Indians among those providing financial aid to Houthi rebels; Saudi releases names, harsh action to follow

RIYAD: Saudi Arabia has released the details of Indians providing financial assistance to Houthi rebels in Yemen. Two Indian citizens identified as Chiranjeev Kumar Singh and Manoj Sabharwal were involved in activities to facilitate the financing of the Iran-backed Houthi militia, said Saudi Arabia. In addition, Saudi has also released the details of eight other foreign nationals and 15 companies aiding the rebels. Others in the list are citizens from countries such as Yemen, Syria, Britain and Somalia. The authorities are planning to freeze the assets and funds of all the blacklisted individuals and entities.

Houthis, who have been intensifying their attacks against Saudi Arabia, had declared a temporary ceasefire last week. They had announced that drone attacks would be suspended for a few weeks. The move came amid the backdrop of Saudi airstrikes on airports and ports held by the rebels.

Saudi Arabia has also begun strong retaliatory measures following the attacks on its oil depot. The rebels had launched rocket and drone strikes at the Jeddah oil depot in Saudi Arabia which resulted in a massive fire at the area. Two tanks in Aramco had also caught fire. The fire was brought under control after much efforts.