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GCC, EU Denounce Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia, UAE

GCC and EU officials during the 26th EU-GCC Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting on Monday.(SPA)
GCC and EU officials during the 26th EU-GCC Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting on Monday.(SPA)
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GCC, EU Denounce Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia, UAE

GCC and EU officials during the 26th EU-GCC Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting on Monday.(SPA)
GCC and EU officials during the 26th EU-GCC Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting on Monday.(SPA)

The European Council and Gulf Countries Council (GCC) condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE, stressing the importance of boosting relations and enhancing cooperation. This came at the end of their 26th EU-GCC Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting on Monday.

The EU and GCC share an interest in addressing global challenges such as green and digital transition, climate change, and counter-terrorism.

The meeting resumed high-level institutional engagement between the two organizations and discussed concrete ways to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on regional and global challenges.

EU’s Vice President and High Representative and Vice President Josep Borrell chaired the European delegation, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan chaired the Gulf delegation.

The meeting was attended by EU and GCC foreign ministers and GCC Sec-Gen Nayef al-Hajraf.

It was held in Brussels on Feb. 21 and addressed regional issues of mutual concern and explored ways to step up EU-GCC cooperation.

The attendees exchanged views on issues of common interest, including the peace process in the Middle East, Yemen, Iran, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The ministers stressed the urgent need to improve the humanitarian situation in Yemen, calling for an unconditional ceasefire. They strongly condemned the Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The ministers reiterated their concern over the lack of progress in resolving the dispute between the UAE and Iran over the three islands, Abu Musa Greater and Lesser Tunbs.

They supported the peaceful settlement of this conflict under international law and condemned the proliferation of ballistic missiles and drone systems used in hundreds of attacks against civilians, civilian infrastructure, and the Global Coalition Against ISIS.

The ministers agreed on continuing joint international efforts to enhance stability and prosperity in Iraq.

The meeting addressed the humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria.

The top officials agreed to provide essential aid in all Syrian regions as part of implementing a plan United Nations humanitarian response.

The ministers urged the Lebanese government to take quick and effective decisions to initiate the much-needed reforms to enable a quick conclusion of the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

They stressed the importance of holding free, fair, and transparent parliamentary elections in May 2022.

On the Middle East peace process, the ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, based on the 1967 lines and UN Security Council Resolutions 242, 338, 2334, and other relevant UN resolutions.

They called for ending escalations in Jerusalem, noting that the city should be recognized as the capital of Palestine and Israel.

Regarding the situation in Libya, the ministers reaffirmed their support for the UN efforts to hold free, fair, inclusive, and credible presidential and parliamentary elections.

After the meeting, the GCC and EU officials agreed to hold their next meeting in 2023 in the Gulf region.

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Gulf

Saudi Defense Minister: Time for STC to Withdraw from Yemen's Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Defense Minister: Time for STC to Withdraw from Yemen's Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said on Saturday it “was time for the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen to listen to reason and prioritize public interest and unity of ranks and respond to the Saudi-Emirati mediation to end the escalation.”

In a post on the X platform, he called on the STC to withdraw its forces from the eastern Hadhramaut and al-Mahra provinces and restore control to the National Shield and local authorities.

Prince Khalid said Saudi Arabia formed the Arab coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen to help the country reclaim control over all of its territories.

The liberation of southern provinces was a pivotal development towards that goal, he stressed.

Saudi Arabia “views the southern issue as fundamental” to Yemen and it will not “exploit it in conflicts that do not serve” the nation, he added.

The Kingdom had brought together all Yemeni components to the Riyadh conference to come up with a clear path for a comprehensive political solution, including the southern issue, he went on to say.

The conference paved the way for a “just solution to their cause through dialogue and without the use of forces.”

“Saudi Arabia approved the decision to move the base of power so that the southerners could have a greater role in state institutions. It consolidated partnership instead of elimination or imposing a status quo through forces. Saudi Arabia also presented Yemen with economic support, as well as development and humanitarian initiatives that helped ease the suffering of the people,” Prince Khalid added.

“Saudi Arabia and its partners in the coalition offered sacrifices with their Yemeni brothers in liberating Aden and other provinces,” he noted. “The Kingdom has always sought that these sacrifices be made in the name of reclaiming territories and restoring the state, not as a path towards new conflicts.”

It had hoped that these sacrifices would have been “invested in the security of all Yemeni people, not exploited for petty gains, whereby the unfortunate developments in Hadhramaut and al-Mahra since the beginning of December 2025 have led to the division in ranks that should be united against the enemy.”

“The developments have laid waste to the sacrifices of our sons and Yemeni people and have harmed the just southern issue,” stressed Prince Khalid.

He noted that several southern leaderships and figures have exhibited “awareness and wisdom in supporting efforts to end the escalation in Hadhramaut and al-Mahra and prevent the secure southern provinces from being dragged into futile conflicts.”

“They are aware of the major challenges facing Yemen and will not allow saboteurs to achieve their goals in the country and the region,” he remarked.

He declared that the “southern issue will remain part of any comprehensive political solution. The cause will not be neglected or marginalized. It should be resolved through consensus, adhering to commitments and building trust between all Yemeni segments, not through adventures that only serve everyone's enemy.”

Gulf

Arab Coalition: We Will Deal with Military Moves that Violate De-escalation Efforts

Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)
Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)
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Arab Coalition: We Will Deal with Military Moves that Violate De-escalation Efforts

Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)
Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)

Spokesman of the Arab coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen Brigadier General Turki al-Malki said on Saturday that “any military moves that violate de-escalation efforts will be dealt with directly to protect lives and ensure the success of Saudi and Emirati efforts.”

The statement is in response to a request by Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Dr. Rashad al-Alimi, who called for immediate steps to protect civilians in the eastern Hadhramaut and al-Mahra provinces in wake of the “grave and horrific” violations by members of the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

It is also in continuation of the strenuous joint efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to de-escalate the situation and ensure the withdrawal of STC forces, who have been demanded to cede control to the National Shield forces and allow the local authorities to carry out their duties.

Malki underlined the Arab coalition’s continued firm support for the legitimate Yemeni government.

He also urged all sides to assume their national responsibility, exercise restraint and comply with efforts to reach peaceful solutions that preserve security and stability.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia Carries out Warning Strike on Yemen’s Hadhramaut, STC Says ‘Open to Coordination’

Southern forces patrol during a rally calling for South Yemen's independence, in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen, 25 December 2025. (EPA)
Southern forces patrol during a rally calling for South Yemen's independence, in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen, 25 December 2025. (EPA)
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Saudi Arabia Carries out Warning Strike on Yemen’s Hadhramaut, STC Says ‘Open to Coordination’

Southern forces patrol during a rally calling for South Yemen's independence, in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen, 25 December 2025. (EPA)
Southern forces patrol during a rally calling for South Yemen's independence, in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen, 25 December 2025. (EPA)

Saudi Arabia called for calm in eastern Yemen, urging an end to unilateral military moves and for the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces to return to their former positions outside of the Hadhramaut and al-Mahra provinces.

Riyadh, meanwhile, demonstrated its stance on the ground by carrying out a warning air strike, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The strike sought to deliver a message that it will not allow a new status quo to be imposed on the ground by force and that it will not allow the violation of institutional frameworks that handle security in the eastern provinces.

It warned that any further escalation will be met with firmer measures.

Meanwhile, the STC, in an attempt to justify its military moves, said they were in “response to calls from residents of the south” and an attempt to confront terrorist threats and block Houthi smuggling routes.

The STC added that it was “open to any coordination or arrangements with Saudi Arabia”, questioning the airstrike, which it said “does not serve understandings.”

Observers told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia will welcome the coordination and arrangements if they helped end the escalation, led to the withdrawal of the STC and allowed the National Shield forces and the local authority to take over Hadhramaut and al-Mahra without needing to resort to force.

They stressed that the strike will lead to delivering the clear message that Riyadh may impose red lines by force to prevent any escalation.

Sourced told Asharq Al-Awsat that any future settlement over restoring the unity of Yemeni ranks will condition a return to the former status quo.