Saudi Arabia denies WSJ report claiming Houthis demanded $51bn to halt hostilities
Saudi Arabia has denied a report by the US-based Wall Street Journal ( WSJ ) that Yemen’s Houthis had demanded $51 billion from kingdom in return for a “negotiated halt” to the ongoing hostilities between the two sides. A report by the Journal claimed on Thursday that the kingdom had approached the Houthis “to see what it would take to arrive at a negotiated halt to the hostilities”, and the…
The Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia had demanded $51 billion from the Yemeni Houthi militia in exchange for a negotiated cease-fire to the ongoing conflict between the two sides. However, the Saudi government has categorically denied these claims made by unnamed sources cited by the newspaper. Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Rayed Krimly stated that these allegations are pure fabrication.
The Saudi official emphasized that the Houthis have taken an aggressive stance, attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea, civilian and economic targets, and rejecting all peace efforts. He also reminded the media that Yemen has a recognized government. The dispute between Riyadh and the Houthis has escalated following the Middle East war, sparked by U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.
This led Iran to retaliate, resulting in the Houthis re-entering hostilities in Yemen after they allowed an Iranian plane to land in defiance of Saudi control over Yemeni airspace, causing a breakdown of a 2022 truce.
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