Airstrikes against Houthis are not enough, says Yemeni official

Aidarus al-Zoubaidi says government ground forces must supplement air attacks and urges west to help

The US-led air campaign against Houthi will not be enough on its own to deter the threat to freedom of navigation along the Red Sea, a leading member of Yemen’s UN-recognised government has told the Guardian.

Aden-based Maj Gen Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, the deputy head of the eight-strong Presidential Leadership Council, called on the west to supplement the air campaign by providing arms, training and intelligence sharing to government forces. The PLC is the executive body of the coalition of Yemeni parties opposing the Iran-backed Houthis, who in 2014 launched a revolt that drew in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on the side of the government in a civil war that up to a 2022 ceasefire had led to an estimated 377,000 deaths.