Feb 10, 2022: Joe Biden has reiterated the US’ commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia against attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen, the White House said, as the US president spoke by telephone with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Wednesday’s call came as the Houthis stepped up drone and missile strikes against Saudi Arabia and began targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Riyadh’s main ally in the region.

The White House issued a statement after the call saying, “The president underscored the US commitment to support Saudi Arabia in the defense of its people and territory from these attacks and full support for UN-led efforts to end the war in Yemen.”

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s official news agency, SPA, said King Salman during the call with Biden lauded the US president for “standing with the kingdom and meeting its defensive needs”.

The Saudi-led and US-backed coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to push back Yemeni rebels, who have seized much of the country, including the capital Sanaa, and the Gulf-backed government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi was restored.

The war has brought Yemen to the brink of famine, which the United Nations has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The coalition accuses the rebels of being Iran’s proxy – an allegation both Houthis and Tehran deny. On Wednesday, the White House called the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia “Iranian-backed.”

The Houthis also carried out a drone and missile attack in Abu Dhabi on January 17, killing three people, and several similar attacks later targeted the Gulf state. Late last month, the U.S. military said it had helped shoot down two Houthi missiles targeting an airbase outside the UAE capital that hosts U.S. troops, and last week announced that it will deploy a destroyer and fighter jets to show support for Abu Dhabi.

President Joe Biden, who has pledged to keep human rights at the center of US foreign policy, faced domestic pressure to push the Kingdom on its rights record and help broker a solution to the ongoing conflict in Yemen. He promised to mend Washington’s ties with Riyadh amid the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and growing Democrat anger over the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

In February last year, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Biden would engage with Saudi Arabia “counterpart to his counterpart” – and “the president’s counterpart is King Salman.”

A few weeks in to his presidency, Biden announced the end of US aid to Saudi Arabia’s “offensive operations” in Yemen, as well as the “sale of related weapons,” but reiterated his commitment to the kingdom’s security. Since then, Biden’s administration has begun a $650 million sale of air-to-air missiles to Riyadh, as well as a $500 million helicopter maintenance deal drawing criticism from activists.

The White House readout of Wednesday’s call between Biden and King Salman did not mention any discussions on human rights between the two leaders.

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