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A spokesman for a Saudi-led, anti-Houthi coalition said Friday that Shiite Houthi militants were using civilians as "human shields," claiming that the coalition checked all of its targets beforehand to ensure they weren't civilian sites.
Coalition forces "are doing everything possible to halt the Houthi advance on [the southern city of] Aden," Saudi commander Ahmed al-Asiri said at a press conference held on an airbase in Saudi capital Riyadh.
Al-Asiri said Friday's operations had targeted Houthi anti-aircraft guns and "ballistic missile systems."
The Saudi commander went on to note that Houthi weapons-storage facilities had been targeted earlier Friday by Emirati warplanes, asserting that "Yemen's entire airspace is under the control of coalition forces."
"We will not allow anyone to supply the Houthis with any form of equipment, al-Asiri said.
Asked about the timeframe for the coalition's operations, al-Asiri said coalition forces would "maintain operations until the campaign's stated targets are achieved."
He also urged Yemeni civilians to steer clear of Houthi sites and positions, claiming that Houthi militants were using civilians as "human shields."
"Our first priority is the safety of Yemeni civilians, which is why we're urging them to avoid Houthi militant concentrations," he said.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies began a military campaign, including airstrikes, against Houthi positions and forces loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Riyadh said the strikes were in response to calls by embattled Yemeni President ABD Rabbuh Mansour Hadi for military intervention to "save the people [of Yemen] from the Houthi militias."
Fractious Yemen has been beset by turmoil since last September, when Shiite militants overran capital Sanaa, from which they have sought to extend their influence to other parts of the country as well.
Some Gulf countries accuse Shiite Iran of supporting Yemen's Houthi insurgency.
www.aa.com.tr/en - Doha
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