On Thursday, the Houthi militia in Yemen threatened to resume fighting against the government forces and the Saudi Arabia-led coalition.
RELATED:
Mohamed Al-Atifi, the defense chief of the Houthi rebel militia, accused the coalition of "deception and dishonesty" during ongoing peace talks with the rebels, declaring that the group is preparing for new actions to expel coalition forces from Yemen and seize control of all territory.
The recent military parades and maneuvers conducted by the Houthis were not mere shows of force but rather a signal of their readiness for a new round of warfare, he warned.
The fresh threats came as Al-Atifi visited Houthi frontline positions in Yemen's southwestern province of Taiz, where the rebel group recently deployed large reinforcements.
In response, leaders of the Yemeni government backed by the Saudi-led coalition announced that their forces are on high alert and prepared to confront any potential military escalation.
Mohamad Bin Rasiah, the chief of staff of the Sixth Regional Military Command, stated that extensive preparations had been made to counter the Houthis' "intransigence" and their refusal to comply with initiatives aimed at ending the long-standing conflict.
On Saturday, Defense Minister Mohsen Al-Daari announced that the Army has raised their combat readiness in response to a large military parade held by the Houthis in the central province of Ibb, where Mahdi Al-Mashat, head of the Houthis' Supreme Political Council, vowed to continue fighting and promised to introduce advanced weapons in the "next battle."
Yemen's civil war broke out in 2014 when the Houthi group seized control over much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognized government out of the capital Sanaa.