Saudi and French Officials Urge a Diplomatic Resolution to The Regional Crisis
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and France on Monday urged diplomatic measures to curb regional disputes and ensure maritime security in the wake of increased attacks by Yemen-based Houthis.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi foreign minister, and his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, reviewed new regional developments and efforts to alleviate the consequences of ongoing crises at a meeting in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency said.
France’s sympathy with the Kingdom was also reiterated by Barrot who denounced the recent Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia. The ministers also reiterated the urgent need to defend regional waterways and freedom of passage, and to support diplomatic efforts to seek comprehensive and durable solutions to regional challenges.
The conference comes amid a recent uptick in Houthi missile and drone assaults on Saudi Arabia, including strikes targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, one of which on Oct. 10 killed 12 people and injured more than 300, authorities in the Kingdom said. One individual was alleged to have later died from injuries. France criticized the attack, which wounded a French national, and asked that the Houthis stop their strikes.
The escalating fighting has also raised fears about maritime security off Yemen’s coast in the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, an important shipping lane between the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal. France is involved in the EU’s Aspides naval mission, begun in early 2024 to safeguard commercial ships from Houthi threats in the Red Sea.
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