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The United States reaffirmed its support for Yemen in confronting Houthi attacks, with Washington highlighting maritime security and counterterrorism among its priorities in the country.
U.S. Mission to Yemen Charge d'Affaires Neil Hop made the remarks Sunday during his first meeting with Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
In a statement on X, the U.S. Embassy said Hop outlined U.S. President Donald Trump's policy priorities and affirmed support for partnerships with Yemen on maritime security and counterterrorism.
The embassy said Hop also supported efforts to combat what the U.S. mission called "Iran-backed Houthi aggression" that threatens Yemen and Washington's regional partners.
The meeting came amid a sharp escalation in fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis, reaching levels not seen since a United Nations-brokered truce took effect in 2022.
Earlier Sunday, at least seven civilians were killed and around 35 others injured in a Houthi attack on the strategic Mokha port near the Bab el-Mandab Strait and nearby residential areas, according to official Yemeni media.
Government forces said they downed 11 Houthi drones involved in the attack and destroyed a booby-trapped boat that attempted to strike the port.
Yemen's Houthi group later carried out fresh ballistic missile and drone attacks on Mokha, hours after strikes on the city and its port killed seven people and wounded 30 others, according to the Yemeni military.
The Armed Forces Media Center said residential areas were targeted in the latest attacks, while air defenses intercepted several drones.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the latest strikes.
Earlier Sunday, Houthi strikes hit Mokha port and nearby residential areas, killing four military personnel and three civilians and wounding 30 people, most of them civilians, according to Yemeni military spokesman Col. Majed al-Nuzayli.
The military said the strikes targeted civilian neighborhoods, homes, infrastructure, power generation facilities and other civilian sites, as well as military positions.
It described the attacks as a "clear violation of international humanitarian law."
Government forces also intercepted and shot down 11 Houthi drones over the city that were involved in the attack, according to the Yemeni military.
Nuzayli said most of the wounded were discharged after receiving treatment and accused the Houthis of continuing to target civilians, civilian facilities and infrastructure.
He said Yemen's armed forces would respond to such attacks and work to prevent further Houthi strikes while protecting civilians.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the earlier attack, with military spokesman Yahya Saree saying ballistic missiles and drones targeted Saudi military concentrations and weapons depots in the Mokha area.
The latest escalation follows a series of Houthi attacks on Yemeni government positions in recent days, raising concerns about a renewed escalation in the country's conflict.
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Fighting has periodically intensified along several Yemeni fronts since last month, leaving dozens of people dead and wounded on both sides.
Mokha lies near the Bab el-Mandab Strait, a strategic maritime chokepoint connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The port is controlled by Yemeni government forces and is strategically important because of its proximity to one of the world's key maritime shipping routes.
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