A Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said it destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the group towards Taif and Yanbu on Saturday, as fighting between the sides continued.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence on Saturday briefly issued alerts warning of potential danger in Taif and Yanbu, as well as the holy city of Makkah and its second-largest city Jeddah.
The service issued notices around 10 minutes later saying the danger had passed. Two children were killed, three civilians wounded and four people abducted in Houthi attacks in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province over 24 hours, a rights group said. In a statement, the Yemen Network for Rights and Freedoms said it had “documented 21 crimes and violations by the Houthis over the past 24 hours in Taiz governorate,” including the firing of around 213 projectiles at residential areas.
“Three civilians, including two women, sustained various injuries, while four other residents were abducted and taken to unknown locations,” the group said.
The network also accused the Houthis of continuing their siege and restrictions on civilian movement and the delivery of essential supplies. It said the Houthis raided and looted three homes in the al-Hujariya area south of Taiz and damaged seven others, including two that were completely destroyed.
The rights group called on the international community to “take action to protect Taiz residents from repeated shelling and the siege,” warning that residents and health facilities were becoming less able to cope with the crisis. The Houthis did not immediately comment on the allegations.
Meanwhile, Pakistan and other countries have called for dialogue, diplomacy and de-escalation to resolve regional conflicts, reaffirming their commitment to efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability, according to a joint statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday. The foreign ministers of Turkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia (R4), along with their counterparts from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, met in Istanbul on Oct 23.
“The ministers discussed various issues of regional and international importance, namely the US-Israel-Iran conflict, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the need for a negotiated two-state solution, the appalling Houthi militia attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Yemen, safety and freedom of navigation, escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and the Black Sea,” the Joint statement said. “They expressed their commitment to continue contributing towards diplomatic efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability in the region and beyond, and addressing the security, economic and trade implications of these issues,” it added.
The ministers agreed on the “urgent need” to address regional conflicts through dialogue, diplomacy and de-escalation. In accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, they emphasised the need to find lasting, negotiated solutions to all outstanding conflicts.
“The ministers agreed to continue the dialogue in this format with a view to preventing conflicts and advancing peace and stability in the region,” the statement concludes. The R4 group, comprising Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, emerged in March and has been focusing on regional security and mediation efforts between the United States and Iran.
A day earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar attended the sixth R4 foreign ministers’ meeting with his Turkish, Egyptian and Saudi counterparts, where they reviewed developments in the Middle East and discussed regional security challenges and conflicts.