Yemen Monitor/Agencies:
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a phone call, discussed cooperation with Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak on Friday to stop attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the region and eliminate their capabilities.
The US State Department said in a statement that the two sides also discussed the importance of ending the Houthi threat to the security of the Red Sea and surrounding waterways.
Both parties expressed concern over the unlawful arrests by the Houthis of diplomats, UN staff, and NGO workers, including current and former US embassy staff in Yemen, as well as the recent arrests of other UN staff.
Secretary Rubio emphasized the importance of President Donald Trump’s executive order re-designating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization as a critical step to limit the group’s influence, expressing his hope to continue supporting the Yemeni government in confronting the Houthis.
