“We believe that the escalation being carried out by the Houthis in this latest phase of the conflict is being done with the encouragement of Iran,” said Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister for Public Diplomacy, Dr. Raed Qarmali, to reporters during a video briefing, adding that Iran continues to arm, train and support the Houthis, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
Qarmali confirmed that the Houthis had rejected, “in recent weeks,” a request from Riyadh to meet in the Sultanate of Oman with the aim of reducing tensions between the two sides.
He explained, “At the beginning of this escalation, we asked them to meet in Muscat, in the Sultanate of Oman, but they refused. That was the last contact that took place a few weeks ago,” while noting at the same time “maintaining direct communication channels with the Houthis.”
For its part, the Saudi-led military coalition supporting the Yemeni government reported that the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthis carried out 20 attacks on Riyadh airport in October, stressing the need for them to immediately stop “terrorist operations” against civilian facilities.
During a press conference, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki presented a list of attacks that targeted the airport this month.
Al-Maliki added that “the Houthis must immediately cease all terrorist operations targeting civilians and civilian objects, including airports, ports, oil facilities and infrastructure.”
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