Houthis must cease strikes against Saudi Arabia - G7

The foreign ministers of the G7 have condemned the "unacceptable continued strikes" waged from Yemen against Saudi Arabia and urged the Iran-backed group to immediately hold fire.

"We call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith," the leaders representing Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States said in a statement.

They also called on Iran "to end its arming of and support for the Houthis," alleging Iran is in violation of past UN Security Council resolutions.

Earlier, Saudi strikes on the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha killed at least six people and wounded eight others, the Houthi-affiliated news agency Saba reported.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement has staged a lightning offensive in recent weeks to take over Yemen's entire Red Sea coast, including Mokha, leaving the Saudi-backed government scrambling to respond.

The head of Yemen's governing body Rashad al-Alimi held a call with US President Donald Trump to request US support against the pro-Iranian fighters, a source in Mr Alimi's office said.

Mr Trump did not promise military support, the source said, adding that the call took place on Sunday and was intended as a show of solidarity with Yemen's embattled government.

US media has reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also urged Mr Trump to strike the Houthis.

Yesterday, media reports said that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed to give military support to Saudi Arabia.

Gains made by Yemen's Houthis have cemented Iran and its allies hold over two key waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, that the wider Gulf and top crude exporter Saudi Arabia rely on to ship out its oil.

The war in the Middle East began on 28 February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, after which the Islamic republic responded with attacks around the region.

Iran-backed groups including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon also later became involved.

The war in impoverished Yemen, which began in 2014 with the Houthi capture of the capital Sanaa, had been largely frozen since 2022 but resumed in July.

Saudi Arabia has led a coalition backing the internationally recognised government since 2015. Its intervention escalated the war, which has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.