Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis to intensify their attacks on the kingdom, with a senior foreign ministry official claiming Tehran continues to arm, train and support the Yemeni group.
Dr Rayed Krimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy at the Saudi foreign ministry, levelled the allegations during a virtual briefing with reporters on Thursday, saying that Iran was acting in violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
“Iran continues to arm, train and support the Houthi militia in violation of UN security council resolutions,” Krimly said.
“We think that the escalation by the Houthis at this latest stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran,” he added.
Krimly said that Riyadh remained in direct contact with Tehran but believed Iran had yet to offer the concessions needed to resolve the conflict.
“We continue to have direct communications with Iran,” he confirmed.
“Overall, it doesn’t seem yet that the Iranians are able to provide the necessary concessions for a solution.”
The official also said that the Houthis had rejected a Saudi request to meet in Muscat, the capital of Oman, several weeks ago as hostilities intensified.
“At the beginning of this escalation, we asked them to meet in Muscat, Oman and they refused,” Krimly pointed out.
“This was the last communication which happened a few weeks ago.”
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, has faced a series of attacks in recent days, including a strike on Riyadh’s international airport described as the deadliest in years.
Yemen’s civil war reignited in July following the collapse of a United Nations-brokered truce, months into a wider Middle East conflict that has disrupted regional stability and affected energy supplies and markets.
The fighting has contributed to what the United Nations (UN) describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with most of Yemen’s population relying on aid.
The Saudi-led coalition has fought the Houthis since 2015, when the group seized the capital, Sanaa and drove the internationally recognised government out of the city. A UN-brokered ceasefire was reached in 2022.
Separately, the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said that the Houthis had attempted to strike dozens of airports, ports and oil facilities across Saudi Arabia.
Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said that the group had carried out 20 attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh this month, killing 17 people and injuring 333 others.
Houthi attacks on Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, near the Yemeni border, had killed three people and wounded 28, the coalition spokesperson said.
Al-Maliki also accused the Houthis of obtaining advanced military technology with help from “regional actors”. He listed ballistic missiles, drones and fast boats carrying explosives among the weapons.
The coalition had destroyed 127 weapons storage facilities and launch platforms in Yemen’s mountainous areas, he said.
Al-Maliki called on the Houthis to immediately stop attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. He also urged the group to examine the coalition’s statement carefully, including “between the lines”.
Shortly after the coalition’s announcement, a Houthi military spokesperson warned that Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe and renewed a warning to airlines. The warning excluded airspace over the holy cities of Makkah and Madina.
