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Jordan, Bahrain, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Gulf Cooperation Council chief Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia on Saturday, expressing solidarity with Riyadh and warning that strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure threaten regional security.
The statements came as Saudi Civil Defense issued two alerts in Riyadh, two in Al-Kharj and one in Farasan. Authorities did not identify the nature of the threats or report casualties or damage.
Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Fouad Al-Majali said Amman stood in “absolute” solidarity with Saudi Arabia and supported measures taken to protect its sovereignty, security, stability and citizens.
Jordan said Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh and condemned attempts to strike civilians and civilian infrastructure in Baysh, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu as violations of Saudi sovereignty, international law and the U.N. Charter.
Bahrain also condemned what it described as an escalation in Iranian-backed Houthi attacks and expressed full support for Saudi measures to protect its territory, citizens and residents.
Manama urged the U.N. Security Council to take a firm position against the attacks and hold those responsible accountable.
Guterres and Albudaiwi also condemned the attacks during a meeting in New York on the sidelines of the 81st U.N. General Assembly.
According to the GCC Secretariat General, the two officials condemned what they called deliberate targeting of civilian objects and warned that the attacks posed a serious threat to regional peace and security.
They also discussed U.N.-GCC cooperation, geopolitical developments and diplomatic efforts on regional issues. Guterres praised the progress of GCC member states and their role in promoting stability.
Saturday’s warnings followed a broader series of alerts Friday across seven Saudi cities and governorates.
Saudi authorities said Thursday that one person was killed and two were injured by debris from a Houthi drone intercepted over Taif.
The Houthis later said they had “foiled” what they described as “criminal attempts” by Saudi Arabia in Sanaa, without providing details. Saudi authorities did not link that claim to the alerts.
The Houthis have issued repeated threats and carried out missile and drone attacks and, on July 20, announced what they called a “maritime blockade” of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthis since March 2015. The group has controlled Sanaa and several Yemeni provinces since September 2014.
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