Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said Monday that he spoke by phone with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about bilateral defense cooperation and escalating regional security concerns, including ongoing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group against the Kingdom.
– Prince Khalid said they reviewed the strategic defense cooperation between the two countries.
– “We also discussed regional and global developments, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region and the continued Houthi terrorist attacks against the Kingdom,” he said on the US social media platform X.
– The phone call came amid escalating hostilities between the Houthi group and the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
– Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition against the Houthis since March 2015 after the group seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa and other parts of the country in 2014.