US Ambassador to Yemen, Stephen Fagin, renewed his call to the Ansar Allah Houthi group, to stop the threat to maritime trade, to return to the negotiating table, and to release the embassy staff detained by them.

This came in a statement he published on Monday, following the conclusion of his visit Aden, south of the country, during which he met with the head of the recognized Yemeni government , Maeen Abdulmalik, and a number of Yemeni officials.

According to the statement, Fagin expressed his regret over the Houthis' unwillingness to reach a renewal of the armistice, "which in turn contributed within six months to relief and support for the Yemenis."

The US ambassador expressed his concern about the possibility of renewed escalation that undermines relief and support efforts, stressing that the Yemeni people "deserve the best."

He noted that the Houthi attacks on Yemen 's ports would only harm the Yemeni people by exacerbating the fuel shortage.

Fagin called on the Houthis to stop their threats to maritime and international trade, return to the negotiating table, end the devastating war, and play a constructive role in achieving a comprehensive political settlement negotiated by the Yemenis.

The US ambassador also called on the Houthis to release 12 US embassy employees being held in Sana'a "unharmed and to stop using them as hostages in the conflict."

He emphasized that his top priority was to "return employees to their families, to where they belong".

The Ansar Allah Houthi group in Yemen announced today, Monday, its responsibility for carrying out attacks in an oil port in Hadramout Governorate, in the southeast of the country. It has previously claimed responsibility for carrying out a number of drone strikes on oil ports in eastern Yemen.