Manama [Bahrain], November 1 (ANI): Yemen's Foreign Minister Afrah Al-Zouba has said regional stability is dependent on the restoration of state authority across Yemen, calling for international action to lift the ongoing siege of Taiz and address threats to maritime navigation in the region.
Addressing the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain during a session on "The Foundations of Regional Security", Al-Zouba said restoring Yemen's state institutions was a shared responsibility and stressed that sustainable regional security could not be achieved without a stable Yemen.
"At the Manama Dialogue today, in the session on 'The Foundations of Regional Security', I stressed that supporting the restoration of the Yemeni state's institutions is a shared responsibility: there is no sustainable regional security without a stable Yemen, and no stable Yemen without state authority over all its territory, with arms and the decisions of war and peace held solely by its legitimate institutions," Al-Zouba said in a post on X.
She described the ongoing siege of Taiz as a 'war crime' and called for firm international action to lift it and ensure the permanent and safe reopening of roads.
"The ongoing siege of Taiz is a war crime that demands firm international action to lift it and reopen its roads permanently and safely," she said.
Highlighting concerns over maritime security, Al-Zouba said protecting the Bab al-Mandab Strait and international navigation required addressing the source of the threat.
"Protecting Bab al-Mandab and international navigation means tackling the threat at its source: enforcing the arms embargo, ending the Iranian regime's support for the terrorist Houthi militia, and backing our national institutions. As Yemenis restore their state, they are also defending their neighbours and the world's trade routes," she said.
Al-Zouba also thanked Bahrain for hosting the dialogue and acknowledged the participation of other countries in the discussions.
"My thanks to the Kingdom of Bahrain for its hospitality and excellent organisation, and to our brotherly and friendly countries for the fruitful discussions," she said.
At the Manama Dialogue today, in the session on “The Foundations of Regional Security”, I stressed that supporting the restoration of the Yemeni state’s institutions is a shared responsibility: there is no sustainable regional security without a stable Yemen, and no stable Yemen without state authority over all its territory, with arms and the decisions of war and peace held solely by its legitimate institutions. The ongoing siege of Taiz is a war crime that demands firm international action to lift it and reopen its roads permanently and safely. Protecting Bab al-Mandab and international navigation means tackling the threat at its source: enforcing the arms embargo, ending the Iranian regime’s support for the terrorist Houthi militia, and backing our national institutions. As Yemenis restore their state, they are also defending their neighbours and the world’s trade routes. My thanks to the Kingdom of Bahrain for its hospitality and excellent organisation, and to our brotherly and friendly countries for the fruitful discussions.
— Afrah Al-Zouba أفراح الزوبة (@afrah_alzouba) October 31, 2026
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebel group in Yemen had conducted two raids on an oil facility in the Bajil district of western Hodeidah governorate, Al Jazeera reported citing Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV.
The Houthi-affiliated broadcaster said at least three civilians were wounded in the raids. There was no immediate comment from the Saudi-led coalition, according to the report.
The developments come amid an intensification of the war in Yemen since September, when the Iran-backed Houthis took over strategic territory along the Red Sea coast, prompting a counteroffensive by forces aligned with the internationally recognised government, Al Jazeera reported.
Saudi Arabia has backed the government campaign, while the Houthis have retaliated with attacks on airports and oil facilities in the kingdom, according to Al Jazeera. (ANI)
