SANA — Houthis: We are not at war with Italy, but why are your aircraft in Saudi Arabia?

SANA, September 19 — The Houthis declare they are not at war with Italy and do not aim to draw it into the conflict, but they criticize the presence of Italian military aircraft in Saudi Arabia.

“Our resistance is a legitimate armed resistance in the face of prolonged Saudi aggression. We are not at war with Italy and we do not intend to involve your country. But we ask what Italian aircraft are doing in Saudi Arabia, in support of Riyadh’s war against us,” declared Muhammad Mansur, an official of the Information Ministry of the Houthi government in Sanaa.

His statement came after the attack on the Taif air base in Saudi Arabia, where on Friday an Italian military F-2000 Eurofighter was hit.

According to the Italian Ministry of Defence, there were no injuries or casualties among Italian personnel in the incident.

The Taif base is one of the targets of recent strikes amid the escalation of the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Houthi forces in Yemen. The Italian presence at the base is linked to Italy’s military engagement in the region.

The Houthis present their action as a response to Saudi attacks, while Saudi Arabia and the other parties involved view the conflict in the context of escalating cross-border strikes.