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Houthis say Assad closed their embassy in exchange for Saudi one opening

8 December 2024 20:51 GMT

Yemen's Houthi rebel group said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad closed down their embassy in Damascus in exchange for the opening of the Saudi embassy in 2023.

Speaking shortly after Assad's government collapsed in Damascus, Nasruddin Amer - a spokesperson for the group who are also known as Ansarallah - wrote on X to those asking about the safety of their embassy in Syria.

"Our embassy in Syria was closed by Bashar in exchange for the opening of the Saudi embassy," he said.

"The ambassador of our government and the embassy staff left and returned to [Yemeni capital] Sanaa at around October 2023."

The Houthis have often been referred to as part of the Axis of Resistance, a group of countries and actors across the Middle East with links to Iran who are staunchly opposed to Israel.

Read more: Houthis say Assad closed their embassy in exchange for Saudi one opening

A supporter of the Houthi rebels with stickers on his forehead of the movement's leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a demonstration calling for the government to resign in August 2014, in Yemen's capital Sanaa (Mohammed Huwais/AFP)
A supporter of the Houthi rebels with stickers on his forehead of the movement's leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a demonstration calling for the government to