Houthis vow to step up attacks on Yemen oil ports

The Houthis will keep “protecting” Sanaa's oil and gas resources, the head of the Houthi political supreme council Mahdi Al Mashat said in a speech on the country's 55th Independence Day, after the US called on them to end their attacks on oil ports.

US Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking had on Monday called on the Houthis to stop their attacks on oil ports which have risen sharply in recent weeks.

The Houthi official was asserting a claim over oil and gas resources under the control of the internationally recognized government in Aden.

Houthi militias have regularly launched drone and missile attacks against oil infrastructure throughout the eight-year conflict.

Mr Lenderking's office said in a statement: “We call on the Houthis to immediately cease their attacks on Yemeni ports, which are disrupting the flow of much-needed resources and exacerbating suffering across Yemen.”

“Such attacks only risk plunging Yemenis into another pointless cycle of violence and suffering.”

The Yemeni government has been meeting with officials from neighbouring countries including Jordan and Oman after calling on Arab states to join it in designating the Houthis a terrorist organisation.

A UN-brokered truce that lasted six months broke down after the warring sides accused each other of “looting” revenue generated through oil and gas imports.