Violence has sharply escalated in Yemen following a Saudi-led air campaign launched on March 26 to stop an advance by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the U.N., Abdullah Al-Moalami, said Saturday that Russia’s call for a humanitarian pause in Yemen is only aimed at troubling a draft resolution by Gulf Arab states and Jordan that is being negotiating by the Security Council.

Al-Moalami’s comments to Al Hadath, Al Arabiya’s sister channel came shortly after Russia had called for a U.N. meeting of the 15-member council amid growing alarm over the rising civilian death toll from the fighting in Yemen.

Russia distributed a draft resolution at the United Nations pressing for suspensions of the air strikes to allow evacuation of foreign civilians and diplomats, and demanding rapid and unhindered humanitarian access, according to an Al Arabiya News Channel correspondent in New York.

The correspondent added that the draft, which was made of only one page, did not include any demands for the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

Earlier on Saturday, Al-Moalami had stressed that Saudi Arabia shared Russia’s concern ensuring the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Yemen, but how this was to be done would have to be discussed, according to Reuters news agency.

“We always provided the necessary facilities for humanitarian assistance to be delivered,” he told reporters.

“We have cooperated fully with all requests for evacuation,” he added, supporting comments made earlier by Saudi spokesperson for the air campaign Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri.

Al-Moalami also said the humanitarian situation in Yemen was already addressed in the draft resolution by Gulf Arab states and Jordan that is being negotiating with the council’s veto-wielding powers – Russia, China, the United States, Britain and France.

Violence has sharply escalated in Yemen following a Saudi-led air campaign launched on March 26 to stop an advance by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels that forced President Abedrabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia.

The United Nations is backing Hadi as Yemen’s legitimate leader in the face of the Houthi uprising that has plunged the poor Arab state deeper into chaos.

The Houthis and miltias of the deposed leader Ali Abdullah Saleh seized power in the capital Sanaa in February and last month advanced on the port city of Aden, Hadi’s stronghold, forcing him to go into exile.

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