Egypt urges political solution to conflict between Saudi Arabia and Houthis

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Thursday said all options must be explored to find a political solution between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia, fighting in Yemen in support of the internationally recognised government, has this month come under near-daily attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis, including a strike on Riyadh's airport that was the kingdom's deadliest in years.

At a press conference where he reiterated solidarity with Saudi Arabia, Abdelatty stressed "the necessity of exploring all avenues for reaching political solutions that guarantee a complete withdrawal from the territories occupied recently".

The Houthis launched a major offensive in September in which they seized Yemeni government-held territory along the Red Sea coast, following the collapse in July of a years-long truce in Yemen's civil war.

The Houthis also declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest exporter of crude, and began hitting its ships, territory and oil facilities.

In response, the Saudi air force has frequently attacked areas under Houthi control, which include much of impoverished Yemen, where more than 250,000 people have been internally displaced by the fighting.