• Naval blockade to continue • Houthi movements to be targeted • Next phase to resume political process • Focus on delivering aid, fighting terror • Support continues for Popular Resistance Mishal Al-Otaibi Saudi Gazette RIYADH — The Saudi-led coalition declared on Tuesday an end to its military campaign nearly a month after launching airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying their threat to Saudi Arabia and its neighbors had been removed. “The coalition has ended ‘Operation Decisive Storm' and started “Operation Restoration Hope' based on a request by Yemeni President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi,” Brig. Gen. Ahmad Al-Asiri, spokesman of the coalition forces and adviser at the office of the minister of defense, told a press briefing here on Tuesday evening. Asiri said the Operation Restoration Hope will come into force from midnight Tuesday after achieving the goals of launching the Decisive Storm operation on March 26. “The operation has achieved its goals of protecting the Yemeni people and destroying the military capabilities of the Houthi militias and preventing them from threatening the neighboring states. The coalition will continue sea blockade and will resort to military action if it is required so in future,” he said. In a statement, the command of the coalition reiterated its keenness in restoring security and stability in Yemen and allowing it to play normal role in the region. The coalition emphasized that it will continue to prevent the movement of the Houthi militias and stop them from undertaking any operations inside Yemen. The coalition aims to achieve certain specific goals in the new phase of the operation. These include quick resumption of political process in line with the UN resolution, Gulf initiative and the outcome of Yemen's Comprehensive National Dialogue. The goals also include continuing protection of civilians and combating terrorism, deterring the movements and military operations of Houthi militias and their allies, besides preventing them from using weapons stolen from military camps or smuggled in from abroad. There is another goal to secure international cooperation on surveillance and monitoring to prevent delivery of weapons by air or land to the Houthi militias. In the new phase, relief and evacuation operation will be beefed up. Earlier, the Saudi Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the air sorties carried out as part of the ‘Decisive Storm' operation were crowned with success in ending the threat to the security of Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries. “The Ministry of Defense announces that objective of the Decisive Storm operation, in which the Saudi Armed Forces took part with full efficiency and capability, air supremacy, has been achieved so as to prevent any aggression against the Kingdom and the nations in the region. The air sorties, in which our brave falcons participated together with coalition fighter jets, were successful in removing the threat to the security of Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries by destroying heavy weapons and ballistic missiles occupied by the Houthi militias and the forces loyal to the deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh.” Operation Decisive Storm began on March 26.
