Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived in Washington for talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the war in Yemen puts the kingdom under pressure.
The two officials will discuss “bilateral relations and key regional and international developments”, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Saudi Arabia is facing attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen that have disrupted oil production and shipping in the Red Sea. The latest Houthi attack on Saturday was directed at Riyadh.
In an address at the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Prince Faisal called for world powers to do more to protect shipping. “The international community has been absent from assuming its responsibilities in confronting all that threatens international peace and security,” he said.
He said that a comprehensive agreement was required to end the war in Yemen. The Houthis have recently made major gains, taking over Yemen's entire western coast and gaining unprecedented access to the Bab Al Mandeb strait. Last week, the battle was over the strategic Kahboub mountain range near Taiz.
The fighting is the most intense in the country since 2022, when a de facto truce resulted in a period of relative calm. A state of no-war, no-peace ensued, but talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis fell through when the group began to attack ships in the Red Sea in what it said was solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza against Israel's bombardment of the Strip.
Saudi Arabia has not been vocal about the extent of the damage from the Houthi attacks but has revealed that dozens of civilians have been injured and at least one resident has been killed in the latest strikes on the kingdom.
On Saturday, schools in Riyadh announced that classes would move online for the rest of the week, in an abrupt change that has not been explained by the Saudi authorities or the schools. There was also no official announcement of a formal measure covering schools in the city and the Ministry of Education has not commented publicly.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had reportedly asked the US to become directly involved in Yemen, but Washington has so far declined, Axios and CBS reported. The US offered intelligence and support instead.
US President Donald Trump earlier this month said America had had discussions with the Houthis, though he did not specify whether they were direct or indirect talks. “They don't want to fight us,” he said.
Through mediators, the Houthis told the US that they would not target American ships, sources told The National.
