Yemeni negotiator warns Saudi Arabia that escalation will backfire

Abdul Malik al-Ajri, a Yemeni negotiator, said on Saturday that any move to increase the intensity of the Yemeni crisis will backfire on Saudi Arabia and will further heap pressure on the kingdom, according to Press TV. Addressing Saudi officials, he said, "You reap in Riyadh what you sow in Sana'a."

Ajri said that any political, economic, or security-related complications arising from the Yemeni crisis will ultimately place enormous pressure on Saudi Arabia's security and economy, gradually wearing the country down. He added that Yemen is not an expanse of land that can be ruled remotely, but rather a country neighboring Saudi Arabia, and that geography is vicious. He said business people simply look at maps and do not study papers and documents.

The Yemeni negotiator pointed out that any policy that overlooks realities on the ground and the direct connection between Yemen and regional security will never ensure stability. He emphasized that such an approach will exacerbate the consequences of the crisis for all parties involved.

On July 20, the Sana'a government announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in response to what it described as an unjust and oppressive siege on Yemen lasting almost 12 years. Subsequently, the Yemeni armed forces have reported a series of missions targeting vessels associated with Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a blockade on Yemen and launched a comprehensive military offensive that received military, political, and logistical support from the United States and several Western countries. Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have lost their lives, but Saudi Arabia has failed to achieve its primary goal of reestablishing a government that served its interests, according to the report by Mehr News.