Saudi Iran tensions rose again on Thursday after a Saudi foreign ministry official accused Tehran of encouraging the Houthis in the latest escalation of their fight with the kingdom. Dr Rayed Krimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy, said Iran continues to arm, train and support the Houthi militia, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. So Riyadh's answer to whether Iran backs the Houthis is yes, although this is the Saudi government's claim and the sources include no Iranian reply.
Riyadh's claims and its talks with Tehran
Speaking at a virtual briefing with reporters, Krimly said the kingdom still holds direct communications with Iran. He added that Tehran appeared unwilling, and did not yet seem able, to offer the concessions a solution would need. He also said the Houthis refused a Saudi request to meet in Muscat, Oman, when the escalation began.
Krimly said the last communication on the matter took place a few weeks ago. The sources do not say whether any new meeting is planned, and they do not describe a reply from Iran.
The accusations come as the kingdom, the world's top crude oil exporter, has faced what the sources describe as sustained attacks in recent days. The fighting with the Houthis is part of Yemen's wider conflict, which sits inside a broader Middle East war that has disrupted energy supplies and markets.
Attacks on Saudi airports and facilities
The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen made its own claims on the same day. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki told a press conference that the Houthis had launched 20 attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh this month, killing 17 people and wounding 333. The coalition said Houthi attacks on Abha airport, in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni border, killed three people and wounded 28. It also said the Houthis had tried to attack dozens of Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities.
Maliki said the Houthis had obtained advanced military technology with help from what he called “regional actors”, including ballistic missiles, drones and explosive-laden fast boats. He said the coalition had destroyed 127 weapons storage facilities and launch platforms in Yemen's mountainous areas. He urged the Houthis to stop operations against civilians and civilian infrastructure. The sources contain no independent confirmation of these figures.
The Houthi military spokesperson replied that Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe and renewed a warning to airlines. The warning did not cover airspace over the holy cities of Makkah and Madina.
For background, the Houthis are an armed group in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition has fought them since 2015, after they seized the capital, Sanaa, and forced the internationally recognised government out of the city. A UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022 ended that phase of fighting, but Yemen's civil war reignited in July after a UN-brokered truce collapsed. The United Nations calls Yemen one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with most of the population dependent on aid. This is the context in which the Houthi Saudi conflict has now escalated.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 2015: The Saudi-led coalition begins fighting the Houthis after they seize Sanaa.
- 2022: A UN-brokered ceasefire ends that phase of the fighting.
- July: Yemen's civil war reignites after the UN-brokered truce collapses. The sources do not give the year.
- A few weeks before Thursday's briefing: the last communication takes place, after the Houthis refused a Saudi request to meet in Muscat, Oman.
- This month: the coalition says Houthi attacks killed 17 people at Riyadh's King Khalid airport.
- Thursday: Krimly accuses Iran of encouraging the Houthis, and the coalition holds its press conference.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Saudi Arabia ka kehna hai ke Iran Houthiyon ki shiddat badhane mein madad kar raha hai, jabke Iran ki taraf se jawab is report mein shamil nahi. Riyadh ke mutabiq Saudi Arabia aur Iran ke beech baat cheet abhi jari hai, lekin hal ke aasar abhi nazar nahi aate. Riyadh aur Abha ke airports par hamlon ki khabron se safar mein khatra barh gaya hai, is liye musafiron ko airlines ki notices par nazar rakhni chahiye. Yemen ki jang ka asar aam logon ki zindagi par bhi para hai.
