Yemen rally backs armed forces, rejects Saudi claims over Mecca
Participants said Yemenis were prepared to sacrifice their lives and blood to protect Islamic holy sites, and portrayed Yemen as having a historical role in defending Islam
Thousands of Yemenis gathered in the capital Sanaa for a rally supporting the country's armed forces, rejecting Saudi allegations that Yemen had targeted Mecca and backing a strategy of responding to any Saudi military action.
The rally was held under the slogan "Supporting the Armed Forces, the Blockade-for-Blockade Equation, and Exposing the Falsehood of Targeting Macca", according to the organisers, says Saba.
A statement read by Sheikh Taha Al-Hadari, secretary-general of the Yemeni Association of Scholars, rejected Saudi claims that Yemen had targeted Mecca, describing the allegations as a "grave falsehood" and the "lie of the era".
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Participants said Yemenis were prepared to sacrifice their lives and blood to protect Islamic holy sites, and portrayed Yemen as having a historical role in defending Islam.
The demonstrators also criticised Saudi leadership, saying those who insult the Kaaba were the ones hosting immoral entertainment and revelry in the Land of the Two Holy Mosques.
Support for armed forces
The rally reaffirmed support for the Yemeni armed forces and called for maintaining what participants described as a "blockade-for-blockade" and "escalation-for-escalation" approach in response to Saudi military actions.
The statement called for continuing efforts to lift what it described as a 12-year blockade and restore Yemen's national rights, freedom and independence, regardless of the cost.
It also said Yemen reserved the right to respond to what it called Saudi transgressions, while authorising the Yemeni leadership and armed forces to determine the timing and manner of any response.
Support for Palestine
The statement warned against what participants described as Zionist plans targeting Mecca, Medina and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The demonstrators also reaffirmed their support for the Palestinian cause and their alignment with what they called the "Axis of Jihad, resistance and Al-Quds" across Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran.
The statement urged political actors and governments across the Muslim world to stand with Yemen and to defend what it described as the honour and sacred sites of the Muslim nation.
