(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is committed to the defense of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf allies that face threats from Yemeni Houthi fighters, a U.S. official said Monday, as a fragile truce took hold in Yemen's war.
“The U.S. has provided very strong assurances,” Timothy Lenderking, Washington's envoy to Yemen, told Bloomberg TV, that have been “backed up by appropriate defensive military sales and that should serve as a strong deterrent for further attacks from Yemen.”
A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition has been battling the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen since 2015, with the war spilling into neighboring countries. The Houthis have escalated attacks on Saudi energy and military facilities, as well as this year launching their first deadly attack on the UAE.
Saudi officials issued a blunt warning late last month that oil exports may be disrupted unless its Western allies do more to help. The deepening insecurity has coincided with growing Gulf concerns over currently stalled U.S.-led efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal.
Regional powers argue the 2015 accord failed to address worries over Iran's ballistic missile capabilities or its support for militias, including the Houthis, and have been pushing Washington to bolster defensive support.
“I think this step on Yemen definitely solidifies even further the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia and the UAE and I think that's a very important dimension,” Lenderking said. “So all in all this a very strong positive for the region.”
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The United Nations announced all Yemen's fighting factions had agreed to a two-month cease-fire that started Saturday as Muslims mark the Ramadan religious holiday.
However on Monday, Yemeni government media accused the Houthis of violating the truce 44 times in Hodeidah, Taiz and Marib provinces. Previous attempts to end the war, which has plunged Yemen into a humanitarian disaster, have failed.
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