Riyadh (South24)

---

Today, the Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Rashad Al-Alimi, lambasted the Iran-backed Houthi militia for their continuing attacks against ships in the Red Sea, during his speech at the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh to discuss the crisis in Gaza and Lebanon.

Al-Alimi said that the Houthi attacks have exacerbated the deterioration of the economic and living conditions in Yemen and the region, and led to the militarization of the seas and were serving "the hostile expansionist interests in the region."

Though the Yemeni official had previously referred to what he described as "Iranian ambitions" behind the Houthi operations, he refrained from mentioning Tehran directly during the summit, which was attended by Mohammad Reza Aref, the First Vice President of Iran.

The PLC Chairman reiterated the Internationally Recognized Yemeni Government’s support for the international efforts to halt the "Israeli aggression" in Palestine and Lebanon, and called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

"Deterring Israel's aggressive behavior will not be achieved through proxy wars, but rather through enhancing stability, resolving internal disputes, and supporting Arab countries and their national identity in the face of armed militias," he added.

Al-Alimi stressed on the centrality of the Palestinian cause in the Arab and Islamic agendas, and emphasized the need for Arab and Islamic efforts to address other regional issues, including Yemen.

The urgent Arab-Islamic summit started today in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with the attendance of several Arab and Muslim leaders to discuss the escalation of tensions in Gaza and Lebanon and the crises in the region.