Yemeni, US officials discuss Houthi attacks in Red Sea

SANAA, Yemen

The chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council held discussions on Sunday with the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs on the repercussions of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea.

The meeting between Rashad al-Alimi and Barbara Leaf took place in the Saudi capital Riyadh and was attended by Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, according to the official Yemeni news agency Saba.

The agency said the discussions focused on the repercussions of attacks by the Houthi militia against international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and on the living conditions of the Yemeni people, who are suffering from one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

Al-Alimi warned of the dangers of the continued flow of Iranian weapons and funds smuggled to the Houthi militia and terrorist organizations affiliated with them to international peace and security, according to the agency.

“Al-Alimi also stressed the importance of supporting the government of Yemen in imposing its full control over the country’s entire territory in accordance with legitimate international resolutions, notably Resolution 2216 (calling for the withdrawal of the Houthis from areas under their control), which represents an exemplary roadmap to disarm the militias and bring peace and stability to Yemen,” reported Saba.

Earlier on Sunday, the military spokesperson for the Houthi forces, Yahya Saree, said the US and Britain carried out 48 air strikes on six Yemeni governorates during the past few hours and vowed to retaliate.

The US Central Command declared in a statement on X that US forces alongside British armed forces and with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand had carried out strikes against 36 targets in 13 areas of Yemen under the control of the Iran-backed Houthis.

The Houthis have been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with Gaza, which has been under an Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7.

With tensions escalating due to the US and UK’s joint airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, the group declared that it considered all American and British ships legitimate military targets.

​​​​​​​*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala