US Secretary of State Rubio: Saudi Arabia has the right to self-defense — The National
In the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on October 5 that Saudi Arabia has the right to defend itself against attacks by Yemen’s Houthis. He also said that the United States intends to honor its defense and security agreement with Riyadh.
Rubio’s statement
“Obviously, the Saudis have been attacked by the Houthis and see the threat that this poses, and they have a right to defend themselves,” Rubio said. He added that Yemeni forces would seek to retake the territories from which they were driven out by the Houthis.
As The National reports, the secretary of state was asked whether the United States would provide air support to Saudi Arabia and whether Washington had helped coordinate the counteroffensive. In response, he said that the United States has a defense and security agreement with Saudi Arabia and intends to honor it, without providing details.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Operation by Yemeni forces
On the same day, Yemeni government forces established control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Dubab area, which provides access to the sea route, and the strategic port city of Mocha. The Saudi-led coalition provided air support and struck Houthi targets.
Rubio also confirmed that senior US officials held an unannounced meeting at Camp David the previous week. According to Axios, Yemen was among the topics discussed when Rubio joined Vice President J.D. Vance, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, special envoy Steve Witkoff and other officials.
The Houthis captured Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, after which the Saudi-led coalition intervened in the conflict the following year. The Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, which is also recognized by the UN, controls the south and east of the country and is based in Aden. The Houthis are backed by Iran; recently, they have carried out attacks on Saudi Arabia, as well as on commercial and military shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
