US Says Ready to Adjust Support for Saudi-Led Coalition Following Airstrikes in Yemen
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The United States said it is prepared to adjust its support to Saudi-led coalition following airstrikes on a funeral hall in Yemen that have killed 82 people, the White House said.
"We are deeply disturbed by reports of today's airstrike on a funeral hall in Yemen, which, if confirmed, would continue the troubling series of attacks striking Yemeni civilians," Ned Price, spokesperson for White House's National Security Council, said in a statement on Saturday.
"US security cooperation with Saudi Arabia is not a blank check," Price said. "Even as we assist Saudi Arabia regarding the defense of their territorial integrity, we have and will continue to express our serious concerns about the conflict in Yemen and how it has been waged."
Yemen's acting Health Minister Ghazi Ismail said the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on a funeral hall in Yemen's capital Sana’a on Saturday, killing more than 140 and injuring 534. The coalition has denied this.
"In light of this and other recent incidents, we have initiated an immediate review of our already significantly reduced support to the Saudi-led coalition and are prepared to adjust our support so as to better align with US principles, values and interests, including achieving an immediate and durable end to Yemen's tragic conflict," Price said, Xinhua reported.
The United States called on the Saudi-led coalition, the Yemeni government, the Houthis and allied forces of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to commit publicly to an immediate ceasefire and implement it, said the spokesperson.
The Saudi-led coalition, which supports the fugitive former Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi against Houthis, have been air striking Yemen from March 2015.
Houthia, supported by forces loyal to Saleh, seized Sana’a and some other cities in September 2014.
