Col. Turki Al-Maliki

:: The Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s legitimate government on Wednesday accused Houthi rebels of blocking 40 relief ships from entering the port of Hodeidah.

In a press conference in Riyadh, Col. Turki Al-Maliki, the coalition spokesperson, also said that ridding Yemen of the Houthi militia’s number two man, Saleh al-Samad, was an important development.

Al-Maliki said that al-Samad was responsible for threatening Saudi Arabia’s peace and and security, disrupting maritime traffic in the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, and the continued suffering of millions of Yemenis.

The rebels, who are backed by Iran, had launched more than 125 ballistic missiles toward Saudi Arabia’s territories, most of which had been intercepted by the Kingdom’s air defense systems, he said.

Al-Maliki said the Houthis have also launched more than 66,000 projectiles toward the Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia.

He reiterated the coalition’s commitment to help Yemenis. He said the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (KSRelief) has delivered food, medicines and clothing to more than 3 million Yemenis since the coalition .