The United States strongly condemned on Friday the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen for carrying out an attack against an oil facility in Saudi Arabia’s Jizan.
The State Department said the attack comes days after the Kingdom and Yemen announced a commitment to reach a ceasefire and engage in UN-led peace talks.
“The actions by the Houthis are a clear provocation meant to perpetuate the conflict,” it added.
“This is the latest in a series of Houthi attempts to disrupt global energy supplies and threatens civilian populations. The Houthis’ actions are prolonging the suffering of the Yemeni people and jeopardizing peace efforts at a critical moment when the international community is increasingly united behind a ceasefire and a resolution of the conflict,” it stated.
“We again call on all parties to commit seriously to and strictly uphold a ceasefire, and engage in negotiations under UN auspices, in conjunction with UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and US Special Envoy Tim Lenderking.”
