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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia\u2019s top religious authority called on soldiers in the Kingdom to be ready to lay down their lives to fight the Houthis amid escalating attacks by the Iran-backed militia.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting this great nation and punishing anyone who seeks to lay a hand on even an inch of its territory are among the greatest duties and most virtuous acts of devotion, for which lives and souls may be sacrificed in seeking God\u2019s pleasure,\u201d Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan said in a statement \u2060carried by the Saudi Press Agency.<\/p>\n
The rare and strongly worded message was addressed to soldiers stationed at the country\u2019s borders and drew heavily on Qur\u2019anic verses and recorded sayings of the Prophet Muhammad related to sacrifice and struggle in defense of God.<\/p>\n
It comes \u200cafter weeks of \u200cescalating violence between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis which \u200bhas \u200cseen \u2060the Iran-backed \u200bgroup attack \u2060the kingdom with salvos of missiles and drones and Saudi Arabia respond with airstrikes.<\/p>\n
Asserting the authority of the internationally recognized Yemeni \u200cgovernment over the entire country was \u201camong the most pressing \u200cobligations,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n
Houthi forces seized control of the \u200bvital Bab al-Mandab waterway \u200ctwo weeks back, threatening to worsen the world’s oil crisis amid disruption in the flow of the vital commodity in the Strait of Hormuz. <\/p>\n
The recent fighting is the latest episode in 12 years of civil war in Yemen which had largely been frozen since a 2022 but has escalated again and has become linked to \u200cthe wider Iran war.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ask God Almighty to grant you all his support, and to protect our countries and beloved Yemen from \u2060all harm. We \u2060also ask him to bring about the complete defeat of the Houthi group and those who assist and support them,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
State TV has in recent weeks aired footage of an alleged Houthi strike on a mosque in the kingdom\u2019s south, and authorities have also accused the Houthis of launching an attack on Makkah, Islam\u2019s holiest site.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is incumbent upon you, brothers serving on the front lines, to remain constantly prepared to perform your duty, to obey the rulers and your field commanders, and to carry out orders with \u200bthe utmost precision, as God Almighty \u200bcommanded the companions of his Prophet to do,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are following in the footsteps of the Prophet\u2019s companions, defending the sacred sites of Muslims.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n