Houthis claim missile attack in Saudi Arabia
SANAA: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday claimed the attempted strikes that targeted neighbouring Saudi Arabia overnight and threatened more attacks, as fighting in the grinding civil war escalates.
Houthi fighters have intensified operations against the kingdom as air strikes by the Saudiled military coalition pound rebel positions in the north of Yemen, in a bid to stop their offensive to seize the government’s last northern stronghold of Marib.
Years of war have already pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. Saudi Arabia - which has been backing the Yemeni government against the rebels since 2015 - said on Saturday it thwarted a Houthi missile that targeted Riyadh.
“The operation was carried out with a ballistic missile and 15 drones...targeting sensitive areas in the enemy’s capital of Riyadh,” said Houthi spokesman Yahya al-Saree, according to the rebels’ Al-Masirah TV channel. “Our operations will continue and will expand as long as the aggression and siege on our country continues.”
Fragments of the missile scattered over several Riyadh neighbourhoods, damaging at least one home but no casualties were reported, Saudi’s state-run Al-Ekhbariya television said.
AFP correspondents in the Saudi capital reported hearing multiple loud explosions, with state television footage showing the night sky light up with a bright flash.
Separately, the coalition said it had intercepted six Houthi drones targeting the kingdom, including the southern cities of Khamis Mushait and Jizan.
Al-Saree on Sunday claimed those attacks as well, warning residents in the region to “stay clear from all military airports and sites.” The Houthis have escalated cross-border attacks on the kingdom even after the United States delisted the rebels as terrorists.
The designation had been widely criticised by aid organisations, who warned it would hamper their efforts to alleviate a humanitarian crisis in Yemen. US President Joe Biden halted support to Saudi offensive operations in Yemen, which he called a “catastrophe” that “has to end”.