Saudi Arabia warns Houthis: No impunity for heinous crimes and repeated attacks

RIYADH — The Council of Ministers issued a forceful warning that the terrorist Houthi militia will be held fully accountable for the consequences of its crimes and repeated, heinous attacks targeting Saudi Arabia’s airports, the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, visitors to the Two Holy Mosques, and vital civilian and economic infrastructure.Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman chaired the Cabinet session in Riyadh on Tuesday.At the outset of the session, the Cabinet commended the decisive role of the Armed Forces in defending the homeland, safeguarding its gains and resources, and effectively deterring any aggression or threat against its sovereignty and the safety of its citizens and residents. The Cabinet affirmed that these efforts ensure Saudi Arabia remains a bastion of security and stability as it advances toward further progress and prosperity, while maintaining its steadfast commitment to achieving regional and global peace. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said that the Cabinet offered its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the criminal assaults perpetrated by the Houthi militia and wished the injured a speedy recovery. The Cabinet praised the military operations conducted by the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen to neutralize the threats posed by the terrorist Houthi militia against the Yemeni people, international peace and security, global trade, and maritime supply chains.The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom's firm position that it will not tolerate threats to its security or to maritime navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, expressing appreciation for friendly nations and international organizations that condemned the crimes of the rebel coup militia. The Cabinet also commended the successful restoration of crude oil flows through the East-West pipeline by Saudi cadres. It underscored that this rapid restoration highlights the operational agility of the Kingdom's energy sector, its emergency response capabilities, and its technical proficiency, which reinforce the reliability and continuity of supplies to global markets and support the world economy.Al-Dossary said that the Cabinet reviewed the outcomes of recent discussions and meetings held between the Kingdom and friendly nations. These engagements focused on strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation to enhance integration and coordinate responses to shared challenges across various sectors. The Cabinet also reviewed the outcomes of the fifth meeting of the Security Coordination Committee of the Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council, emphasizing the continuation of joint efforts to implement agreed-upon initiatives to serve the shared interests of both peoples, given their deep-rooted fraternal ties. The Cabinet welcomed participants attending the 25th WPC Energy Congress as well as concurrent Arab and international ministerial meetings held in Riyadh this week, emphasizing that hosting these events underscores the Kingdom's role as a global platform for energy dialogue, innovation, partnership-building, and international cooperation. On domestic front, the Cabinet expressed appreciation for the widespread public participation in the 2026 national blood donation campaign, launched by the Crown Prince to promote humanitarian values and achieve self-sufficiency in blood units and components for patients across all regions of the Kingdom. The Cabinet approved Saudi Arabia's accession to the humanitarian funds of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It authorized the minister of culture or his deputy to discuss and sign a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cultural cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Culture of Syria. The Cabinet authorized the minister of environment, water and agriculture and chairman of the board of directors of the National Center for Meteorology or his deputy to discuss and sign a draft MoU between the center and the Middle East Green Initiative in the field of meteorology.The Council approved a memorandum of scientific and educational cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Education and the UNESCO Regional Center for Quality and Excellence in Education, and another MoU in research, development, and innovation between the Saudi Research, Development, and Innovation Authority and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye. The Cabinet approved a model MoU on the rights of persons with disabilities between the Saudi Authority for the Care of People with Disabilities and its counterparts in other countries and international organizations, and authorizing the minister of human resources and social development and chairman of the authority's board of directors or his deputy to discuss and sign with those entities a draft MoU based on the model. The Council authorized the governor of the Saudi Central Bank or his deputy to discuss and sign a draft MoU with the Central Bank of Egypt on cooperation in the supervision and oversight of financial institutions under their respective jurisdictions.The Cabinet approved the Food Security Strategy for the Gulf Cooperation Council member states for use as a guideline for three years. The minister of industry and mineral resources shall serve as chairman of the board of directors of the General Authority of Foreign Trade, and the minister of commerce shall serve as vice chairman.The Cabinet approved the merger of the General Authority of Foreign Trade and the Saudi Export Development Authority into a single entity named the General Authority of Foreign Trade and Export. It directed that the necessary preparations for the merger be undertaken and that any matters requiring statutory action be submitted within 180 days.