The United States joined world leaders in strongly condemning the recent drone and missile strikes by Houthi rebels in Yemen against Saudi Arabia.
On February 27, the Houthis launched attacks toward Riyadh and other locations in the Kingdom. In a written statement, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price noted that the strikes “threaten not only innocent civilians but also prospects for peace and stability in Yemen” and called for an end to “these egregious attacks.” Arab states, as well as Britain, France and Germany also denounced the attack, the latest in a series of cross border missile strikes by the Iran-backed Houthis.
Although the United States is ending all American support for the Saudi-led Coalition’s offensive operations in the war in Yemen, the United States remains committed to helping Saudi Arabia defend its sovereignty, its territorial integrity, and its people.
At a press briefing, Spokesperson Price noted that with American support Saudi Arabia was successful in intercepting the attack, which threatened innocent civilians on February 27.
Mr. Price also said that the United States was considering additional steps in order to promote accountability for the Houthi leadership‘s actions.
On March 2, the Treasury Department announced sanctions on two Houthi military leaders. In a statement the Treasury Department said, “Mansur al-S’adi and Ahmad ‘Ali Ahsan al-Hamzi are responsible for orchestrating attacks by Houthi forces impacting Yemeni civilians, bordering nations, and commercial vessels in international waters. These actions, which were done to advance the Iranian regime’s destabilizing agenda, have fueled the Yemeni conflict, displacing more than one million people and pushing Yemen to the brink of famine.”
State Department Spokesman Price called on the Houthis “to cease not only their cross-border raids into Saudi Arabia, but also their military offensive in Marib; agree to a ceasefire; and to come to the negotiating table.”
President Joseph Biden is determined to help stop the war in Yemen that has caused the world’s worst humanitarian disaster and to achieve a negotiated settlement to the conflict. Spokesperson Price praised the cooperation the United States has received from Saudi Arabia in moving toward this goal. “To make progress toward peace,” he said, “Houthi conduct will have to change, too.”
