RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has provided the Yemeni government with a new tranche of budget support worth more than $59.66 million, Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohamed Al Jabir said on Thursday, amid escalating regional tensions and attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

In a post on X, Al Jabir said the funding had been provided at the direction of the Saudi leadership and in response to a request from the Yemeni government.

He linked the assistance to what he described as “terrorist attacks by the Houthi militia” targeting the resources, property and interests of the Yemeni people.

The grant, provided through the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen, aims to support government cash flows, fiscal policy and the purchasing power of Yemenis, he added.

The latest assistance comes as hostilities involving Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have intensified, raising concerns over regional security and threats to critical infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an advisory urging airlines to avoid Saudi airspace following a recent increase in attacks by the Houthis.

According to a bulletin published on its website on Wednesday, the agency said it would continue monitoring developments to assess whether the level of risk for European Union airlines operating in Saudi Arabia increased or decreased.

The latest advisory did not refer to Wednesday’s incident involving a diverted flydubai airliner.

In a separate bulletin, EASA recommended that flights avoid Jordanian airspace at all altitudes and flight levels, tightening its previous guidance, which had advised airlines to exercise caution.

The agency also extended until November 16 its warning to airlines to avoid the airspace over Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, as well as the territorial Gulf waters of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

The revised guidance narrowed the earlier recommendations, which had advised airlines to avoid the entire airspace of those countries.

The seven-month-old Middle East conflict, sparked by US and Israeli attacks on Iran, has seen Tehran launch drone and missile strikes against US allies in the Gulf, while Yemen’s Houthis have targeted Saudi interests.

The developments have heightened concerns over aviation safety, energy infrastructure and the wider regional security situation.