US Secretary of State: Saudi Arabia has the right to defend itself and we are committed to the security agreement with it

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that “the United States has a binding security agreement with Saudi Arabia, and we intend to honor it.” He affirmed that Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni forces do not wish for the Houthis to continue their control over the area near the Bab al-Mandab strait, characterizing the current developments in Yemen as a counteroffensive to reclaim territories seized by the Houthis, adding that “we had anticipated this would happen,” in reference to the military operation launched by Yemeni government forces to retake areas controlled by the Houthi militia. Rubio told reporters as he was heading to Iceland that Saudi Arabia has been targeted by Houthi attacks, recognizes the threat they pose, and has the right to defend itself.