RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has categorically denied a recent report by the Wall Street Journal report that claimed Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia asked the Kingdom for $51 billion to halt its attacks.

The WSJ report, published on Wednesday, cited unnamed sources and claimed Saudi officials reached out to the US-designated foreign terrorist organization to ask what it would take for them to stop their cross-border attacks.

A top Saudi Foreign Ministry official on Thursday unequivocally rejected its claimed that Houthi militia had demanded $51 billion and recognition as rulers of Yemen from the Kingdom in return for ending hostilities.

In a post on X, Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said: “I categorically deny the claims published by The Wall Street Journal regarding demands made by this militia. All of this is pure fabrication by the writers or their alleged sources.”

He accused the Houthis of rebelling against Yemen’s government, contributing to the starvation of its people and drawing the country into conflicts and agendas that did not serve its interests.

“These militias turned against the Yemeni government, caused famine among the Yemeni people, and dragged Yemen into conflicts and agendas that do not serve Yemen and its people. They attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea waterways, civilian and economic targets, and rejected all peace efforts,” said Krimly, stressing that Yemen “already has an internationally recognized government.”

Krimly has also posted a screenshot of the WSJ report and a tweet by a senior journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall, whose username is @zenjournalist, who wrote on X: “The main reporter of this story, @summer_said, has a history of dishonesty and inventing stories. I fired her from Reuters in 2008 for this reason. I’m surprised that the WSJ has hired her and is publishing her stories that are clearly bogus.”

Osama Ghanem Al-Obaidy, adviser and professor of international law at the Institute of Public Administration in Riyadh, told Arab News: “I totally agree with Krimly’s statement that the claims published by the Wall Street Journal are mere fabrications. Saudi Arabia has always had Yemeni interests at heart while the Houthi terrorist militia are the ones undermining the security in the region and have turned against the Yemeni people.

“The militias have dragged Yemen into conflicts and have threatened maritime security in the Red Sea by attacking vessels and targeting civilian infrastructure like airports and energy installations and even the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah.”

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition forces, said on X on Friday that a drone had been intercepted and destroyed in Makkah. The Kingdom’s air defenses also intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi terrorist militia toward Najran.

“Debris fell as a result of the interception, and damage is being assessed,” he said.