UNITED NATIONS
\nThe United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday condemned escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen\u2019s Houthis in a rare show of unity, as the kingdom\u2019s top religious authority urged soldiers to lay down their lives fighting the group.
\nThe Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, hitting tankers and seizing swathes of Yemen\u2019s Red Sea coast vital for oil exports. The escalation caused energy prices to jump and threatens a humanitarian crisis, with 125,000 displaced across Yemen since early September.
\n\u201cThe members of the Security Council condemned, in the strongest terms, continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including attacks impacting civilian and energy infrastructure, which have resulted in the injury of civilians, including women and children,\u201d said French UN envoy Jerome Bonnafont, the council\u2019s rotating president.
\nThe body demanded the Houthis immediately cease military escalation and uphold navigation rights.
\nBarham Salih, the UN\u2019s refugee chief, told the council that ordinary Yemenis were paying the heaviest price for the conflict, with growing numbers crossing into Dji\u00adbouti to escape the fighting. \u201cMore crossings are reported to be underway,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mufti\u2019s message
\nMeanwhile, Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan called on soldiers in the kingdom to be ready to lay down their lives to fight the Houthis until the group is ousted from power, a statement posted on the Saudi state news agency said.
\n\u201cProtecting this great nation \u2026 and punishing anyone who seeks to lay a hand on even an inch of its territory are among the greatest duties and most virtuous acts of devotion, for which lives and souls may be sacrificed in seeking God\u2019s pleasure,\u201d the mufti said.
\nThe rare and strongly worded message by Saudi grand mufti drew heavily on Quranic verses and recorded sayings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) related to sacrifice and struggle in defence of God.
\nThe statement follows the loss of the strategically vital Bab al-Mandeb strait to Houthi forces. Restoring the Saudi-backed Yemeni government\u2019s authority, the mufti said, was \u201camong the most pressing obligations\u201d facing the kingdom.
\n\u201cWe ask God Almighty to grant you all his support, and to protect our countries and beloved Yemen from all harm,\u201d he added.
\n\u201cWe also ask him to bring about the complete defeat of the Houthi group and those who assist and support them.\u201d
\nThe development follows a series of recent claims by Saudi state media linking the Houthis to attacks on religious sites.
\nState television has aired footage said to show a Houthi strike on a mosque in southern Saudi Arabia, while Saudi officials have accused the group of targeting Makkah, Islam\u2019s holiest site.
\nAddressing troops directly, the mufti closed with an appeal to religious duty: \u201cIt is incumbent upon you \u2026 to remain constantly prepared to perform your duty, to obey the rulers and your field commanders, and to carry out orders with the utmost precision. You are following in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet\u2019s (PBUH) companions, defending the sacred sites of Muslims.\u201d
\nThe recent fighting is the latest episode in 12 years of civil war in Yemen which had largely been frozen since a 2022 ceasefire, but has escalated again and has become linked to the wider Iran war.
\nObservers have been questioning whether Saudi Arabia will launch a broader military operation along with Yemeni government forces it backs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday condemned escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen\u2019s Houthis in a rare show of unity, as the kingdom\u2019s top religious authority urged soldiers to lay down their lives fighting the group. The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, hitting tankers and seizing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":569274,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-569266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n