The United States accused the Houthi militia of standing as an obstacle to resolving the conflict in Yemen, saying that Houthi actions have unified the whole world against it.
US Spokesman Ned Price said in a press conference on Tuesday that the militia continues its terrorist attacks against Yemenis and Saudi Arabia.
He renewed the US support for “Saudi partners” who are being subjected to "terrorist" attacks by the Houthis in Yemen.
Price said that Houthi actions on the ground, including their offensive against Marib and their continuous attacks against Saudi Arabia, render them an "obstacle to diplomacy."
“They are the obstacle to finding a resolution to this conflict, and if it turns out that what we’ve seen, the reports we’ve seen over the past hour or so are another Houthi attack against our Saudi partners, of course we will condemn that in the strongest terms, just as we reiterate our support for the security and the safety of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
The US administration plans to change the position of Houthis, and to work with regional and Saudi “partners” and with the government in Yemen to begin a diplomatic solution, according to Price. He pointed to the need to increase humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people.
The United States pledges to punish Houthi entities and individuals in its sanctions list, while the US special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, disclosed in a visual forum last week that the Houthis carried out about 375 cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia in 2021.
Moreover, US officials affirmed that they have an obligation to help Saudi Arabia defend itself, especially as the United States is struggling with a rise in oil prices, according to The Wall Street Journal.
They noted that the US was ready to formally agree to the Saudi request to buy weapons, and support the country’s missile defense system, such as the Patriot missile interceptor.
