US Pentagon Chief, Saudi Crown Prince Discuss Regional Security, Yemen War

US and Saudi Arabia discussed regional security, especially efforts to end the war in Yemen, and "ongoing bilateral efforts to improve Saudi Arabia's defenses," Pentagon spokesman said in a statement.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday and emphasized U.S. commitment to helping Saudi Arabia defend its territory and people, the Pentagon said. Austin and Prince Mohammed discussed regional security, particularly efforts to end the war in Yemen, and "ongoing bilateral efforts to improve Saudi Arabia's defenses," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, who have controlled most of northern Yemen since 2014, have kept up cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia and are pressing an offensive to seize Yemen's gas-rich Marib region. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Houthis ousted a Saudi-backed government from the capital Sanaa. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system and foreign aggression.