ERBIL () — G7 foreign ministers on Monday called on Yemen’s Houthis to immediately halt military operations and attacks on Saudi Arabia and civilian shipping, as the Iran-backed movement’s recent territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast raised fresh concerns over regional security and global energy supplies.
The ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States also urged Iran to end its arming and support of the Houthis, warning that the group’s actions were contributing to a dangerous escalation that could undermine international trade and global stability.
“We call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith,” the G7 said in a joint statement issued during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The statement also called on Tehran to stop supporting the Houthis, alleging that Iran’s assistance to the group violates previous UN Security Council resolutions.
The latest escalation comes after the Houthis launched a rapid offensive in recent weeks, expanding their control along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and capturing the strategic port city of Mokha.
Their advances have heightened concerns over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and a major route for international trade and energy shipments.
The developments have also added pressure to regional oil markets, with concerns over threats to shipping and energy infrastructure contributing to a rise in oil prices.
Saudi strikes hit Mokha
Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes against the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha on Tuesday, killing at least six people and wounding eight others, according to the Houthi-affiliated Saba news agency.
Saba reported that the casualties included civilians, among them two children and a woman. The reported casualties have not been independently verified.
The strikes followed a Houthi attack on Riyadh on Saturday, the first reported Houthi strike targeting the Saudi capital in years and a significant escalation in the confrontation between the two sides.
The war in Yemen began in 2014 after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa. Saudi Arabia subsequently led a coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government from 2015.
The conflict was largely frozen after a truce in 2022, but fighting has intensified again since July, according to reports.
The renewed fighting has revived concerns over Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, which developed into one of the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies during years of war.
UK, France offer support
The escalation has prompted Britain and France to signal increased support for Saudi Arabia.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK would provide limited defensive military support to Saudi Arabia, including air-to-air refueling for Saudi aircraft operating against the Houthi threat. The assistance is initially expected to last several weeks.
France has also indicated that it is prepared to help secure Saudi energy infrastructure targeted by the Houthis, while emphasizing that any involvement would remain strictly defensive and would not constitute participation in the conflict with the group.
The Houthis have previously targeted Saudi energy infrastructure, including facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu. Riyadh has also said that the East-West Pipeline, an important route for transporting crude oil across Saudi Arabia, was shut down following drone attacks launched from Iraq.
Riyadh seeks US support
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump on Sunday and requested American support against the Houthis, according to a source in Alimi’s office cited by AFP.
The source said Trump did not promise military assistance, describing the conversation as a show of solidarity with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also urged Trump to take action against the Houthis, according to US media reports. Axios reported that Trump had considered military strikes against the group but ultimately decided against launching them.
The Houthis’ expanding presence along the Red Sea has increased the strategic importance of the confrontation because of its proximity to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, while the wider regional conflict has also placed pressure on the Strait of Hormuz, another critical energy corridor.
Mecca defense pact under pressure
The escalation also comes as Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan seek to strengthen their collective security through the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, signed on Aug. 7.
Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the three countries is to be regarded as an attack against all three, with the pact aimed at strengthening collective deterrence and defense cooperation.
Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi criticized Saudi Arabia’s military campaign in a speech on Monday, claiming that Riyadh had carried out hundreds of airstrikes and warning Türkiye and Pakistan against becoming involved.
The Houthi advance and the resulting Saudi response are now placing the Makkah defense arrangement under renewed scrutiny, while the G7’s call for an immediate halt to Houthi military actions reflects growing international concern that the Yemen conflict could further widen the already volatile Middle East war.
