UNITED NATIONS:
The UN Security Council on Friday condemned escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, in a rare show of unity from the world body’s top security forum as the Iran-aligned Yemeni group stepped up attacks amid the wider Middle East war.
“The members of the Security Council condemned, in the strongest terms, continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including attacks impacting civilian and energy infrastructure, which have resulted in the injury of civilians, including women and children,” said the council’s rotating president, French UN envoy Jerome Bonnafont, delivering a joint statement.
The Houthis have intensified attacks on the Saudi-backed government in Yemen and launched strikes into Saudi Arabia, disrupting oil flows from the world’s largest crude exporter as the wider regional war enters its eighth month.
Saudi Arabia intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles on Thursday after issuing warnings for several regions, including Makkah. The Houthis said they had fired dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets, while Saudi authorities said they had intercepted six ballistic missiles.
The escalation comes as fighting in Yemen between government forces and Iran-backed militia fighters intensifies and ceasefire efforts remain stalled. However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected claims that the Houthis take orders from Tehran, saying the group was responsible for its own actions.
“The Houthis are responsible for their own actions. They don’t take directions from us,” Pezeshkian said, according to a broadcaster’s translation. “We have contacts with them. There is no systematic relationship.”
The Houthis have also imposed a naval blockade affecting Saudi tankers and territory and seized parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, a vital route for Saudi oil exports. Their actions have disrupted shipping through the Red Sea, while Iran has restricted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The war, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has killed thousands and significantly squeezed Saudi oil exports. Rashid al-Alimi, Yemen’s President, called on Yemenis to mobilise and join the armed forces while offering amnesty to Houthi fighters who abandon the group.
