain defiant as Saudi-led bombings enter seventh day

Hussein al-Ezzi, the Houthis' foreign relations spokesperson, vowed on Wednesday that the group's resistance to the Riyadh-led coalition would continue.

Ezzi argued, despite continuous bombardment of Houthi-held territory in Yemen, the fighters of the Zaydi Shia group would win the battle.

"No matter how militarily formidable they are, we are confident that we will defeat them - even if the price is losing our lives," Ezzi told al-Araby al-Jadeed.

Civilian casualties

Air raids have so far killed 93 civilians and wounded 364 others, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Unicef said 62 children had lost their lives and 30 had been injured after six nights of bombing.

Coalition airstrikes have reportedly hit a refugee camp and a dairy factory, leading to civilian deaths.

The Saudis insist that their planes only aim at Houthi military targets.

Ezzi disagrees. "I'd like the whole world to know that Saudi Arabia is pitting the whole of Yemen as an enemy while it targets civilians including women, children and the elderly.

"The Saudis have also bombarded the infrastructure of most towns - breaching in the process all international norms and laws."

Ezzi remains "baffled" by the coalition's bombing of Yemen. There is "no rationale" for the attacks and the Houthis pose no threat to Saudi Arabia or its interests, he said.

Operation Decisive Storm began on 25 March, after Houthi forces advanced on the southern port of Aden, where President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi had fled following the Houthi takeover of state institutions in January.

We as Yemenis would not threaten the interests of any involved party or country. -Hussein al-Ezza, Houthi foreign relations chief

Decisive Storm was intended to hault the Houthi advance and restore Hadi to power.

Proxy war

But others see this as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran - which has backed the Houthis.

In a speech at the Arab League summit in Egypt, Hadi called the Houthi movement "Iran's puppet".

Last week, Iran's foreign minister, Jawad Zarif, said Tehran would "do its utmost to contain the situation in Yemen".

Yet Ezzi insists that the Houthis are receiving no assistance from Tehran.

"As you can see, his statement is clear. Zarif did not say that there were promises of funding or military support for Yemenis.

"We, as Yemenis, would not threaten the interests of any involved party or country. These are all rumours to justify the attacks on our sovereign territory," Ezzi said.

The Houthis will continue to defend themselves, Ezzi said.

"I can assure you that we will use all means at our disposal to fight back because we have every right to," Ezzi continued.

The threat was aimed at the ten-nation coalition, which includes the GCC states, as well as Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, and Pakistan.

They had been "lured" by promises of money from the oil-rich Gulf states, said the Houthi official.

"They have no reason to stay for the long haul. Our message to them is to rethink their positions, to realise the graveness of their mistakes and to think of how they have trapped the Yemeni people."

Saudi Arabia could expect "more problems" in the future, the Houthi leader said, unless Riyadh ceases its attack.