Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of actively encouraging Yemen’s Houthi rebels amid a sharp escalation in hostilities between Riyadh and the Iran-backed militia. Speaking at a virtual briefing, Dr. Rayed Krimly, Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry, said Tehran continued to arm and train the Houthis in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The renewed violence has intensified in recent weeks following a surge in Houthi attacks inside Saudi territory, including a deadly strike on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday that killed 13 people and wounded approximately 300 others. This marked the deadliest attack on the kingdom in a decade. The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis reported that the group had launched 20 attacks on the airport alone during October.
Dr. Krimly emphasized that despite ongoing direct communications between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Tehran did not appear willing to make substantive concessions to de-escalate the conflict. “We think that the escalation by the Houthis at this latest stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran,” he stated, underscoring Tehran’s instrumental role in sustaining the Houthis’ military capabilities.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran had begun to improve earlier in 2023 following a China-mediated agreement to restore diplomatic ties after years of rivalry. However, the recent surge in violence risks undermining this fragile détente. The Saudi official also accused the Houthis of rejecting a proposed meeting in Muscat, Oman, meant to ease tensions at the start of the latest escalation. “At the beginning of this escalation, we asked them to meet in Muscat, Oman and they refused,” Dr. Krimly said.
Yemen’s prolonged civil war reignited last July after a U.N.-brokered truce collapsed amid a wider regional conflict precipitated by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier in the year. In September, the Houthis launched a rapid offensive that expanded their control over parts of Yemen, including strategic areas along the Red Sea coast, a critical corridor for global energy shipments.
Saudi Arabia backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthis, whose continuous missile and drone attacks on Saudi infrastructure have tested the kingdom’s resilience. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman acknowledged the strain earlier this week.
In a recent statement, coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki called on the Houthis to immediately halt all attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure including airports, ports, oil facilities, and other critical assets, underscoring the urgency of avoiding further destabilization across the region.