Marco Rubio: The United States will fulfill its obligations towards Saudi Arabia amid the Houthi escalation

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States will fulfill its "commitments" to Saudi Arabia amid an escalation in the region by the Iran-backed Houthis.

Rubio told Fox and Friends on Tuesday, “We are working to see if this matter can be addressed, but ultimately, if necessary, the United States will always stand by and support Saudi Arabia, because we have an agreement with them to do so.”

Rubio is currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly meetings.

He continued: "However, it is a very complex and dangerous conflict that - as you clearly know - predates our history, as we have a history with the Houthis as well. It is something that we do not want to see its repercussions extend to affect the Red Sea or the Saudi economy."

Rubio added: “I cannot discuss all the ongoing talks with Saudi Arabia in this context or in any public forum, but suffice it to say that we will fulfill our obligations towards them, which is what we are already doing.”

His statements come at a time when the United States has not yet taken any direct military action (combat operations) against the Yemeni rebel group, despite Saudi demands to do so, but it has provided intelligence and logistical support regarding identifying targets.

President Donald Trump - who is scheduled to meet Gulf leaders later today - has publicly played down the possibility of providing direct US military support.

In a related context, Reuters reported that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that he had agreed to provide “defense air refueling services” for Saudi fighters for a limited period.

The Houthis have made significant gains in recent weeks and launched attacks targeting Saudi territory.

Rubio indicated on Fox that this is a “dangerous conflict.”

He said: "The matter is not limited to the Houthis; the Iraqi 'Hezbollah Brigades' - an Iranian proxy - also fired their fire towards Saudi Arabia, which led to their main pipeline stopping work. That pipeline must be restarted."