The United States of America confirmed that ending the Houthi attack on the city of Marib (eastern Yemen) represents an urgent humanitarian priority, while the group launched a new attack on Saudi territory.

"The United States supports the UN Security Council's call for the Houthis to end the attack on Marib, as it is an urgent humanitarian priority because it threatens one million displaced people inside Yemen," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a tweet posted on the ministry’s media office account on Wednesday.

On Saturday, the Security Council condemned, in a special session to discuss the Yemeni crisis, the ongoing escalation in the city of Marib, considering that it exacerbates the humanitarian crisis and threatens the efforts for political settlement, and exposes more than a million displaced persons to a grave danger.

Since last February, the Houthis have stepped up their attacks in Marib in order to control it, as it is the most important stronghold of the Yemeni government and the main headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, in addition to its enjoyment of oil and gas wealth.

Price also called for fuel shipments to be allowed into Yemen on a regular basis to avoid further humanitarian disasters, without further details.

The Houthi-controlled areas suffer from a great shortage of fuel from time to time, while the group accuses both the Arab coalition and the Yemeni government of detaining oil ships and preventing their entry to the port of Hodeidah.

The Yemeni government requires that all revenues from ships entering the port of Hodeidah be deposited in an account that is not under the control of the Houthis and used in the delivery of salaries of employees throughout Yemen.

Houthi offensive

In a related context, Saudi media reported that Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed an explosive drone launched by the Houthis towards the Khamis Mushait area, without providing further details.

For his part, the Houthi military spokesman said that an attack operation was carried out on the King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia, by a drone that targeted an important military site, as he put it.

In turn, the US special envoy to Yemen, Timothy Lenderking, said that there are about 70 thousand American citizens living in Saudi Arabia, and “I fear what we fear will be Americans being killed in a Houthi attack.”

Lenderking told a session of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee that Iran supports the Houthis in many ways, by training, providing them with lethal support, and helping them refine their drones and missile programs.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government announced their support for a comprehensive ceasefire throughout Yemen, and there is now greater acceptance that the Houthis will have a prominent role in the government after the conflict.

He stressed that the United States will continue to pressure Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government to ensure that they take the necessary steps to end the conflict in a responsible manner and alleviate the humanitarian crisis, and he stressed the need for more work to push the Houthis to lay down their weapons and give up in order to bring about peace.

The US special envoy to Yemen welcomed Iran's performance in a constructive role in resolving the conflict in Yemen, if it is ready to play this role, stressing that he has not seen any indication of Iran's performance of this role yet.

Iranian support

In a related context, the economic assistant to the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, Rustam Qasimi, said that "a number of those he described as Iranian experts are in Yemen to provide consultations."

In statements to Russian television, Qasimi denied providing the Houthis with any weapons at this time.

In response to these statements, Yemeni Minister of Information and Culture Muammar Al-Eryani said that the statements re-shed light on the Iranian destabilizing role for the security and stability of Yemen, as he described it.

He added in a tweet on Twitter, that the clear confessions of the Iranian regime's leaders of Tehran's role in the coup, its provision of military support to the Houthi militia, and its involvement in the fighting alongside the Houthis on the ground, all this is a flagrant violation of international laws and charters, and a flagrant defiance of the will of the international community.

Yemen has been witnessing a war for nearly 7 years, which has claimed the lives of more than 233,000 people, and 80% of the population of about 30 million people are dependent on support and aid, in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the United Nations.