SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt — Yemeni President Abedrabbu Mansour Hadi called the Shiite Houthi militia “Iran's puppet” at an Arab League summit in Egypt on Saturday. “I tell Iran's puppet ... ‘You are the one that destroyed Yemen with your political immaturity',” Hadi said in Sharm El-Sheikh. Hadi directly challenged Iran in his remarks. He also called for his supporters to rise up in peaceful protest against the Houthis. Hadi called on the army to protect state institutions and carry out the orders of the “legitimate leadership” as a Arab military campaign against his Houthi militia enemies continued. “Your responsibility today is preserving security and stability, protecting state institutions ... and carrying out the orders of your legitimate leadership,” Hadi told the meeting of Arab heads of state. He said a campaign against the Houthis, led by Saudi Arabia, was aimed at protecting Yemenis from “failed aggression.” He called for military intervention in his country to continue until Houthi rebels surrender. “I call for this operation to continue until this gang surrenders and withdraws from all locations it has occupied in every province,” he told the Arab summit. Kuwait's Emir told the Arab summit that Houthi rebels in Yemen posed a threat to the region. “Rapid developments underway in Yemen pose a threat to our security,” said Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Arab leaders to resolve the Yemen conflict peacefully. “It is my fervent hope that at this Arab League summit, leaders will lay down clear guidelines to peacefully resolve the crisis in Yemen,” he told the summit. — Agencies
