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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed appreciation for the Security Council’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia amid repeated Houthi strikes on civilian areas airports energy facilities and shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. In its statement the ministry highlighted the presidential statement’s call for full implementation of Security Council resolution 2216 and follow-on measures to prevent the Houthis from obtaining arms technical assistance training or financing. It also reaffirmed the Kingdom’s right under international law to take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty security and citizens.
According to the presidential statement issued on October 15 the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the Houthi escalation including recent deadly attacks on Riyadh’s main airport and other civilian infrastructure. Council members demanded that the Houthis immediately halt all such attacks and military advances while urging enhanced cooperation to enforce existing arms restrictions. The text referenced prior council statements from August and September that similarly denounced the cross-border strikes and threats to maritime navigation.
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters this month that the organization remains deeply concerned about the military escalation in and around Yemen including Houthi offensives that have displaced more than 130,000 people since early September. A Saudi letter circulated to the Security Council described attacks on September 8 that targeted cities including Abha Khamis Mushayt Jazan and Najran resulting in injuries to 73 civilians among them women and children. Further Houthi missile and drone strikes in the following weeks caused additional civilian casualties and damage to homes and property according to the same correspondence.
The presidential statement builds on years of Security Council efforts to address the Yemen conflict that began when the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 prompting a Saudi-led coalition intervention the following year. Resolution 2216 adopted in 2015 has remained a cornerstone demanding Houthi withdrawal from captured areas and an end to violence while subsequent resolutions have extended sanctions and arms embargoes. UN panels have consistently reported that smuggling networks continue to supply the group with weapon components despite these measures.
The Saudi statement voiced support for diplomatic initiatives led by the UN special envoy including recent talks in Muscat with Omani officials and Houthi representatives aimed at de-escalation and reviving the peace process. It stressed the importance of unified GCC backing for measures that protect Saudi territory and regional stability. The ministry noted that the council’s position sends a clear message against actions that undermine international peace and security.
Houthi attacks have persisted even after a nationwide truce in 2022 with the group expanding operations along Yemen’s western coast and targeting vessels in the Red Sea in what it describes as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The UN has documented how these actions have compounded an already severe humanitarian crisis affecting millions of Yemenis who rely on imported food fuel and aid. Council members have repeatedly called for restraint and a return to political dialogue to address the root causes of the instability.
