The United States called on the Houthi group in Yemen to end military operations, stop the advance towards Marib, and return to negotiations, in light of the escalation of the Houthis at home, and the launch of a series of drone attacks against Saudi Arabia.

The US State Department said in a statement today, Tuesday, that the Houthi attack on Marib is the work of a group not committed to peace or ending the war that afflicted the people of Yemen, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department said that the Houthi group had been removed from the terrorism list, and confirmed that the Americans could conduct transactions with the Houthis, provided they did not include people covered by sanctions.

And the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, announced - in previous statements - that the Houthi group had been removed from the terrorism list, starting today, Tuesday, with Houthi leaders remaining under UN sanctions, which was described by the leader of the group, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, as positive.

Blinken urged all parties to work towards a lasting political solution in Yemen, and said that canceling the designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group aims to ensure that Washington's policies do not impede the provision of humanitarian aid, and stressed that a political solution is the only way to end the crisis.

He added that Washington will continue to draw attention to the destabilizing activity of the Houthi group, and to pressure it to change its behavior, as well as his country's commitment to helping its Gulf partners to defend themselves against the threats that Iran supports in Yemen.

Houthi escalation

During the recent period, the Houthis intensified their attacks to impose a siege on the city of Ma'rib (east), the last of the strongholds, controlled by forces loyal to the recognized government in the north, in preparation for the attempt to storm it, amid violent battles that left dozens of dead on both sides in the past hours.

The deputy speaker of the Yemeni parliament warned of the fall of Marib at the hands of the Houthis, at a time when members of parliament demanded the government to withdraw from the Stockholm Agreement, which was concluded with the group in 2018.

For lack of commitment by the Houthis to it.

The Houthi takeover of Marib would deal a heavy blow to the government backed by a Saudi-led military coalition since March 2015, as northern Yemen would be completely under their control.

Yesterday, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, expressed his grave concern over the military escalation in Marib, and its possible repercussions on the humanitarian situation.

The Houthis are seeking to control Marib before entering into any new talks with the recognized government, especially in light of US President Joe Biden's administration pressures to push for a political solution.

The Saudi front

On an external front, the Houthi group has recently stepped up its drone attacks on Saudi territory, especially Abha airport (in the south of the kingdom).

Saudi state television announced today that Saudi defenses destroyed a drone bomb launched by the Houthis towards Abha International Airport.

The television added that the plane's shrapnel was scattered around the airport, without expecting any injuries or losses.

Saudi media quoted the coalition as saying that the Houthi escalation by targeting civilians was planned by Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders in Sanaa.

In a previous interview with Al-Jazeera, Salem Al-Yami, a former advisor to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said to Al-Jazeera that the attacks carried out by the Houthi group against Saudi Arabia have limited impact.

But it is strong in its political content and its regional dimension, as he put it.

On the other hand, Nasreddin Amer, Undersecretary of the Information Ministry of the Houthis, said that Saudi airports are military airports, not civilian ones.

During an interview with Al-Jazeera in a previous publication, the Houthi official denied any agreement with the Saudi-Emirati coalition regarding de-escalation.

The Houthi official called on the Yemeni government to return to the dialogue table in order to end the conflict.

In Tehran, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said that there is no military solution to the Yemeni crisis, and that Tehran hopes that the US position (removing the Houthis from the terrorism list) will contribute to stopping the war in Yemen.

Rabiei added that the countries that started the war in Yemen must stop it, and that Iran is ready to cooperate with the United Nations to end this war.