Onlykashmir.in News Desk
India has strongly condemned the reported Houthi attacks on Saudi sovereign territory, singling out for particular criticism the targeting of civilian and economic facilities, as New Delhi weighed in on an escalation that has raised fresh concerns over regional stability in the Gulf and the security of key maritime trade routes.
Responding to a media query on the attacks in Saudi Arabia, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that such strikes, which undermine regional security and stability and threaten freedom of navigation through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, were unacceptable, a strait that ranks among the world’s most strategically significant maritime chokepoints given the volume of global shipping, including oil and container traffic, that passes through it.
The Bab-el-Mandeb, situated between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, has repeatedly emerged as a flashpoint in recent years amid Houthi attacks targeting shipping and, at various points, land targets in the wider Gulf region, disruptions that have periodically forced global shipping companies to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding significant time and cost to international trade. India’s explicit reference to freedom of navigation reflects New Delhi’s own substantial commercial and energy interests in the region, given the country’s heavy reliance on Gulf shipping lanes for crude oil imports and broader trade with West Asia.
India’s response comes against the backdrop of its close and expanding strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia, a relationship that has deepened considerably in recent years across energy, trade, defence and investment cooperation. New Delhi has consistently sought to position itself as a stabilising voice on regional security issues in West Asia, a posture reflected in its calibrated statements on the broader Houthi-linked conflict that has drawn in multiple regional and global powers since the escalation of hostilities in the Red Sea region.
By explicitly condemning attacks on civilian and economic infrastructure rather than commenting on the broader military dimensions of the conflict, India’s statement appears calibrated to register concern over humanitarian and economic harm while steering clear of taking a more overtly partisan position on the underlying regional conflict dynamics. The Ministry’s remarks are likely to be read alongside India’s parallel diplomatic engagements with Gulf states as New Delhi continues to navigate a complex regional security landscape shaped by competing alliances and ongoing hostilities.
