Saudi Arabia’s top religious authority called on soldiers in the kingdom to be ready to lay ‌down their lives to fight the Iran-backed Houthis until the group is ousted from power, a statement posted on the Saudi state news agency said.

The rare and strongly worded message by Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan was addressed to soldiers stationed at the country’s borders and ​drew heavily on Quranic verses and recorded sayings of the Prophet Mohammad related to sacrifice and struggle in defence ​of God, Reuters reported.

It comes after weeks of escalating violence between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis which has ⁠seen the Iran-backed group attack the kingdom with salvos of missiles and drones and Saudi Arabia respond with airstrikes.

Observers have ​been questioning whether Saudi Arabia will launch a broader military operation along with Yemeni government forces it backs.

“Protecting this great nation… and ​punishing anyone who seeks to lay a hand on even an inch of its territory are among the greatest duties and most virtuous acts of devotion, for which lives and souls may be sacrificed in seeking God’s pleasure,” said the statement, issued late Thursday.

Asserting the authority of the ​Saudi-backed internationally recognized Yemeni government over the entire country was “among the most pressing obligations,” it added.

Those government forces lost control of ​the vital Bab el-Mandeb waterway to the Houthis two weeks back, a blow to the kingdom, which has been mired in the conflict since ‌2015 ⁠after it launched an unsuccessful operation to oust the Houthis from the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

The recent fighting is the latest episode in 12 years of civil war in Yemen which had largely been frozen since a 2022 but has escalated again and has become linked to the wider Iran war.

“We ask God Almighty to grant you all his support, and to protect our countries and ​beloved Yemen from all harm. ​We also ask him to ⁠bring about the complete defeat of the Houthi group and those who assist and support them,” the statement said.

The Mufti’s letter adds to a growing religiously centered narrative by authorities in the ​conservative Sunni Muslim kingdom aimed at discrediting the Houthis, who follow a different sect of ​Islam.

State TV has ⁠in recent weeks aired footage of an alleged Houthi strike on a mosque in the kingdom’s south, and authorities have also accused the Houthis of launching an attack on Mecca, Islam’s holiest site.

“It is incumbent upon you, brothers serving on the front lines, to ⁠remain constantly ​prepared to perform your duty, to obey the rulers and your field commanders, ​and to carry out orders with the utmost precision, as God Almighty commanded the companions of his Prophet to do,” the statement said.

“You are following in ​the footsteps of the Prophet’s companions, defending the sacred sites of Muslims.”

Iranian airlines cancelled some international flights on Wednesday after the United States imposed new sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector.

Georgia and Azerbaijan confirmed the suspension of flights to Iran, while a travel agent in Tehran told AFP that flights to Baghdad, Muscat and Qatar had also been halted. Flights to several other destinations, including China, continued.

The new US measures were announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday as Washington seeks to increase economic pressure on Tehran amid the ongoing conflict.

“We are squeezing the Iranians like they’ve never seen,” Bessent told Fox News on Wednesday, claiming that more than 80% to 90% of Iran’s international flights had been affected.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, rejected the pressure.

“The resistance of the Iranian people will only intensify in the face of sanctions, mounting pressure and growing intimidation” from the United States, Pezeshkian said.

Iran’s aviation industry has faced US sanctions for years, but the latest measures could further restrict international connections.

Despite the new sanctions, flight-tracking data showed a Mahan Air flight from Tehran arriving in Guangzhou, China, on Wednesday. A flight to Shanghai was also scheduled to depart from Tehran’s international airport.

China has opposed the new US sanctions, describing them as illegal.

Some flights to Istanbul also continued, although others were cancelled, according to the Tehran-based travel agent, who said the situation remained uncertain.

“The situation is unstable and we are no longer selling tickets for the time being for fear of cancellations,” the agent told AFP.

Flights connecting Iran with Turkey and Armenia were also still possible on some smaller Iranian airlines, while flights to Najaf in Iraq and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates were listed as scheduled.

Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned neighbouring countries against complying with the US measures.

“If a country cooperates with or embarks on adventures with the United States, its airports will no longer be able to operate flights” to Iran, he told Iranian state television.

The possible suspension of flights between Iran and Iraq has raised particular concerns because of the large number of Iranian religious pilgrims who travel to Iraq.

Iranian media reported that authorities were considering rerouting flights from Baghdad to Najaf. AFP also reported that several sources in Iraq said Baghdad would comply with the US sanctions, although the Iraqi government had not publicly announced a flight ban.

Travel agents in Najaf said passengers were seeking information about possible cancellations and considering travelling by land instead.

The United States and Iran have held their first high-level talks since June, with discussions taking place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York amid continued fighting and growing international pressure to end the conflict.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff took part in the talks, which were mediated by Qatar. US envoy Jared Kushner also participated on the American side, according to reports.

No breakthrough was immediately reported. Witkoff said the two sides had completed a round of discussions that he hoped would prove “constructive and promising”, adding that mediators would continue their efforts.

Iranian officials said Araghchi conveyed Tehran’s conditions, including an end to what Iran describes as US acts of aggression and the lifting of measures affecting Iranian shipping and assets.

The talks came just hours after US President Donald Trump warned in his address to the UN General Assembly that he could “annihilate” Iran if no agreement was reached.

Trump said Iran faced a choice between reaching a deal and what he described as destruction, while also saying he believed an agreement could be reached after the US midterm elections in November.

Trump later described the three-hour discussions as very productive. Witkoff, however, clarified that the two sides communicated through mediators who shuttled between the delegations rather than holding direct face-to-face negotiations.

The latest contact follows months of conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States. The fighting has also disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy routes.

Iran has indicated that it could reopen the strategic waterway if Washington takes steps to ease military and economic pressure on Tehran. Iranian officials have linked the issue to demands including the lifting of the US naval blockade and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

The Strait of Hormuz is a key route for global energy supplies, and its closure has contributed to volatility in international oil markets.

Despite the renewed diplomatic contact, significant differences remain between Washington and Tehran over the war, Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and US military operations in the region.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is due to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, with further diplomatic efforts expected to continue in New York.