Jassem Mohammed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, according to available information, said on Saturday that the council’s member states stood united with Saudi Arabia and fully supported the measures it was taking to protect its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, following Houthi attacks targeting the cities of Riyadh and Khamis Mushait with ballistic missiles and drones.
Albudaiwi strongly condemned the attacks, saying the escalation constituted a violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and a direct threat to the security and safety of civilians, as well as affecting regional stability. In his statement, he called on “the international community to adopt a firm stance that puts an end to the repeated terrorist Houthi attacks and holds those responsible for them accountable for their actions”.
Coalition announces interception of four aerial attacks
The GCC statement came after the coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen announced overnight from Friday to Saturday that it had intercepted and destroyed two drones which it said the Houthis had launched towards the Riyadh region. The coalition also announced the interception of two ballistic missiles launched by the group towards Khamis Mushait. Hours before the GCC position, the UN Security Council had condemned the Houthis’ continued attacks against Saudi Arabia.
The council called on the group to halt the military escalation and attacks targeting civilians and civilian facilities. Riyadh had hosted an emergency meeting on Friday of the chiefs of staff of the states party to the Mecca Pact for Joint Defence: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye.
Defence meeting to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s protection
The defence leaders reviewed the security situation and the threats facing the Kingdom during the meeting. The participants affirmed their commitment to collective defence, reflecting the three countries’ determination to defend Saudi Arabia’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Saudi Ministry of Defence said the meeting stressed the shared determination to begin immediately transforming the commitments set out in the Mecca Pact for Joint Defence into effective military cooperation.
