Guterres and GCC Chief Condemn Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia at New York Meeting

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has hosted the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim al-Budaiwi, in New York on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Al Jazeera reports.

Both condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the targeting of civilian objectives, as well as the threat they pose to security and stability in the region, the GCC announced. They also reviewed cooperation between the council and the UN and discussed ways to strengthen it, alongside a number of other regional issues.

Guterres praised the Gulf states for their development and for regional and international efforts to promote security, according to the GCC. The meeting takes place amid a dangerous escalation between the Iranian-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with missile and drone attacks hitting Riyadh, Taif, Bisha, Farasan and Yanbu, while the Saudi coalition has intensified airstrikes in Yemen.

The escalation has prompted Washington to issue security alerts for U.S. citizens in nine Middle East countries, warning that the conflict “has the potential to escalate quickly” — while diplomatic talks to end the U.S.–Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled.

Source: Al Jazeera