At Security Council, Saudi Arabia Condemns Houthi Attacks and Affirms Right to Self-Defense

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the UN Security Council on Friday condemned the terrorist Houthi militia's attacks on its territory, which have targeted civilians, civilian objects, and vital facilities. Saudi Arabia affirmed its inherent right to defend its territory, assets, and sovereignty and the safety of its citizens and residents, and to take all necessary measures to protect its security and deter attacks, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

 Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Ambassador Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Alwasil delivered the Kingdom's statement at the council's session on Yemen. He said the militia's continued escalation, including attacks on civilians and threats to navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, posed a threat reaching beyond Yemen and the region to international peace and security, global trade, and supply chains.

 He thanked the council's presidency and members for their attention to the region and to Yemen, and thanked UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Mohamed Yahya, and Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children International Inger Ashing for their briefings.

 "This Security Council session is taking place amid delicate circumstances and significant developments that require addressing the associated risks and threats with the utmost responsibility," Alwasil said.

 He added that the rapidly evolving situation in Yemen and the continued escalation by the Houthi terrorist militia pose growing challenges to regional and international security, particularly as attacks against civilians and threats to maritime navigation, trade, and global supply chains persist.

 He said the militia persists in hostile and terrorist actions against the Yemeni people, neighboring countries, and the region. These include attacks on civilians, civilian objects, and vital facilities in the Kingdom, and abuses against the Yemeni people such as internal blockades, forced displacement, starvation, the terrorizing of women, and the recruitment of children. He added that the militia's choice of military escalation over peace would only prolong the crisis, deepen the suffering of the Yemeni people, and undermine regional and international efforts toward a comprehensive political solution.

 Alwasil said that on Thursday the militia carried out two attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that struck airport facilities and a Saudia aircraft, killing three Saudi citizens, injuring a number of citizens and residents of various nationalities, and causing material damage.

 Earlier, on October 6 and 7, attacks on Abha and King Khalid International Airports killed three civilians and injured 36 others of various nationalities, and also damaged facilities at Jazan and Najran airports. He said the attacks, which killed civilians from brotherly countries and endangered travelers and workers of many nationalities, violated the Kingdom's sovereignty and security and posed a direct threat to civilian safety and civil aviation security.

 He said recent weeks had seen a dangerous escalation in Houthi attacks on the Kingdom. On September 15, the militia attempted to target Makkah, its second such attempt after one on July 27, 2017. On September 29, it targeted the Taiba power distribution station in Madinah, an attack he said provoked the sentiments of Muslims worldwide. Houthi attacks on Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran in September injured 73 civilians, including women and children. Attacks also reached Riyadh and other cities, with ballistic missiles and drones launched at populated areas and civilian and vital infrastructure.

 On maritime security, Alwasil said: "The terrorist Houthi militia continues to threaten maritime navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, targeting ships and economic facilities, thereby jeopardizing regional security and stability as well as the safety of global energy supplies."

 He said the Kingdom would not allow Yemen to become a platform for threatening its security or freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and that it was unacceptable for a terrorist militia to impose its will on Yemen and the region by force of arms. He added that continued external military and technical support for the militia, including the transfer of expertise and the enhancement of its military capabilities, had fueled chaos, the spread of weapons outside state control, and threats to security in Yemen and the region.

 He called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in implementing the relevant Security Council resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 2216 (2015) on Yemen and Resolution 2722 (2024) on freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

 On the political track, Alwasil said the Kingdom had prioritized peace since 2011, working with brotherly and friendly countries and the UN Special Envoy and putting forward concrete initiatives to sustain the peace process in Yemen. The most recent was the roadmap the Kingdom presented to the UN envoy, which the Yemeni government accepted and the terrorist Houthi militia rejected. He said the militia had consistently chosen military escalation, obstructed a comprehensive political solution, reneged on its commitments, dragged the Yemeni people into conflicts that do not serve their interests, and threatened regional security and stability. He reaffirmed the Kingdom's full support for the Yemeni people in ending the coup and reclaiming the state and its institutions from the militia.

 On the economic and humanitarian front, Alwasil said: "The Kingdom has been, and remains, one of the largest supporters of Yemen, providing substantial humanitarian, developmental, and economic aid to the brotherly Yemeni people—assistance that contributes to alleviating their suffering and bolstering economic and financial stability."

 He said the Kingdom recently provided new support to the Central Bank of Yemen to strengthen economic, financial, and monetary stability and improve living conditions. On October 4, through the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY), it provided a new budget support installment of more than SAR224 million to help reduce the budget deficit, ensure regular government financial flows, boost purchasing power, and stimulate markets. He added that the Kingdom's economic and development support to Yemen between 2012 and 2026 exceeded $12.6 billion, and its humanitarian aid exceeded $4.5 billion.

 Alwasil reiterated the Kingdom's support for UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg's efforts to reach a comprehensive, Yemeni-led political settlement that preserves Yemen's unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and meets the Yemeni people's aspirations for security, stability, and development.

 He called on the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security and to halt the Houthi attacks that threaten the security of the Kingdom and the region and the safety of international navigation. The Kingdom's goal, he said, remains security and stability, an end to the suffering of the Yemeni people, and support for every serious effort toward a comprehensive and sustainable political solution that preserves Yemen's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.