Arabic version: مجموعة السبع تحث إيران على إنهاء دعم الحوثيين

According to BBC News, the foreign ministers of the G7 nations said Iran must “end its arming of and support” for the Houthis in Yemen. In a joint statement issued after a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, they also condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia “in the strongest terms.”

The ministers from the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States called on the Houthis to immediately halt military actions, threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith. They said the recent escalation in fighting against Saudi-backed forces in Yemen threatened regional and global energy security.

Thousands of refugees have fled Yemen in recent days after the Iran-backed group seized territory on the country’s Red Sea coastline, including areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical global trade shipping route. The UN estimates that more than 120,000 Yemenis have been displaced by the sudden increase in fighting along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

Meanwhile, at least six people were killed in Saudi strikes on the strategic Yemeni city of Mokha, AFP reported, citing Houthi-affiliated media. Two children and a woman were reported among the dead, while eight people were injured. The Houthis seized Mokha from pro-government forces earlier this month, and Saudi Arabia had not commented on the reported strikes.

Saudi Arabia has responded to the Houthi advance with hundreds of air strikes, while the Houthis have launched hundreds of drones and missiles at cities and infrastructure in south-western Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh. Tehran has previously denied supplying weapons to the Houthis, saying it supports them politically.