WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Washington intends to uphold its security commitments to Saudi Arabia amid renewed military confrontations involving the Houthis in Yemen.“The United States has a defense and security agreement with Saudi Arabia, and we intend to live by it,” Rubio told reporters ahead of a European tour that includes Iceland, Greece and Portugal.Rubio said Saudi Arabia had the right to defend itself against continuing Houthi attacks.“The Saudis have come under Houthi attacks, and they have a right to defend themselves,” Rubio said, adding that government Yemeni forces were seeking to recover territory lost during previous fighting.Addressing developments around the strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait, Rubio said Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces opposed Houthi control near the key maritime corridor, describing the counteroffensive as an expected development.His remarks came after Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi announced Monday the launch of Operation Dawn of Yemen, a military campaign aimed at retaking the capital Sanaa and restoring state institutions from Houthi control.Al-Alimi said the operation was being carried out by Yemen’s armed forces and other military formations with support from the country’s “brothers and friends.”Yemeni government forces also reported taking control of Dhubab district and strategic positions around Bab Al-Mandab as the offensive expanded.