RIYADH: The President of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi announced the launch of military operations to recapture the country’s remaining territories controlled by the Houthis on Sunday. “Today we are embarking on a decisive phase in the history of our nation,” Al-Alimi said, adding that the state had made “great sacrifices” in choosing the path of peace. Al-Alimi said the operations were aimed at restoring security, rights and dignity to citizens in areas controlled by the Houthis, stressing that those citizens were not targets of the military operations. He called on residents in militia-controlled areas to stay away from Houthi gathering places and to protect their children from being drawn into the fighting. “The military operations we are about to launch are not a war against our people in Sanaa, Hodeidah, and Sa’ada,” Al-Alimi said. “They are not a war against any sect or tribe.” He said every city reclaimed by the state would enter a phase of stability, recovery and reconstruction, adding that the success of the battle would be measured by the number of citizens who had regained a sense of security. Al-Alimi also called on Yemen’s “brothers and friends in the international community” to stand by the country. He said Yemen would continue to view Saudi Arabia as “a true partner in our shared destiny and security,” while expressing deep gratitude to Saudi Arabia’s leadership and people for their support. Later on Sunday, the official spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces Colonel Majid Al-Nuzaili said the operations aimed to relieve the “suffering of the Yemeni people” and ensure that “no authority prevails except the constitution and the rule of law.” “While the Armed Forces affirm the inherent right of the state and its citizens to reclaim all their rights and live in dignity, they maintain full commitment to protecting civilian lives and sparing them any harm across all regions and governorates,” he said. Al-Nuzaili also offered an amnesty for Houthi defectors and expressed appreciation for the stances of countries that are part of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.