Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that the Kingdom is “deeply concerned” that tensions in the Red Sea, amid Houthi attacks in Yemen and US strikes on Houthi targets, may spiral out of control and lead to an escalation of the conflict in the region.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan added in an interview with Fareed Zakaria, host of the GPS program on CNN, broadcast on Sunday: “I mean, of course, we are very concerned. I mean, as you know, we are going through a very difficult and dangerous time in the region, and that is why we are calling for... Stop escalation.

Attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis on ships in and around the Red Sea over the past few weeks have slowed trade between Asia and Europe, and raised concern among major powers about the escalation of the war in Gaza.

The Saudi Foreign Minister stated that the Kingdom believes in freedom of navigation, and wants to calm tensions in the region.

He added: "We, of course, strongly believe in freedom of navigation. This is something that must be protected. But we also need to protect the security and stability of the region. So we are very focused on calming the situation as much as possible."

For days, the United States has launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, and last week it returned the Houthi group to the list of “terrorist” groups. President Joe Biden said Thursday that air strikes will continue even as he acknowledged that they may not stop Houthi attacks.

The confrontation threatens to expand the conflict beyond the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Palestinian Hamas movement, where the Health Ministry says more than 24,000 people, or more than 1% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million, were killed in the Israeli offensive.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan explained that Saudi Arabia would be open to normalizing relations with Israel only if there is an irreversible process to establish a Palestinian state.

In response to a question about if there is no reliable and irreversible path to a Palestinian state, then there will be no normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel? The Saudi Foreign Minister replied: “This is the only way we will get a benefit. So, yes, because we need stability, and stability will only come from resolving the Palestinian issue.”