WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th August, 2019) US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Saudi Vice Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman during a meeting at the Defense Department discussed the Yemeni conflict and Iran, Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said on Thursday.
"The leaders discussed regional security concerns, including the war in Yemen, and longstanding U.S.-Saudi cooperation on counterterrorism and countering Iran's destabilizing activities in the middle East," Hoffman said in a statement. "Secretary Esper also thanked Prince Khalid for supporting our presence at Prince Sultan Air Base to mitigate threats against U.S. forces and interests in the region."
Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces, led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, and the rebel Houthi movement.
A Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out military operations against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015, causing thousands of civilian casualties and contributing to the humanitarian disaster in Yemen.
