Houthis have lost legitimacy: Gargash

Dubai - The Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia said it had thwarted an attack on a Saudi oil tanker over the weekend by the Houthis.

The Houthi militants in Yemen have lost legitimacy after the killing of former president Ali Abdallah Saleh, said Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash, in tweets on Thursday.
They have lost all sense of balance and are "unhinged", Dr Gargash said. "All indications that the Houthi militia is unhinged. Loss of legitimacy following the murder of Saleh coupled with losses on the ground (5,000 killed & captured in December)," he tweeted.
Saleh's killing was a turning point in the war, the minister said. The militants cannot hope to get a national role after the outrage over Saleh's death, Dr Gargash said. "They are now perceived as a sectarian militia and an obstacle to a political solution," he said in the tweets.
He reiterated that humanitarian entry points in the country were open and the Houthis should spare the people more misery by ending the fighting and giving up control of Hudaida port.
Meanwhile, the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia said it had thwarted an attack on a Saudi oil tanker over the weekend by the Houthis near Hudaida.
The coalition destroyed a boat carrying explosives as it headed towards the tanker on Saturday, coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al Maliki said.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai