(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Friday his country backs up the efforts of Saudi Arabia to protect its security against the threats posed by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Speaking to reporters, Earnest said: "The thing that we have articulated is that we strongly support the efforts of the Saudis, who are reacting to legitimate concerns that they have about the security situation along their border.
"The Saudis have indicated a willingness and a desire to begin to deescalate their operations. But they have not seen a corresponding commitment to de-escalation on the part of the Houthis," he pointed out.
"In fact, we see the Houthis continue to carry out offensive military operations, particularly in the neighborhoods of Aden and places like Marib and Taiz.
"We continue to be concerned about that because it's the view of the United States that this violence needs to stop so that we can do two critically important things.
"The first is to respond to the dire humanitarian situation that exists in Yemen right now. There are millions of people who are caught in the crossfire and we continue to be very concerned about their well-being.
"We know that the supply of food and fuel and other critical needs are - has been interrupted. And we're concerned about the impact that's having on the local population there," he went on.
"The second - this is also critically important - is we understand that this situation will not be resolved militarily. And it's why we're calling for the rapid and unconditional resumption of all-party negotiations in Yemen.
"But that obviously is going to require all parties in Yemen to demonstrate a commitment to those talks. And as long as the Houthis continue to engage in violence and other military actions, it's going to prevent these two important things from happening," he added. (end) yt.gb
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