LONDON: The United States on Tuesday “strongly condemned” the latest attacks launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia on Saudi Arabia.
Five people were injured when a missile fired by the Iran-backed group on Monday landed in the Jazan region of southern Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis also launched missile and drone strikes targeting civilian areas in the Kingdom on Saturday, that were intercepted by Arab coalition forces.
The group, which triggered the Yemen war in 2014 by seizing the capital, has also been widely condemned for an ongoing assault on Yemen’s Marib province.
“We strongly condemn the Ansarallah’s (the Houthi’s) continued assault on Marib and their attacks in the region, including a complex attack on Feb. 27, which threatened civilian areas with several UAVS (drones) and a missile attack on Riyadh. Again, on March 1 Ansarallah attacked the Saudi city of Jazan and injured five civilians,” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said.
His comments come as the US Treasury department blacklisted two key military Houthi leaders for their roles in cross-border and naval attacks.
The US Embassy in Riyadh also condemned the Jazan attack and called on the Houthi militia to halt attacks and engage in diplomatic efforts.
The U.S. Embassy condemns last night’s Houthi attack on Jazan, which injured several civilians. We wish the victims a speedy and full recovery. We call on the Houthis to stop attacking innocent civilians and to engage in the diplomatic process to end this conflict. pic.twitter.com/vEIZnZ1YXl
— U.S. Mission to KSA (@USAinKSA) March 2, 2021
“We wish the victims a speedy and full recovery,” the embassy said. “We call on the Houthis to stop attacking innocent civilians and to engage in the diplomatic process to end this conflict.”
Britain also condemned the attack, saying it “only sought to escalate the violence further.”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK is “committed to the UN’s efforts to end the conflict and build a lasting peace that delivers Saudi security.”
The UK condemns the Houthi attack on Jazan, southern Saudi Arabia, today which injured five civilians and only sought to escalate the violence further. We are committed to the UN’s efforts to end the conflict and build a lasting peace that delivers Saudi security.
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) March 2, 2021
France called on the Houthis to stop all destabilizing actions in the region, as well as to immediately end attacks in Marib.
“These new air attacks that deliberately target civilian areas and violate international law threaten the security of Saudi territory and the stability of the region, which France is very keen on,” the foreign ministry said.
Gulf and Arab countries also condemned the attack.
The UAE said the recent “continuation of these attacks is a dangerous escalation, and new evidence of these terrorist militias’ pursuit to undermine security and stability in the region.”
Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan said they supported all measures the Kingdom takes to preserve its security and the safety of its citizens and residents.
Japanese foreign press secretary Yoshida Tomoyuki said cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia needed to stop immediately and that the Houthis should adhere to a cease-fire and start dialogue to find a political solution to the situation in Yemen.
