Saudi Arabia says Houthis declined to meet in Oman, struck Riyadh airport 20 times

A Saudi foreign ministry official says the country reached out to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in recent weeks as fighting escalated between the two sides, but the group refused to meet in Oman.

“At the beginning of this escalation, we asked them to meet in Muscat, Oman, and they refused. This was the last communication, which happened a few weeks ago,” says Dr. Rayed Krimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry, during a virtual briefing with reporters.

In addition, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said the group has attacked Riyadh’s airport 20 times in October as it escalated its strikes on the kingdom’s transport hubs and oil facilities.

During a presentation in Riyadh covering the strikes, coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki says “the Houthis must immediately cease all terrorist operations targeting civilians and civilian facilities, including airports, ports, oil facilities, and infrastructure.”