The United States has denounced the Houthi attack at the civilian airport in Saudi Arabia, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th February, 2021) The United States has denounced the Houthi attack at the civilian airport in Saudi Arabia, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday.
"We condemn the Houthi attack today at the Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia - [a] civilian airport." Psaki said. "We will continue our diplomatic outreach and engage with various stakeholders including members of Congress, humanitarian aid organizations, the UN Special Envoy and others to bring a negotiated settlement to end the war."
A civilian plane at Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia caught fire as a result of an attack carried out by Yemen's Houthi movement, the Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen said on Wednesday. The coalition said situation at the airport is under control.
Psaki noted that the attack coincides with US Special Envoy Timothy Lenderking's first trip to the region and his efforts to bring a lasting peace to Yemen.
"The Houthis meanwhile continually demonstrate a desire to prolong the war by attacking Saudi Arabia including attacks on citizens," she said.
Psaki reiterated that the focus of United States efforts will continue to be on diplomacy to end the war via the United Nations-led process, impose a ceasefire, open humanitarian channels and restore peace talks.
"We believe that remains the best path forward," she said.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria responded by saying the opposition movement hit warplane airfields at the Abha airport via four drones on Wednesday afternoon and the strike "was accurate."
Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi rebels since 2014. A coalition of states led by Saudi Arabia launched a military operation to support the internationally recognized Hadi government in 2015. The Houthis continue to maintain control over a vast part in the north of the country, including the capital of Sanaa.
