U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and discussed developments in the Gaza Strip during a phone call, according to statements released by both nations.
The U.S. Secretary “stressed the importance of urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza and preventing the further spread of the conflict,” according to the U.S. State Department.
The readout said that Secretary Blinken underscored the U.S. commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
The Secretary also condemned continued attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea and urged cooperation among all partners – including Saudi Arabia – to uphold maritime security.
Yemen’s Houthi militants said Tuesday they will not stop their “military operations” in the Red Sea, hours after the United States announced the formation of a multinational naval coalition to protect commercial shipping there, according to the Washington Post. The Yemeni group, aligned with Iran, has been targeting commercial ships in protest over the Israel-Gaza war, disrupting one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
“Our war is a moral war, and therefore, no matter how many alliances America mobilizes, our military operations will not stop,” Mohammed Albukhaiti, a member of the organization’s ruling council, told The Washington Post.
A recent Bloomberg report this week said that there were differences between how Saudi Arabia and the UAE are seeking to handle the actions by the Houthis in the Red Sea. The UAE, the report said, is “pushing for military action and wants the US to re-designate the Houthis as ‘terrorists,’” while Saudi Arabia, “in contrast, supports a more measured approach, fearing that any belligerence will provoke the Houthis to become even more aggressive.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the launch of “Operation Prosperity Guardian” on Monday as he travels through Israel, Bahrain and Qatar this week.
The Secretary and the Foreign Minister also affirmed their countries’ shared commitment, in coordination with international and regional partners, to end the devastating conflict in Yemen.
