Saudi Arabia denies report that Houthis demanded $51 billion and official recognition for ceasefire

Saudi Arabia on Thursday denied a report by US newspaper The Wall Street Journal that Yemen’s Houthi group had made demands of the kingdom, including financial compensation and official recognition, in return for a ceasefire.

Earlier on Thursday, the newspaper, citing sources it described as familiar with the negotiations, reported that the Houthis had demanded $51 billion from Saudi Arabia in compensation for years of air strikes and a blockade, as well as official recognition of the group as Yemen’s governing authority, in exchange for halting its attacks.

In a post on X, Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said: “I categorically deny the claims published by The Wall Street Journal regarding demands allegedly made by this militia.”

He added that ” All of this is pure fabrication by the writers or their alleged sources.”

The Saudi official accused the Houthis of staging a coup against Yemen’s government, causing the Yemeni people to suffer hunger and dragging the country into conflicts that do not serve its interests.

He also accused the group of attacking commercial ships in Red Sea waterways, targeting civilian and economic infrastructure, and rejecting all peace efforts.