Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi on Thursday denied claims that Yemeni forces had targeted Mecca, calling the allegation "the lie of the age" and "a great slander," and claimed that the "Zionist enemy" represented the true threat to Mecca and other Islamic holy sites.
"The real threat is the Zionist enemy, which seeks to target all Islamic holy sites, including Mecca, Medina, and Al-Aqsa Mosque," al-Houthi said. "We are ready to confront it as an Islamic alliance."
Addressing the allegations against Yemeni forces, al-Houthi said: "This is an exposed lie intended to conceal failure on the battlefield and to incite others."
He said the Yemeni people were a people of faith and wisdom who held the Islamic holy sites in the highest regard.
"Our lives, our souls, and our possessions are ready to be sacrificed for Mecca," he declared.
Al-Houthi added that those who accepted and condemned the allegation without investigating it were, in his view, participating in the falsehood and bearing religious and moral responsibility.
In the address, al-Houthi also thanked Allah for what he described as victories achieved by the Yemeni people against what he called "the unjust Saudi aggression," which he said was continuing under American supervision and with Zionist backing.
"These victories, with the help of Allah, were achieved within the framework of our legitimate national struggle," he said.
Al-Houthi said Yemen was continuing to face what he described as aggression and an unjust blockade in its twelfth year.
During the period of reduced tensions, he claimed, the Saudi government had not taken serious steps toward peace, but had instead used the period to impose severe restrictions and establish what he described as "Takfiri (infidel) military formations."
He further claimed that the latest escalation began with a Saudi attack on Sana'a Airport.
"At every stage, it has been the one that began the aggression," al-Houthi said. "We are in a defensive position. We are not the ones who initiate aggression."
He accused Saudi forces of targeting civilians, markets, hospitals, schools, more than 2,000 mosques, a center for the blind, and historical sites over the course of the conflict.
Al-Houthi also said the blockade remained a major issue, citing closed airports and restrictions on imports which, he said, had affected food, medicine, and the payment of government salaries.
Al-Houthi concluded by announcing that mass demonstrations would be held on Friday in Sana'a and other provinces to express opposition to the allegation regarding Mecca.