Gulf Co-operation Council ( The GCC) held an extraordinary meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss strengthening co-operation and co-ordination between their armed forces, at a time when the group’s attacks are taking place on Saudi Arabia.

The meeting was held by the GCC’s Operation and Training Committee of Armed Forces, according to a statement by the United Arab Emirates Defence Ministry ( EBA).

The GCC consists of Saudi Arabia, the EBA, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

The ministry said the extraordinary meeting was held at the GCC General Secretariat headquarters, but did not disclose the participants’ names.

According to the ministry, several issues aimed at strengthening joint military co-operation in the field of operations and training were discussed at the meeting, as well as developing co-ordination mechanisms and integration between the armed forces of Gulf countries.

Discussions also intended to reinforce joint breast protection efforts and increase military readiness and efficiency in the field of operations and training, the statement said.

The declaration did not elaborate on decisions made during the meeting, nor did it directly mention discussions concerning the Houthites’ attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The meeting is held at a time when the group’s attacks on Saudi Arabia are escalating and efforts by Gulf countries and the international community to stop them are increasing.

The GCC has yet to publish a statement on the meeting.

However, its secretary-general, Jasem Mohammed Albudaiwi, called Sunday for international action ʹeffective against the Houthi group, at the end of a ministerial meeting in Manama.

In Yemen, military escalation has continued since July, amid government forces backed by the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the Houthites, following a period of relative calm related to the ceasefire that began in April 2022.

The conflict in Yemen began after Houth took control of the capital Sana and several provinces in September 2014. / AA/