Saudi Arabia has right to defend itself from Houthis, Marco Rubio says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Saudi Arabia has a right to defend itself against attacks by Yemen's Houthis. Ahead of a trip to Iceland and mainland Europe, Mr Rubio also said Washington would honour its defence and security agreement with the kingdom, as Saudi-backed Yemeni forces launched an offensive against Iran-aligned Houthi fighters. Yemeni government forces on…
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Monday that Saudi Arabia has the right to defend itself against attacks by Yemen's Houthis. Speaking ahead of a trip to Iceland and mainland Europe, Rubio also assured that Washington would uphold its defense and security agreement with the kingdom. Saudi-backed Yemeni forces launched an offensive against Houthi fighters, while Yemeni government forces secured control of strategic areas such as the Bab Al Mandeb strait, Dhubab area, and the port city of Mokha.
Rubio affirmed that the US has a defense and security agreement with Saudi Arabia and they intend to abide by it, without providing further details. He mentioned that senior US officials met at Camp David last week for unannounced discussions about long-term strategic planning, which included Yemen as one of the topics. Elizabeth Dent, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, suggested that the US could provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support, as well as assistance for air and missile defense and logistics operations, without engaging in active military combat.
The US recently signed a Strategic Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia, elevating Riyadh to a major non-NATO ally, which will facilitate the sharing of military technology and increased security cooperation.
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