Yemen's Houthis say U.S. is prolonging war by imposing sanctions: TV

[March 03, 2021]  DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthis said on Wednesday the United States' sanctions on two of their commanders are proof that it is prolonging the war and making the humanitarian crisis worse, the Iran-aligned group's al-Masirah TV channel reported.

"America is condemning itself and confirming that it is not thinking about stopping the aggression (..) and that it stands behind the prolongation of the war and the exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis," said a Houthi official, Mohammed Abdulsalam, according to the TV.

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Mansur Al-Sa’adi, the Houthi Naval Forces Chief of Staff, and Ahmad ‘Ali Ahsan al-Hamzi, the commander of Yemen’s Houthi-aligned Yemeni Air Force and Air Defense Forces.

Mohamed Abdulsalam, spokesman of the Houthi movement, looks on before a meeting with U.N. special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed (not pictured) in Sanaa, Yemen July 14, 2016. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo

"These individuals command forces that are worsening the humanitarian crisis in Yemen," the Director of the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control Andrea Gacki had said.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Toby Chopra)

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