Saudi Arabia backs UN Security Council statement urging cooperation to prevent Houthis from acquiring arms

Saudi Arabia welcomed a UN Security Council presidential statement condemning Houthi attacks against the kingdom and urging cooperation to prevent the group from obtaining weapons, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the ministry welcomed the council’s condemnation of continued and escalating attacks by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia, including attacks targeting airports and energy infrastructure.

It also highlighted the council’s condemnation of “ongoing threats to navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.”

“The Kingdom affirmed the importance of the statement’s provisions, including its emphasis on the importance of full implementation of Security Council resolution 2216 (2015) and subsequent resolutions, and its call for practical cooperation to prevent the terrorist Houthi group from acquiring weapons and other forms of support,” the statement said.

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Resolution 2216 demands that the Houthis immediately and unconditionally end the use of violence, withdraw from areas they seized, including the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, hand over weapons taken from military and security institutions, cease exercising the powers of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and facilitate humanitarian and medical access to civilians.

The ministry said the kingdom reaffirmed its “inherent right under international law” to take all necessary measures to defend its security and protect its citizens and residents.

The UN Security Council presidential statement, adopted earlier this week, condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and “called for cooperation, including with the Government of Yemen, to prevent the Houthis from acquiring arms and related materiel.”

Yemen has seen a military escalation since July between the government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Houthis, following a period of relative calm linked to a truce that began in April 2022.

The coalition said Thursday that 19 people were killed and 364 injured in Houthi attacks targeting airports in Saudi Arabia.

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