Saudi Arabia has strongly denied a media report claiming that Yemen’s Houthi movement demanded $51 billion from the kingdom in exchange for ending hostilities and securing official recognition as Yemen’s ruling authority.
A report published by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday claimed that Saudi Arabia had approached the Houthis to explore the possibility of negotiating an end to the conflict. According to unnamed sources cited in the report, the group demanded $51 billion and sought formal recognition as Yemen’s governing authority.
However, Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Rayed Krimly categorically rejected the allegations, describing the reported demands as fabricated.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Krimly said the claims were entirely baseless and had been invented by the journalists or their alleged sources.
He accused the Houthi movement of undermining Yemen’s internationally recognised government, worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis and dragging its population into conflicts that did not serve their interests.
Krimly also accused the group of attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea, targeting civilian and economic infrastructure, and obstructing peace initiatives. He emphasised that Yemen already had an internationally recognised government.
The media report and Saudi Arabia’s denial come amid renewed tensions between Riyadh and the Houthis, against the backdrop of the wider Middle East conflict.
The regional conflict escalated on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with attacks across the region.
Tensions in Yemen intensified again in July when the Houthis allowed an Iranian aircraft to land in the country in defiance of Saudi restrictions on Yemeni airspace.
In response, Saudi Arabia launched an airstrike targeting the airport, triggering further exchanges that undermined the 2022 truce in Yemen’s prolonged civil war.
Since then, the Houthis have announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia and carried out attacks against Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, as well as targets inside Saudi territory.
