The Iran-backed Houthi militias’ terrorist attack against Saudi Arabia on Monday sparked Arab and international outcry and condemnation of what was seen as a violation of international law and a direct threat to the security of the region. The United States declared its solidarity with Saudi Arabia in confronting the latest Houthi attacks, saying the strategic relationship between Washington and Riyadh was stronger. The State Department said the Houthi group remains designated as a foreign terrorist organization. It added that efforts to protect marine navigation in the Red Sea and combat terrorist groups in Yemen continue. The Saudi Defense Ministry had said on Monday that its air defenses shot down ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis against the Kingdom. Condemnations poured in from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. The statements warned that the attack was a dangerous escalation that undermines regional security and stability. They expressed solidarity with the Kingdom and support for the measures it takes in defending its sovereignty and security. Bahrain hailed the vigilance of the Saudi defenses in intercepting the attack and saving lives and its efforts in leading the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen. Kuwait slammed the attack as a violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and of international law. Oman called on all Yemeni parties to show restraint, commit to the truce and return to the negotiations table under the UN-sponsored process. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the attacks against Saudi Arabia and Jordan were “systematic attempts to undermine the stability of the Arab Gulf and keep the region in a cycle of tensions in service of plots that harbor no goodwill towards the Arab people.” He expressed Lebanon’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and Jordan, saying their security and stability were an “integral part of national Arab security.” Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam echoed Aoun’s remarks, adding that Beirut stands by Saudi Arabia and its legitimate right to take the suitable measures to defend its territories and people. He warned that the “continuation of these attacks reveals a dangerous insistence on undermining efforts to achieve security and stability in the Arab Gulf region.” The Muslim World League condemned the terrorist attack against Saudi Arabia that “violates religious values and international laws and norms.” “The cowardly attack violates all humanitarian values,” added MWL Secretary-General Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa. Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi stressed that the “cowardly attack is a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.” He called for a “firm and deterrent international stance to put an end to its hostile practices and ensure those responsible are held accountable.”
