Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Tuesday that the kingdom remains committed to diplomatic solutions but will not hesitate to protect its interests and security, following an overnight Houthi attack. "I am not saying that the path of diplomacy is closed," he said, according to N12. The remarks follow a Foreign Ministry condemnation earlier today that reported 73 civilians wounded in the attack.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said today, Tuesday, that the door to diplomacy remains open but the kingdom will not hesitate to defend itself, following the overnight Houthi attack that struck civilian and economic sites across southern Saudi Arabia.
"I am not saying that the path of diplomacy is closed," Prince Faisal said, according to N12. "The kingdom will always be supportive of peace and diplomatic solutions, but it will not hesitate to defend itself, will not hesitate to protect its interests." The remarks follow a morning of rapid escalation, with the Foreign Ministry at 06:46 Jerusalem condemning the attack and reporting 73 civilians wounded in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran. By early Tuesday, 40 Saudi fighter jets had carried out retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi targets inside Yemen, as reported by the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar.
The Zioneer thread on this escalation began at 06:46 Jerusalem with initial reports from the Israeli monitoring outlet Abu Ali Express detailing Houthi ballistic missile and drone strikes on military and economic sites. The Saudi-led coalition confirmed the attacks, and the government later verified the 73-casualty figure. The Foreign Ministry's formal condemnation followed, and the retaliatory airstrikes marked the first kinetic response. Reporting evolved from single-source alerts to official Saudi confirmation across multiple government channels.
The broader context includes repeated Houthi strikes on Saudi territory in recent weeks, as The Zioneer has reported. On July 31, The Zioneer noted Saudi Arabia's reported preparations for a sea and ground offensive in central Yemen to break the Houthi oil blockade, and the formation of a multinational maritime coalition. Prince Faisal himself, in a June 18 interview cited by The Zioneer, described Israel as "part of the region" and warned that a military-only approach would fail, while highlighting a "crisis of trust" with Iran. Regional support has also emerged: Bahrain and Kuwait welcomed a UN Security Council condemnation of Houthi attacks on August 9, and Pakistan condemned drone strikes on July 27.
The extent of damage from the overnight strikes and whether the Saudi military campaign will expand beyond airstrikes remain unconfirmed. The trajectory of the diplomatic channel, including ongoing Saudi-Iran rapprochement efforts, remains uncertain amid the sharp escalation.
7 developments
- DevelopingSaudi Arabia warns Houthis: 'We will respond forcefully to any attempt to harm the kingdom'
- DevelopingSaudi FM: Stability cannot be achieved through military force alone
- DevelopingHouthi foreign ministry warns Saudi Arabia, threatens regime collapse
- DevelopingHouthi foreign ministry warns Saudi Arabia: disrupting Sanaa airport will have consequences
Source and signal
- Open-source intake