Yemen: A senior Yemeni official has warned Saudi Arabia against turning Yemen into a battleground while keeping its own territory and interests insulated from the consequences, as fighting between Yemeni forces and Saudi-backed militia intensified in several areas.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Abdulaziz bin Habtour, a member of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, said continued Saudi military deployments and equipment reinforcements in Yemen, along with economic and political pressure and a crippling blockade, indicated that escalation remained an option.

He said efforts to impose new military equations would be met with measures to protect Yemen, its security and sovereignty. Bin Habtoor also said Saudi Arabia would not avoid responsibility for the consequences of escalating tensions by seeking to shift the confrontation into Yemen through local forces and proxies.