The Sunni Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), made up of oil-rich Persian Gulf countries, has blasted the Shiite Houthi rebels for “staging a coup” in Yemen after they announced on Friday they were dissolving parliament and forming a new government.

The opposition of the GCC reflects the increasing hostility of the mostly Sunni countries to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who are Shia.

“This Houthis coup is a dangerous escalation which we reject and is unacceptable. It totally contradicts the spirit of pluralism and coexistence which Yemen has known,” the GCC said in statement according to the Kuna news agency.