Regional Coalition and Houthis Accuse Each Other of Ceasefire Violations in Yemen

The Houthi group and the regional coalition led by Saudi Arabia have accused each other of carrying out attacks that jeopardize peace negotiations. Mohammed Abdulsalam, the spokesman for the Houthis, stated that the Saudi-led military coalition killed 12 of the group's soldiers last month at the border between the country and Yemen. He told Reuters, "While we consider the ceasefire violations regrettable... we emphasize the importance of entering a serious peace phase." According to Reuters, the spokesman for this Iran-backed group made these remarks in response to new accusations against them. It was previously reported that two Bahraini army soldiers were killed on Monday, September 25, in a drone attack by the Houthis at the Saudi border, with several others injured. The Bahraini state news agency reported that in the Houthi drone attack on coalition forces in an area in Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni border, one officer and one Bahraini soldier were killed, and several others were wounded. According to this report, the U.S. Embassy in Manama sent condolences to the families of the victims of the recent Houthi attack and stated that Washington stands by its long-time ally. Turki al-Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led regional coalition, also condemned the attack in a statement and added that this attack followed other hostile actions by the Houthis, including an attack on a power distribution unit and a police station near the border with Yemen. Last week, the Saudi government welcomed what it called "positive results" from the first direct talks with senior Houthi officials. Yemen has experienced relative calm for a year as peace negotiations intensified. Saudi and Houthi officials met for five days in Riyadh earlier this month. Another round of negotiations is expected to take place between the parties. The Houthis have been at war with the Saudi-led regional coalition, which intervened on behalf of the Yemeni government, since 2015. This war has left hundreds of thousands dead, and 80% of Yemen's population relies on foreign aid. Despite the ongoing peace negotiations, the Houthis displayed their ballistic missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia executed two of its soldiers on charges of "treason." Amir-Abdollahian described his meeting with the Saudi crown prince as "beneficial." The United Nations completed the operation to evacuate oil from the decaying tanker "Safer" in Yemen.