Kremlin says Russia has not been asked to mediate between Houthis and Saudi Arabia
In short
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no one has asked Russia to act as a mediator in the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. He said the situation is “extremely alarming” and that Moscow is watching developments in the Persian Gulf with concern. Vedomosti reported that the Houthis said on 6 October they struck targets in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh's King Khalid airport and a Saudi Aramco refinery in Rabigh.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no one has asked Russia to act as a mediator in the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. “No, no one has approached the Russian Federation for mediation in this conflict,” Peskov told journalists on Wednesday, according to Interfax. TASS and RIA Novosti reported the same statement. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Peskov said the situation is “extremely alarming” and that Moscow is watching it with concern. “Tension in the Persian Gulf region is already off the scale, so we are watching what is happening with concern,” he said, according to Interfax and Vedomosti. [ 2 , 3 ]
Vedomosti reported that on 6 October the Houthis said they had struck a number of sites in Saudi Arabia with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. According to Houthi representative Yahya Saree, the targets were King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi Aramco refinery in Rabigh, Abha airport, the Khamis Mushait base and other sites. The Houthis described the attacks as a response to Saudi strikes on Sanaa and several Yemeni provinces. [ 3 ]
The same outlet reported further developments in Yemen: on 5 October the internationally recognised Yemeni authorities announced the start of an operation called “Dawn of Yemen”, aimed at establishing control over Sanaa, which is held by the Houthis. That day a coordination centre under Ansar Allah called on airlines to avoid Saudi airspace, saying it would become a “theatre of military operations”. On the same day, Vedomosti reported, the Houthis took the heights around Taiz and encircled the city, a key stronghold of the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council. [ 3 ]
The accounts of the strikes and of the fighting in Yemen appear only in Vedomosti's report; the other documents carry Peskov's remarks on mediation and do not describe the attacks themselves. The documents do not say whether any party might ask Russia to mediate, or what Moscow's position would be if it were asked. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The remarks indicate Russia has so far not been drawn into mediation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, at a time when Russian officials describe the Persian Gulf as a region of surging tension. The scope of the reported strikes on Saudi infrastructure, a leading oil exporter, makes the escalation relevant well beyond the region.
Key facts
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no one had approached Russia with a request to mediate in the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Peskov said the situation is “extremely alarming” and that tension in the Persian Gulf region “is already off the scale”. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Peskov said Russia is watching what is happening with concern. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Interfax reported that Peskov made the remarks to journalists on Wednesday. [ 2 ]
- Vedomosti reported that on 6 October the Houthis claimed strikes with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones on a number of sites in Saudi Arabia. [ 3 ]
- According to Vedomosti, Houthi representative Yahya Saree named King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi Aramco refinery in Rabigh, Abha airport and the Khamis Mushait base among the targets. [ 3 ]
- Vedomosti reported that the Houthis described the attacks as a response to Saudi strikes on Sanaa and several Yemeni provinces. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Details of the reported Houthi strikes on targets in Saudi Arabia, and of Saudi strikes on Yemen, appear only in Vedomosti's account. Single-source claim; the other documents carry only Peskov's remarks and do not describe the attacks.
- Whether any party might ask Russia to mediate, and what Russia would do if asked, is not stated. The documents say only that no request has been received; no position on a possible future role is given.
- The location of Peskov's remarks is not specified beyond his being quoted by reporters. Interfax says he spoke to journalists on Wednesday but does not give a place.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports that Peskov says Russia has not been approached over mediation in the Houthi–Saudi conflict and that Moscow is watching the fighting in the Middle East with concern. [ 1 ]
- Interfax publishes Peskov's remarks to journalists, including that no one has asked Russia to mediate. [ 2 ]
- Vedomosti publishes Peskov's comments together with background on Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and fighting in Yemen. [ 3 ]
- RIA Novosti reports Peskov's statement that Russia has not been asked about mediation around Saudi Arabia. [ 4 ]