GCC Condemns Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia as Yemen Fighting Escalates

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued a statement on October 18 condemning repeated attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi force on Saudi Arabia and pledging support for the kingdom. The statement came shortly after a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Manama, Bahrain.

The political and economic bloc — comprising Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — said an attack on any member affects all six states, invoking their joint defense agreement and backing Saudi Arabia's right to self-defense.

The statement was released as the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it had shot down two drones near Riyadh and in eastern Saudi Arabia that morning. A few hours earlier, the coalition announced it had intercepted another drone near the capital but did not identify who launched it.

The Gulf foreign ministers accused the Houthis of carrying out attacks that have killed and wounded people at civilian airports and key infrastructure sites. They also called for stricter enforcement of the UN arms embargo on the group and urged countries to formally designate the Houthis a "terrorist organization."

The ministers welcomed an October 15 statement by the UN Security Council, the body responsible for maintaining international peace, condemning Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and threats to shipping in the Red Sea.

Separately, Yemen's internationally recognized government sent a letter in October to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council president, Aglaia Balta, urging the body to act against Houthi attacks on homes and state facilities. The letter referenced an attack on the presidential palace in Aden, where the government has its temporary headquarters.

The same day, according to the UAE's state news agency WAM, UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Saudi Defense Minister and Crown Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud in Abu Dhabi to discuss regional security.

Fighting continues on multiple fronts

Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces continued offensives on several fronts. Yemen's army said the Houthis fired missiles at the central city of Marib on October 18, while government forces reported gains in the southern city of Taiz.

Government commanders said eight soldiers were killed in fighting in Lahij province on October 17. Government forces also claimed to have killed 12 Houthi fighters south of Taiz, though the figures have not been independently verified.

The latest round of fighting follows the Houthis' capture last month of positions along Yemen's Red Sea coast. Government forces have launched a counteroffensive to retake territory from the Houthis, who seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

Civilians face worsening shortages

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN migration agency, the fighting has displaced more than 233,000 people. About 121,000 of them are in Taiz province, where supply routes have been disrupted by the fighting.

Al Jazeera correspondent Hadeel al-Yamani, reporting from Taiz, said cooking gas is no longer available and food reserves are running low as Houthi forces blockade supplies through the city's western gateway. A local office monitoring the siege said food prices have risen fivefold.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that 12 hospitals in Taiz have only four days of fuel left and have run out of surgical supplies. Oxygen and medicine are also severely scarce as the city struggles with a cholera outbreak.