The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement Wednesday condemning in the strongest terms the Houthi group’s continued targeting of civilians together with civilian and economic facilities inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The statement extended to attacks on Saudi vessels transiting the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. According to the ministry, these repeated actions amount to a flagrant violation of Saudi sovereignty and represent a serious threat to the Kingdom’s security and stability.
The ministry’s announcement reaffirmed the UAE’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and voiced explicit support for all measures the Kingdom may take to safeguard its security and stability. This position aligns with a series of earlier UAE statements addressing similar Houthi operations throughout the year. The latest condemnation was distributed by the Emirates News Agency and carried on the ministry’s official media channels.
A Saudi-led coalition report issued the same day stated that air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis north of Riyadh. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki shared details of the interception on X, confirming that the projectile caused no damage or injuries. Reports from the preceding Monday indicated that three people were injured in Houthi strikes on airports in the Saudi provinces of Najran and Jazan.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued comparable condemnations on multiple occasions in recent months, each time highlighting Houthi strikes on Saudi population centers such as Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran that produced civilian casualties including women and children. Those prior statements similarly classified the attacks as violations of sovereignty while noting risks to maritime navigation in the Red Sea. The ministry has consistently tied such incidents to broader instability stemming from the conflict in Yemen.
Maritime traffic through the Bab al-Mandab Strait has encountered repeated disruptions from Houthi actions directed at both commercial and military vessels. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly called for adherence to international standards protecting civilian infrastructure and open sea lanes essential to global trade. Regional monitoring has recorded an increase in these cross-border operations since early 2026.
The ministry’s latest statement emphasized the close coordination between the UAE and Saudi Arabia on shared security concerns across the Arabian Peninsula. It noted that the UAE stands ready to back Saudi efforts aimed at countering threats from Yemen-based militants. The announcement arrives amid ongoing coalition operations to intercept incoming projectiles and protect population centers.
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