Mass Demonstrations Held Across Yemen Following Escalation With Saudi Arabia

By Staff, Agencies

Large crowds gathered across Sanaa and several Yemeni provinces on Friday for mass demonstrations held under the slogan "Warning and Mobilization Friday," following recent military escalation with Saudi Arabia.

Thousands assembled at Al-Sabeen Square in the capital, while similar rallies were held in hundreds of public squares across multiple provinces.

Yemen's Supreme Political Council President Mahdi al-Mashat said that whenever Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi issues a warning, "the Yemen of faith and wisdom responds," urging supporters to "set your clocks to Sanaa time."

Al-Mashat added that legitimate rights and just demands would ultimately prevail, declaring, "Either rights for all or no rights for anyone."

During the demonstrations, the head of the Yemeni Scholars Association, Sheikh Shams al-Din Sharaf al-Din, announced that Yemen had authorized Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi to take any decisions necessary to defend the country.

Sharaf al-Din said Yemen would not allow its opponents to achieve their objectives and stressed that the blockade imposed on the country should be treated as an act of war.

He also called on the Yemeni Armed Forces to raise the level of military response, saying the country remained at the highest level of readiness to support all fronts.

Sharaf al-Din reaffirmed Yemen's support for the Palestinian cause, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The demonstrations came days after a Saudi strike targeted Sanaa International Airport, followed by a Yemeni Armed Forces operation against Abha Airport inside Saudi Arabia.

Amid the ongoing escalation, the Yemeni Armed Forces warned all airlines against using Saudi airspace, urging them to heed the warning until the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted.