Saudi Airstrikes in Yemen Only Benefitted Al-Qaeda

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian Foreign Minister reiterated that concentrating on one single country and not taking into account what is going on in the whole region cannot be an efficient approach in the struggle against terrorism.

"The only side that seriously improved its positions because of the bombings in Yemen is al-Qaeda, which is now rivaling the Islamic State [militant group]."

He added that the "rivalry" between al-Qaeda and the ISIL is not something "carved in stone", as the militants tend to "flow" from one terrorist group to another, depending on pay conditions and a number of other factors.

For months now, Yemen has been engulfed in violent conflict between the Houthis, the country's largest opposition faction, and forces loyal to President-in-exile Hadi.

On March 26, upon Hadi's request, a Saudi Arabia-led international coalition began airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen. In April, it was announced that the military operation, called Decisive Storm, was to be replaced by Operation Restoring Hope, aiming to focus on a political dialogue between conflicting sides. The Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, however, have continued.