LONDON: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that the US would honor its bilateral security commitments to Saudi Arabia amid renewed fighting between Yemeni government forces and Iran-aligned Houthis.

“The United States has a defense and security agreement with Saudi Arabia, and we intend to live by it,” Rubio told a press conference before departing on a European trip that includes Iceland, Greece and Portugal.

Rubio said that Saudi Arabia had “a right to defend itself” against continued Houthi attacks.

He added that Yemeni government forces were seeking to regain territory lost in earlier clashes.

The fighting has intensified around the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, a critical shipping corridor linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Saudi and Yemeni forces oppose Houthi control near the waterway, Rubio said, calling the local counteroffensives an expected development.

“What is happening now in Yemen is a counterattack against Houthi aggression,” he said.

His comments came after Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, announced the launch of a military operation aimed at retaking the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and restoring state institutions.

The Houthis have controlled Sanaa since 2014. Yemeni army units said on Monday that they had secured the Dhubab district and other strategic positions near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.

The US has not committed to direct participation in airstrikes or other combat operations supporting the campaign. Instead, Washington has focused on providing Saudi Arabia with intelligence and advisory assistance, according to a September CNN report.