The Minister of Defense in the Sanaa government, Major General Muhammad Al-Atifi, said today, Friday, that the Yemeni armed forces will take calculated steps to restore balance to the region.

The Yemeni commander addressed the countries of the Saudi coalition, saying that the armistice the way they want it will not remain in place. 

Al-Atifi pointed out that the countries of the coalition of aggression and those behind them "come up with political barriers to tear apart Yemeni unity and dismantle the Yemeni social cohesion,” stressing that his country will make sure that its sovereign national decision will remain independent, not to mention preserving Yemeni freedom, dignity, and unity with whatever means it possesses.

He stressed, however, that this can only be achieved with the departure of the occupiers.

The Yemeni Minister, once again, addressed the coalition countries, saying, “If you want peace, then you shall be at ease, and if it is war that you are after, then an open war it is.”

He concluded by saying, "Yemen will remain united, and our national options do not tolerate maneuvering or trading.”

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Two days ago, Major General Muhammad Al-Atifi affirmed that the Sanaa forces will not back down from the liberation of Yemen of every last invader. 

His declaration came following an inspection tour of the fourth military region stationed in the Taiz axis. 

"Either it [the Saudi coalition] declares peace publicly and on the terms of what was proposed by the leadership, otherwise the field is between us."

"We tell the enemies that our marches, military parades, or drills are not only media stunts. Rather, it's proof that we are developing our fighting expertise for accomplishing combat missions under any difficult situation," he added. 

"If they [the coalition] want peace, then these are the men of peace and they would be the ones to consolidate peace, and if they want escalation, they will know who these men are. We have prepared as much force as we can muster [in reference to the Quranic reverse 8:60] and we will continue to prepare."

On January 18, the head of the National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs in Sanaa, Abdul Qadir Al-Murtada, told Al Mayadeen that the round of talks in Jordan over a potential prisoner exchange ended without reaching any agreement.

Read more: Sanaa MoD: All coalition countries are within range of Yemeni missiles and drones

Al-Murtada indicated that a number of ideas and proposals were discussed to expand the prisoner exchange deal between the two parties, adding that it was agreed to hold another round after Eid Al-Adha to agree on a new exchange deal.

Talks had been taking place in the Jordanian capital, Amman, between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Sanaa government, under the auspices of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), aiming to prepare for a future prisoner exchange, as per the ICRC.

The UN envoy's office said that the Amman negotiations were a continuation of an agreement reached by the two parties in Stockholm five years prior.

According to the agreement, all those held in connection with the war on Yemen must be released "without any exceptions or conditions," including inmates, detainees, missing persons, people who have been arbitrarily detained and forcibly vanished, and people who are under house arrest.

Read more: Coalition prisons still hold 1,200 Yemenis, including children, women