Quartet foreign ministers condemn Houthi escalation against Saudi Arabia; Coalition intercepts missiles and drones

The forces of the “Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen” successfully repelled further brazen Houthi attacks on various areas of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The coalition’s official spokesperson, Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, announced that two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the cities of Taif and Yanbu were intercepted and destroyed. In a related development, the Saudi Civil Defense announced in successive statements yesterday that the threat had been lifted from the areas of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Taif, Jeddah, and Yanbu, shortly after an alert was issued by the National Early Warning Platform for Emergency Situations in those regions.

Saudi Civil Defense urged residents to remain calm and stay indoors, adding that “filming, disseminating, or circulating information related to countering missiles and drones and their impact sites is subject to legal accountability.” This came hours after the coalition announced the interception and destruction of two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist militia toward Riyadh and Khamis Mushait, as well as the interception and destruction of a drone in the Eastern Province.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and Turkey condemned in the strongest terms the unacceptable escalation by the terrorist Houthi militia and its continued attacks on the Kingdom, particularly those targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab. They expressed their full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government, calling on the militia to immediately halt all attacks and return to the political process in good faith.

The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) stated in a report that this came in a joint statement issued following a meeting of the “Quadrilateral Group” foreign ministers in Istanbul two days ago, which discussed a number of regional issues of common interest, in light of their commitment to contributing to diplomatic efforts and guided by the shared interest in enhancing peace and stability in the region and beyond, in line with the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter.

The ministers emphasized in their joint statement the urgent need to resolve this conflict exclusively through dialogue and diplomacy, and to prevent the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including ships. They expressed their support for the memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad, welcomed ongoing diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation, and reaffirmed their commitment to a sustainable negotiated settlement.

They stressed the paramount importance of freedom of navigation, the permanent safety and security of maritime navigation, and the protection of navigation rights and freedoms, noting that disrupting sea lanes threatens the security and prosperity of all by hindering global supply chains and the flow of energy, fertilizers, and food, thereby affecting vulnerable populations in the region and beyond. This requires collective efforts by the international community to address these challenges.

The ministers expressed their rejection of any measures or restrictions that impede legitimate navigation and called for the rapid and full resumption of safe, secure, and unimpeded passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

In parallel, the General Administration of Moral Guidance and Public Relations at the Yemeni Ministry of Interior stated that the terrorist Houthi militias, backed by the Iranian regime, targeted the Coast Guard headquarters at the ministry’s offices in the temporary capital, Aden, with two ballistic missiles, and the Coast Guard building in the Tawahi district with a third ballistic missile, in an attack targeting the security of the capital and public and service facilities.

It added, in a statement relayed by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), that this targeting is an extension of a series of attacks on civilian and vital facilities in the temporary capital, Aden, most notably Aden International Airport, which has been subjected to multiple ballistic missile and drone attacks.

The statement pointed out that these attacks reflect a strategy aimed at undermining security and stability, terrorizing citizens, and damaging public institutions and vital facilities that provide services to the public.