Saudi Arabia is ready to send reinforcements to its border if it perceives any threat from Houthis and ground offensive in Yemen cannot be ruled out, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Al-Assiri, consultant at minister of defense’s office, said on Tuesday.
The Saudi-led coalition has strengthened military positions in all sectors along the Yemen border, he said at the Riyadh air base.
Al-Assiri said a limited ground offensive might be carried out if the militants in Yemen persist with playing the game of hide and seek.
“The Saudi-led air campaign may be accompanied by an operation on the ground,” warned Al-Assiri. He, however, stressed that “one should not expect a sudden ground attack”.
Al-Assiri said patrolling at the border was intensified even as the coalition forces intensified the air campaign against the Houthi rebels on the sixth day on Tuesday.
He admitted that there was exchange of rocket and artillery fire in some pockets of Yemen.
The official reiterated that maximum precaution is being taken to avoid collateral damage during Operation Decisive Storm.
Referring to the resumption of passenger flights to airports in the southern region of the Kingdom, he said all flights were operating to the airports.
“Flights to Najran airport have also resumed after a brief disruption,” he said.
Spelling out the details of Operation Decisive Storm, Al-Assiri said: “We had also managed to ensure maritime blockade with an aim to cut the supply lines of the Houthi militants and to secure the maritime routes.”
He said the targets were mainly in the north of Yemen.
“The Houthis are moving from one place to another in search of safe havens. We will make sure that there will be no safe place the militants to hide on the land of Yemen,” Al-Assiri said.
Al-Assiri said the airstrikes pounded Houthis for the sixth day Tuesday, destroying missiles and weapons depots controlled by the rebels.
The coalition forces mainly targeted areas around Aden and Al-Hisama districts of Saada province and near the town of Haradh in neighboring Haja province, he said.
The primary goal is to weaken the Iran-allied Houthis by destroying their defense capabilities, he said.
Al-Assiri, however, admitted that there was exchange of rocket and artillery fire in some pockets of that country Tuesday.

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