Saudis urge de-escalation of ‘dangerous’ situation amid Houthi attacks, US strikes

Kingdom’s foreign minister says Riyadh believes in freedom of navigation, and is ‘very worried’ tensions could spiral out of control

Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud attends a session during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, January 16, 2024. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)
Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud attends a session during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, January 16, 2024. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has said the kingdom is “very worried” that tensions in the Red Sea amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis and US strikes on Houthi targets could spiral out of control and escalate the conflict in the region.

“I mean, of course, we are very worried. I mean, you know, we are in a very difficult and dangerous time in the region, and that’s why we are calling for de-escalation,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan told CNN ‘Fareed Zakaria GPS’ in an interview that was set to be aired on Sunday.

Attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia on ships in and around the Red Sea for the past several weeks have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major powers in an escalation of the war in Gaza.

The Saudi foreign minister said the kingdom believed in freedom of navigation and wanted tensions in the region to be de-escalated.

“We, of course, believe very much in the freedom of navigation. And that’s something that needs to be protected. But we also need to protect the security and stability of the region. So we are very focused on de-escalating the situation as much as possible,” he told CNN.

The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, say their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza. They claim to be targeting ships with Israeli ownership or sailing to or from Israel, but many attacks have been against vessels with no ties to the Jewish state.

This photo released by the Houthi Media Center shows Houthi forces boarding the cargo ship Galaxy Leader, November 19, 2023. (Houthi Media Center via AP, File)

Since last week, the United States has been launching strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, and this week returned the militia to a list of terrorist groups. US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that airstrikes would continue even as he acknowledged they may not be halting the Houthi attacks.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

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