G7 demand halt to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
The G7 states are calling on the Houthi rebels in Yemen to stop their attacks on Saudi Arabia, showing solidarity with Riyadh as the Iran-backed fighters add a new threat to the conflict in the Middle East.
The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States said in a joint statement: "We call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, as well as all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith."
They also demanded that Iran "cease arming and supporting the Houthis," accusing Tehran of violating previous UN Security Council resolutions.
Houthi successes have strengthened the influence of Iran and its allies on two key waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, through which the wider Gulf region and Saudi Arabia, the main crude oil exporter, ship their oil.
The war in Yemen began in 2014 when the Houthis took the capital, Sanaa. Since 2022, the conflict had largely been dormant, but it flared up again in July.
Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting the internationally recognized government since 2015. The kingdom's intervention escalated the war and triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
According to the Houthi-affiliated news agency Saba, at least six people were killed and eight others injured in Saudi airstrikes on the strategically important Red Sea port of Mokha in Yemen on Tuesday.
The strikes followed a Houthi attack on Riyadh on Saturday. It was the first shelling of the Saudi capital in years and a clear escalation by the Iran-allied fighters.
Britain and France pledge support
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged military support to Saudi Arabia on Monday. The United Kingdom will provide "defensive" aerial refueling for Saudi fighter jets, he announced.
France also pledged support. "We are ready to contribute to the "securing" of Saudi energy infrastructure targeted by the Iran-backed Houthis, while maintaining a "strictly defensive approach," a diplomatic source told AFP on Monday.
"This in no way means involvement in the conflict with the Houthis," the source added.
The Houthis have already attacked facilities of the Saudi oil company Aramco in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu. In addition, according to Riyadh, the important East-West crude oil export pipeline was taken out of operation after drone attacks from Iraq.
The chairman of Yemen's leadership council, Rashad al-Alimi, spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump on Monday to request American support against the Iran-allied fighters, according to a source from his office.
However, Trump did not promise military aid, the source said. The conversation on Sunday was primarily intended as a sign of solidarity with the beleaguered Yemeni government.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also urged Trump to attack the Houthis, according to US media reports.
According to information from "The New York Times," the Crown Prince called Trump on Sunday "to implore him again" to help push back the group. The portal Axios had previously reported that Trump had rejected a similar request last week.
Fox News reported on Sunday that Trump had stated that the Houthis had pledged not to attack US targets.
Mecca Defense Agreement
The Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah ("Supporters of God"), bears the name of its late spiritual leader Badr al-Din al-Houthi and his son Hussein, who was killed by Yemeni government forces in 2004.
Another son, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, subsequently took over leadership. With combative speeches, he transformed the movement from an isolated group in the northwest into a power in the capital region and a regional player.
In such a speech on Monday, Abdulmalik stated that Saudi Arabia had carried out 760 airstrikes up to the previous day. He asked: "If Pakistan and Turkey were subjected to this number of attacks, wouldn't that trigger a major crisis?"
He advised both countries "not to get drawn into a conflict to gain political or financial advantages from the Saudi enemy."
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey signed the so-called Mecca Defense Agreement last month. It obliges the three states to mutual assistance if one of them is attacked.
The agreement was concluded against the backdrop of a war between the United States and Iran and increasing attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in the region.
