Washington: Secretary of State Rubio discussed with Yemeni Prime Minister cooperation to stop Houthi attacks

The United States of America announced that its Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, discussed with the Yemeni Prime Minister, Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, aspects of cooperation to stop the Houthi attacks in the region and eliminate their capabilities.

A statement by the US State Department said that Rubio and Bin Mubarak discussed during a phone call on Friday "the importance of ending the Houthi threat to maritime security in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways."

He added that the discussions addressed shared concerns about the Houthis' unlawful detentions of diplomatic, UN and NGO personnel, including current and former Yemeni staff at the US Mission to Yemen, as well as the recent detentions of additional UN staff.

The US State Department indicated in its statement that Minister Rubio highlighted the President's executive order to redesignate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization as a critical step toward curbing the group, and expressed his aspiration to continue supporting the Government of the Republic of Yemen in confronting the Houthis.

On Wednesday, the United States re-designated the Houthi militia as a foreign terrorist group, and US officials said the Trump administration would cooperate with the Yemeni government to defeat the Houthis.