Blinken urges Iran-backed Houthi militia to halt offensive

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged the Iran-backed Houthi militia to halt their offensive in northern Yemen, as he announced $191 million in aid at a donor conference, AFP reported.

The Houthis last month resumed a push to capture Marib city, which lies close to some of Yemen’s richest oil fields, AFP reported,

Blinken pledged the humanitarian assistance at a virtual donors’ conference co-hosted by Sweden and Switzerland, which aims to raise $3.85 billion to prevent large-scale famine engulfing the country.

But he warned that the suffering would not stop until a political solution is found between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

“Aid alone will not end the conflict. We can only end the humanitarian crisis in Yemen by ending the war… so the United States is reinvigorating our diplomatic efforts to end the war,” he said.

Blinken called on the Houthis to cease the cross-border attacks and military offensives that he said had prolonged the war.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly been targeted by missile attacks claimed by the Houthis.