First contact between Saudi and Iranian diplomatic leaders amid intensifying Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Iran willing to support Saudi-Yemen dialogue... Discussing ways to ease tensions

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwak Min-seo = Reuters reported on the 11th (local time) that Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers discussed ways to ease tensions in the region amid intensifying attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting mainland Saudi Arabia.

According to Saudi Arabia's state-run news agency, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan discussed the recent intensification of the regional conflict and efforts to ease tensions in a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

In this regard, Minister Aragchi said on Telegram, "Iran is ready to help Saudi Arabia and Yemen open dialogue and achieve a political solution."

This is the first time that contact between the foreign ministers of the two countries has been publicly confirmed since the pro-Iran Houthi rebels intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is supporting government forces in the Yemeni civil war, and the Houthi rebels are known to be a pro-Iranian proxy force supported by Iran.

This contact took place amid heightened tensions in the region as attacks by Houthi rebels resulted in large-scale civilian casualties in Saudi Arabia.

Houthi rebels have attacked the Saudi mainland several times in the past week, and in particular, an attack targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on the 10th killed 13 people and injured more than 300.

In addition to the four Saudis, the dead included people from the United States, Bangladesh, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Egypt, and India.

The death toll was initially counted at 12, but the death toll increased to 13 when the Indian Embassy announced that one Indian had died among the injured.

Houthi rebels also predicted additional attacks.

According to the Houthi rebels' Sabah news agency, Yahya Sari, a spokesman for the Houthi rebels' military organization, said on

Spokesperson Sari emphasized, "All airports in Saudi Arabia, except for the Islamic holy sites of Mecca and Medina, are targets of attack and operational stages for our military," and added, "Saudi Arabia is responsible for all consequences arising from the failure to intercept."