Phl condemns missile attacks on Saudi Arabia
MANILA — The Philippine government yesterday condemned the ballistic missile attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, saying such an assault "endangers the lives of close to one million Filipino workers" there.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Shiite rebels said it intercepted a missile fired over southern Riyadh on Tuesday, which the rebels said was targeting a "top leadership" meeting at the royal palace in the kingdom's capital.
It was the second time in as many months that a rebel projectile had reached as far inside the kingdom as Riyadh.
"The Philippines is strongly concerned over the series of ballistic missile attacks against Saudi Arabia, including the recent launches targeting populated areas of Riyadh, as this puts innocent civilians, including many of our kababayans there, at serious risk," Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement.
The Yemeni rebels, known as the Houthis, said they launched a ballistic missile to target Yamama Palace in Riyadh, where King Salman chairs weekly government meetings and receives dignitaries and heads of state from around the world.
The statement from the USbacked coalition, carried by Saudi state TV, said the missile was fired by the Houthis. State TV said no damage was caused by the intercepted missile.
Meanwhile, Cayetano likewise expressed his gratitude to Saudi Arabia for keeping Filipino workers safe despite the two ballistic missile attacks that targeted the kingdom's capital. —