G7 leaders urge Iran-backed Houthis to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia
G7 leaders issued a joint statement calling on Yemen's Houthi rebels to immediately stop military actions and threats against civilian shipping, while also pressing Iran to end its support for the group. The call comes amid an escalation in the Yemen conflict that has reached Riyadh.
Leaders of the G7 nations — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States — issued a joint statement urging Yemen's Houthi rebels to immediately cease all military actions and threats against civilian shipping and to return to the political process in good faith. The G7 also called on Iran to stop arming and supporting the Houthis, alleging Tehran is violating previous UN Security Council resolutions.
Gains made by the Houthis have strengthened Iran and its allies' control over key waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, which the Gulf region and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia rely on for crude shipments.
The war in Yemen, which began in 2014 with the Houthi capture of the capital Sanaa, had been largely frozen since 2022 but resumed in July. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition backing the internationally recognised government since 2015.
On Tuesday, the Houthi-affiliated Saba news agency reported that Saudi strikes on Yemen's Red Sea port of Mokha killed at least six people and wounded eight others. The strikes followed a Houthi attack on Riyadh on Saturday, the first such attack on the Saudi capital in years.
UK and France pledge support
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed on Monday to provide Saudi Arabia with military support, including "defensive" air-to-air refuelling for Saudi jets. France also pledged support for securing Saudi energy infrastructure targeted by the Houthis, while maintaining a strictly defensive stance and not joining the conflict directly.
The Houthis have attacked facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in the port city of Yanbu, and the East-West Pipeline, a key crude export route, has been shut down following drone attacks launched from Iraq.
Yemen's governing body chief Rashad al-Alimi spoke with US President Donald Trump on Sunday to request American support against the Houthis, though Trump did not promise military assistance. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also urged Trump to act against the group.
Last month, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, committing to mutual defence should any of them come under attack.
