Saudi Arabia voices ‘great concern’ over military escalation in Yemen after Israeli attack

By Hamdi Yilmaz

RIYADH (AA) - Saudi Arabia said Sunday it is following with “great concern” the military escalation in Yemen following Israeli airstrikes on Al Hudaydah Port.

At least six people were killed and 83 others injured in Israeli airstrikes on the port in western Yemen on Saturday, according to the Houthi-run Health Ministry.

The Israeli army claimed responsibility for the raids, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described them as a "direct response" to a drone attack launched by the Houthi group on Tel Aviv on Friday, which killed an Israeli and injured 10 others.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and “to distance the region and its people from the dangers of war.”

It called on the international community and active influential parties “to fulfill their responsibilities to end conflicts in the region.”

The ministry reiterated the kingdom’s continued efforts to end the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and “its continuous support for peace efforts in Yemen to spare its people more suffering and achieve security and peace in the region.”

American officials told private Israeli Channel 12 that Tel Aviv conducted the attack on Al Hudaydah independently, without any military involvement from Washington.

The airstrikes marked the first direct Israeli response to recent Houthi attacks.

The Houthis have been targeting ships that are Israeli-owned, flagged, operated or headed to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, where nearly 39,000 people have been killed in a devastating military offensive since Oct. 7, 2023.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi