The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has formally condemned ongoing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia, pledging full support for the kingdom. Following a ministerial meeting in Manama, Bahrain, the bloc—comprising Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—invoked a collective defense agreement, asserting that an assault on one member nation is an attack on all six. According to the statement, An attack on any member affected all six, invoking a joint defence agreement and backing Saudi Arabia’s right to protect itself. This latest phase of the war followed Houthi gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month.
This unified stance arrived on Sunday shortly after the Saudi-led military coalition reported the interception of two drones near Riyadh and in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Another drone was reportedly downed near the capital earlier that day, though officials have not yet identified the origin of that specific launch.
During their summit, Gulf ministers accused the Houthis of targeting civilian infrastructure and vital facilities.
They called on the international community to tighten the enforcement of United Nations arms embargoes and urged foreign nations to formally classify the Houthi movement as a terrorist organisation.
The ministers also expressed support for the UN Security Council’s October 15 resolution, which condemned the group’s strikes on Saudi soil and their growing threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Pressure is also mounting from the Yemeni government, which sent letters to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council president, Aglaia Balta. Officials specifically highlighted a recent attack on the presidential palace in Aden, the city where the government is currently based. In a related diplomatic development, UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud in Abu Dhabi to review regional security. Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces press offensives on several fronts.
On the ground, combat has intensified as government forces mount counteroffensives to reclaim territory captured by the Houthis since they seized control of Sanaa in 2014. Recent fighting has seen Houthi missile fire directed at Marib, while government troops report tactical gains in Taiz. Despite these claims, which include reports of 12 Houthi fighters killed and eight government soldiers lost in Lahij province, these figures remain unverified. Who seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, government forces launched a counteroffensive intended to recapture territory from the Houthis.
The humanitarian fallout of this intensified warfare is severe, with the International Organization for Migration reporting more than 233,000 people have been uprooted from their homes. Taiz remains the hardest-hit area, currently sheltering 121,000 displaced individuals.
Supply blockades at the city’s western entrance have triggered a dire crisis, as food prices have spiked fivefold and essential cooking gas has become unavailable. The World Health Organization has issued a stark warning regarding the city’s healthcare infrastructure: 12 local hospitals possess only four days of fuel, and surgical supplies have been completely exhausted. Beyond the shortage of medicine and oxygen, the city is also struggling to manage a compounding cholera outbreak.
