Abu Dhabi: The recent Al Houthi assault on Marib sparked a wave of widespread criticism in the US Congress.
Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator Bob Menendez, called on the international community to strongly condemn the attack. Menendez said the attack proves that the Houthis are not interested in achieving peace and do not have the responsibility required to govern.
“The international community should broadly condemn the brutal Houthi attack on civilians in Marib, which had no legitimate military objective,” Menendez tweeted.
“This is not the behavior of a group that cares about peace or seeks responsible governance,” Menendez added.
For his part, the top Republican in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, condemned the Al Houthi attack. Rich said the occurrence of such an attack during the Omani mediation indicates that the Al Houthis do not want to commit to peace.
“I was stunned by the extent of the brutality shown by the Iranian-backed Houthis during their recent assault on Marib, which killed at least 17 people, including a child,” Rich tweeted.
“The occurrence of an attack of this kind during the Omani mediation reflects the Houthis’ continued failure to commit to peace in Yemen,” Rich said.
Last month, a group of Democratic and Republican members of Congress called on the Al Houthis in a joint statement to immediately end the attacks on Marib.
These prominent leaders of the two parties said: “The Houthis’ continuous assault on Marib is a catastrophe that leads to an escalation of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. We call on the Houthis to immediately end this siege.”
The statement, written by leaders of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives, urged all parties to the conflict to reach a ceasefire agreement, considering that “there is an urgent need to stop the fighting to avoid further suffering among the innocent Yemenis.”
The commander of the US Central Command, General Kenneth McKenzie Jr., said in previous statements that it is clear that the Al Houthis are obstructing the peace process in Yemen and thus prolonging the suffering of millions of people.
“We are in a difficult phase of the crisis in Yemen, and I am personally convinced that Saudi Arabia is seeking a responsible political end to the conflict. I am convinced that they are ready to take important steps to achieve this.”
The US general accused the Al Houthis of being “unwilling to seize the moment.”
“I hope that their pride and desire to seek a purely military solution to this conflict will not overpower the opportunity that we have now,” he said.
US State Department said in a statement after the return of Washington’s envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, that the Al Houthis “bear a great responsibility for refusing to engage meaningfully in the ceasefire, and for taking steps to resolve the conflict that has been going on for nearly seven years, which has brought unbelievable suffering.” It can be imagined for the Yemeni people.”
The statement acknowledged that the Al Houthis are continuing their devastating attack on Marib, which the international community condemns, leaving the Houthis increasingly isolated.
