Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen's Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, on Friday called for a general mobilization in the war-torn country.

"I call upon the sons of our great people to engage in general mobilization and national mobilization, to rally around their armed and security forces," al-Alimi, who is also Supreme Commander of the Yemeni Armed Forces, said in a televised address.

The head of the governing body urged his compatriots to join the government forces weeks after Yemen's government was dealt a major blow by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The Houthis have seized control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive, allowing them to fully control the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, igniting global fears about shipping through the chokepoint.

What else did Yemen's leader say?

In his address, al-Alimi also said that the objective of the mobilization is to "restore state institutions and extend sovereignty over the entire national territory," including the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, which has been under Houthi control since 2014.

He added that anyone who defects from the Houthis to the government will be pardoned in an upcoming amnesty.

Al-Alimi addressed residents of Houthi-controlled areas, urging them to protect their children and not send them to fight alongside the Houthis.

"The state does not view you as a party to the conflict but as its people and partners," he said.

Houthis escalate conflict

For more than a decade, the Houthis have been fighting Yemen's Saudi-backed government. Although a 2022 truce left the conflict largely frozen, fighting has recently flared up again amid the wider conflict involving Iran.

In recent weeks, the Houthis have intensified their missile and drone attacks on neighboring Saudi Arabia. They declared a maritime blockade and attacked Saudi targets in an attempt to stifle Saudi oil exports.

The Houthis accuse the kingdom of besieging Yemeni areas under their control. They attacked Riyadh for the first time in years over the weekend, marking a major escalation.

Edited by: Rana Taha

Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the "star" or "preferred" button, so you'll always see our verified news first.