G7 nations urged Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Tuesday to stop their strikes against Saudi Arabia, expressing solidarity with Riyadh as the Tehran-backed militia introduces a new threat to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The Houthi movement launched a rapid offensive in recent weeks, seizing control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast, including the port of Mokha. This advance threatens global trade and drives up energy prices.
The territorial gains made by the Houthis have solidified Iran and its allies’ control over two vital waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, which the broader Gulf region and top crude exporter Saudi Arabia depend on to transport oil.
G7 leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States stated in a joint declaration, “we call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions.”
The statement further demanded an end to “all threats and attacks against civilian shipping” and a return to the political process in good faith.
Additionally, the leaders called on Iran “to end its arming of and support for the Houthis,” asserting that Tehran is violating previous UN Security Council resolutions.
The conflict in poverty-stricken Yemen began in 2014 when the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa. The war had been largely dormant since 2022 but reignited in July.
Saudi Arabia has spearheaded a coalition backing the internationally recognized government since 2015. This intervention intensified the war, which has sparked one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
Strikes on Yemen’s strategic Red Sea port of Mokha killed at least six people and injured eight others, according to the Houthi-affiliated news agency Saba on Tuesday.
These strikes followed a Houthi attack on Riyadh on Saturday, marking the first time the Saudi capital has been targeted in years and representing a major escalation by the pro-Iranian fighters.
– UK, France support –
Media reports indicated on Monday that Britain agreed to provide military support to Saudi Arabia, including “defensive” air-to-air refueling for Saudi jets.
France also pledged its backing, stating it is prepared to assist in “securing” Saudi energy infrastructure targeted by Iran-backed Houthis. A diplomatic source told AFP that Paris is adopting a “strictly defensive approach.”
“This in no way involves taking part in the conflict with the Houthis,” the source added.
The Houthis have attacked facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu. According to Riyadh, the East-West Pipeline—a crucial crude oil export route—has also been shut down following drone attacks launched from Iraq.
The head of Yemen’s governing body, Rashad al-Alimi, spoke with US President Donald Trump on Monday to request American support against the pro-Iranian fighters, a source in Alimi’s office told AFP.
The source stated that Trump did not promise military support, noting that the Sunday call was intended as a show of solidarity with Yemen’s struggling government.
US media reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also urged Trump to strike the Houthis.
The New York Times reported that the crown prince called Trump on Sunday “to implore him, again” to help counter the group’s advances, while Axios previously noted that Trump had rejected a similar request the prior week.
Fox News reported on Sunday that Trump stated the Houthis had agreed not to target US assets.
– Mecca Joint Defence Agreement –
The Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), derives its name from its late spiritual leader, Badreddin al-Houthi, and his son Hussein, who was killed by Yemeni government forces in 2004.
Hussein’s brother, Abdulmalik, assumed leadership, delivering fiery speeches and transforming the group from an isolated faction in the northwest into the ruling power in the capital and a regional actor.
In a speech on Monday, Abdulmalik claimed that Saudi Arabia had launched 760 airstrikes as of the previous day, questioning, “if Pakistan and Turkey were subjected to this number of strikes, wouldn’t it cause a major crisis?”
He accused Saudi Arabia of attempting to “push the Turks and Pakistanis forward and import Takfiris (the charge of apostasy) from Syria, at a time when Syria is facing total destruction,” advising the two nations “not to become entangled for political and financial gain from the Saudi enemy.”
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey signed the so-called Mecca Joint Defence Agreement last month, pledging mutual defense should any of the three nations come under attack.
The agreement was forged against the backdrop of the war between the United States and Iran, as well as attacks in the region from Tehran-backed Houthi forces.