Rubio meets Saudi FM as fight against Yemen's Houthis intensifies
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan's visit comes two days after Saudi Arabia said it intercepted multiple Houthi drones and ballistic missiles.
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Washington Monday as Saudi Arabia seeks US backing for its military campaign against the Houthis.
The Trump administration has avoided direct military involvement in Yemen, where the Iran-backed militants launched a sweeping offensive this month to seize the country’s Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed government forces. The Houthi gains give the group leverage to disrupt shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key chokepoint that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis have also attacked Saudi shipping and energy infrastructure, including in Aramco facilities in the port city of Yanbu. On Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s military spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, said Saudi air defenses intercepted two drones and two ballistic missiles fired from Yemen.
The renewed fighting has reignited the civil war in Yemen, which began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north from the internationally recognized government.
