Gulf, Arab Countries Express Solidarity with Saudi Arabia against Houthi Attacks

Bahrain's capital Manama. (Getty Images)
Bahrain's capital Manama. (Getty Images)
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Gulf, Arab Countries Express Solidarity with Saudi Arabia against Houthi Attacks

Bahrain's capital Manama. (Getty Images)
Bahrain's capital Manama. (Getty Images)

Gulf and Arab countries condemned the drone attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militias against southern Saudi Arabia. They reaffirmed their solidarity with the Kingdom, backing all the measures authorities are taking to protect Saudi territory.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement that the country “considers this targeting a dangerous escalation and a cowardly act that threatens the security, safety, and lives of civilians, and calls for taking all necessary measures to protect civilians from Houthi threats.”

The statement said that the security of the UAE and Saudi Arabia are indivisible, and “any threat or danger facing the Kingdom is considered by the UAE as a threat to its security and stability system.”

Bahrain also denounced the attacks and praised the vigilance and efficiency of the Arab coalition forces, which were able to intercept and destroy the aircraft.

Manama said that the terrorist acts carried out by the militias in a systematic and deliberate manner constitute a blatant attack on the Kingdom’s sovereignty, stability, and territorial integrity.

Kuwait said the continuation of these aggressive practices and the escalation in targeting civilians, civilian areas, the security of the Kingdom, and regional stability are a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law and require the international community to act quickly and decisively to deter these threats and hold the perpetrators accountable.

Egypt and Jordan also issued similar statements strongly condemning the attacks, reiterating their full solidarity with the Kingdom and their support for all the measures it takes to maintain its security and stability.



Mediator Qatar Says Israel ‘Did Not Abide’ by Gaza Truce Deal

 Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
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Mediator Qatar Says Israel ‘Did Not Abide’ by Gaza Truce Deal

 Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said Thursday that Israel had failed to respect January’s ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

“As you know, we reached an agreement months ago, but unfortunately Israel did not abide by this agreement,” said the ruler of Qatar, a key mediator of the deal.

A truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Qatar with Egypt and the United States, came into force on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of fighting triggered by Palestinian fighters’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The initial phase of the truce ended in early March, with the two sides unable to agree on the next steps. Israel resumed air and ground attacks across the Gaza Strip on March 18 after earlier halting the entry of aid.

Israel said Wednesday that it had converted 30 percent of Gaza into a buffer zone in the widening offensive.

Sheikh Tamim said Qatar would “strive to bridge perspectives in order to reach an agreement that ends the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza.”

Putin recognized Qatar’s “serious efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict” and called deaths in the conflict “a tragedy.”

“A long-term settlement can only be achieved on the basis of the UN resolution and first of all connected to the establishment of two states,” he added.

Israel’s renewed assault has so far killed at least 1,691 people in Gaza, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reported, bringing the overall toll since the war erupted to 51,065, most of them civilians.

Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.