Saudi defense minister reiterates Kingdom’s commitment to supporting Yemen

Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman on Wednesday, in meeting with US special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking, reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting Yemen and promoting dialogue among parties to reach a political solution under UN supervision, he said on messaging platform X.

Saudi Arabia’s defense minister and the Pentagon chief held a call Monday to discuss efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East as the US and Iran-backed proxies engage in tit-for-tat strikes across the region.

“In a call with @SecDef, we reviewed our strategic Saudi-US relations and ways to bolster our defense cooperation. We also discussed recent regional and international developments, as well as the need to de-escalate tensions in the region to achieve security and stability,” Prince Khalid bin Salman said in a post on X.

The Monday calls comes after the top US military general for the Middle East met with Saudi Arabia’s Chief of General Staff, Gen. Fayyad Al-Ruwaili, last week to discuss deepening military and defense ties.

United States Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Gen. Erik Kurilla visited the Kingdom, where they discussed bilateral relations as well as the prospects for cooperation in various fields, a statement from the Saudi Defense Ministry said.