US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed on Monday that Washington understands the steps taken by the Saudi-led Arab coalition against the terrorist Houthi militia in Yemen. The Trump administration is determined to meet its bilateral security commitments with the Kingdom in confronting threats from the Iran-backed group. “The United States has a defense and security agreement with Saudi Arabia and we intend to live by it. I won’t discuss details further than that,” Rubio told a press conference before departing on a European trip that includes Iceland, Greece and Portugal. “As far as our view of it, well, I think it’s – the Saudis and Yemeni forces clearly are not in favor of the Houthis controlling that territory close to the – to the [Bab al-Mandeb] strait there,” he added. “It is territory that was gained as a result of a Houthi offensive, and this is the counter to it. We expected that would happen and that’s what’s happening,” he remarked. “So obviously the Saudis have come under Houthi attack and see the threat that that poses, and they have a right to defend themselves. And obviously the Yemeni forces are going to try to retake territory that they were ousted from,” Rubio added.
