Florida [US], September 8 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday (local time) implicated Iran in the latest wave of Houthi strikes targeting Saudi Arabia, labelling the Yemen-based rebel group as a proxy of Tehran as regional tensions escalate following widespread attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure.
Speaking to reporters before he departed for South America, Rubio reaffirmed Washington's military commitment to Riyadh while highlighting Tehran's involvement in the escalating cross-border conflict.
“The Houthis, in many ways, are agents and proxies of the Iranians. Behind some of this is clearly the Iranian hand. The US has a very strong defensive, military relationship with Saudi Arabia. We're watching those events very closely,” Rubio said.
Addressing ongoing ground hostilities within Yemen, where coalition-backed forces are attempting to counter Houthi territorial advances, Rubio noted that the US continues to closely track developments on the ground.
“This has been going on for some time. I think there's been some ground operations as well, where Yemeni forces are taking on the Houthis and pushing back against some of the ground advances that they attempted to make. And we're monitoring that, as I said, very, very closely. But I would defer, as far as the defence side, the Department of War, I don't think there'll be any announcements on that today.”
The Secretary’s comments follow statements from Saudi Arabian officials reporting that Houthi strikes targeted civilian and economic sites across Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan, and Najran, resulting in at least 73 civilian injuries, including women and children. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy confirmed that hits on southern energy facilities triggered fires and caused a temporary suspension of certain operations.
Coalition spokesman Major-General Turki al-Maliki condemned the strikes as a "dangerous escalation" and a "blatant violation" of Saudi sovereignty, warning that operational measures would be taken to counter the threats. Riyadh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoed the stance, asserting that the kingdom would take all necessary steps to defend its territory.
International opposition to the escalation also came from Moscow during bilateral discussions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov characterised the Houthi strikes as counterproductive and harmful to the global economy, emphasising that military means should not be used to resolve the conflict.
Responding to the allegations, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated that the group carried out a large-scale operation utilising ballistic missiles and drones in response to over 120 Saudi strikes on Yemen over three days.
Additionally, Houthi-aligned media accused Saudi forces of conducting raids in Taiz province and an airstrike on a prison in al-Jawf governorate that reportedly killed seven people, an allegation Riyadh has not publicly addressed. (ANI)
"Clearly Iranian hand": US State Secy Marco Rubio accuses Tehran of backing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
