KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia continues to view with great concern the dangerous escalation of conflict unfolding across the Middle East, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar said he has been in close contact with key regional leaders, including Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Salman and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani.
According to him, these high-level discussions reflect the utmost gravity with which Malaysia regards the crisis and the urgent need to prevent it from widening further.
"Malaysia’s position is clear as we remain steadfast in our call for peace and justice for the Palestinian people, our unequivocal condemnation of the genocide in Gaza and our opposition to the indiscriminate bombing of southern Lebanon," he said in a post on X on Wednesday (Oct 21).
He emphasised that this same moral conviction compels Malaysia to speak out with equal firmness whenever innocent civilians are targeted anywhere else.
Consequently, Malaysia reiterates its strong condemnation of attacks by the Houthi movement against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure, such as airports and energy installations in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council states.
He also noted that the recent strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which claimed the lives of innocent civilians, including pilgrims, served as a reminder of the human toll of such violence.
The Prime Minister clarified that Malaysia's firm stance targets those responsible for the aggression rather than the resilient people of Yemen, who have suffered years of hardship and deserve a lasting political settlement.
Furthermore, he stressed that maintaining the security of the Middle East's vital sea lanes is paramount for a trading nation like Malaysia.
"Malaysia will continue to support all diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis and safeguard the freedom of navigation," Anwar said. – Bernama
