Lahj: Governor Ahmed Jreib urged the people of the governorate not to allow themselves to become 'fuel' or human shields in Saudi Arabia's war, stressing that Sana'a does not target them but is engaged in an open conflict with Saudi Arabia, which he described as a common enemy of Yemenis in both the north and south.
According to Yemen News Agency, Jreib warned against the continued involvement of Lahj residents in battles in which, he said, they have no stake, describing the recruitment of young people as part of a systematic plan to deplete the governorate's young population.
He said thousands of young men from Lahj had been deceived and sent to fight on the border, where, he claimed, Saudi Arabia used them as 'fuel' for its battles and abandoned them afterward. Jreib said the same scenario was repeated on the western coast, where he claimed thousands of Lahj residents were killed while local commanders benefited from Saudi funding.
He described the current developments as part of what he called a Saudi-US-Israeli plan aimed at consolidating control over the southern governorates and depleting their human resources. The governor urged Lahj's youth to recognize what he described as the 'real enemy,' accusing Saudi Arabia and its allies of exploiting young people for money and sending them to battles unrelated to their interests.
He called on the people of Lahj to draw inspiration from the legacy of the October and November revolutions and to redirect their efforts toward what he described as the forces occupying their land and exploiting its resources, rather than fighting fellow Yemenis.