Newsletters
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said Monday that he spoke by phone with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about defense cooperation between the two countries and growing security concerns in the region, including continued attacks on the kingdom by Yemen’s Houthi group.
Prince Khalid announced the call on the US social media platform X. He said the two officials reviewed the “strategic defense cooperation” between Saudi Arabia and the United States.
The Saudi minister said the conversation also covered wider developments. “We also discussed regional and global developments, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region and the continued Houthi terrorist attacks against the Kingdom,” he wrote.
1 min read
His post did not say whether any new agreements or commitments came out of the call. It also gave no details about the attacks he referred to.
The call came as fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition has intensified. The coalition backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
The Houthis are a Yemeni armed movement that controls Sanaa, the capital, and other parts of the country. Riyadh describes the group as a terrorist organization, as Prince Khalid’s wording reflects.
Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition against the Houthis since March 2015. The intervention followed the group’s seizure of Sanaa and other areas in 2014. The Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, have held much of northern Yemen since then.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
