Saudis down missile near Mecca

Houthi attack draws condemnation from the Arab world

DUBAI // Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies fired a ballistic missile that was intercepted and destroyed 65 kilometres from Mecca, deep inside Saudi Arabia.

The rebels said their intended target was the international airport, while the kingdom said the missile flew towards the holy city before it was intercepted. Angry Saudis soon denounced the missile attack online, with messages questioning the faith of the Houthis, as other Sunni Arab leaders in the Gulf linked the attack to Shiite power Iran.

The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the attack as “a provocation of the feelings of all Muslims and a disrespect of the sanctity of Islamic holy places”.

The Saudi military said the missile, fired late on Thursday night from Yemen’s north-west Saada province that borders the kingdom, caused no damage. The Saudi military was able to immediately target the area where the missile was launched.

The Houthis and their allies, including forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have a stockpile of Soviet-era Scud missiles and locally designed variants. A Houthi ballistic missile fired earlier this month targeted Taif, home to Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd airbase, which also is near Mecca. What the missile fired on Thursday was aimed at soon became a controversial question.

The Houthi-controlled satellite news channel Al Masirah reported that Yemeni rebels had fired a Volcano-1 variant missile at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz international airport – 75 kilometres north-west of Mecca – but made no mention of Mecca at all.

The Houthi- controlled Saba news agency claimed the missile “directly hit” the airport and caused major destruction, although there were no delays or diversions affecting the airport yesterday. The Saudi military, however, said the missile was fired “towards” Mecca, without elaborating further. The attack drew swift and broad condemnation from the Arab world, including the Arab League, the Arab Parliament and Al Azhar, Sunni Islam’s most prestigious university.

Gulf Arab countries allied with Saudi Arabia reacted swiftly, suggesting the Houthis had intentionally targeted the Islamic world’s holiest site. Many also immediately linked the attack to Iran.

While some analysts dispute whether Tehran directly controls the Houthis, the US navy said it had intercepted Iranian arms heading to the rebels.

In Iran, state media reported on the incident citing international reports, without any government comment.

“Targeting of the holy city of Mecca by a ballistic missile is a brazen act of aggression on the purest spot on Earth and on the Islamic sacred shrines,” said Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. “This heinous act absolutely exposes the true nature of these militias.”

Yemen plunged into civil war in September 2014 when the Houthis swept into Sanaa and overthrew the internationally recognised government.

In March last year, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab countries, including the UAE, began a military campaign against the Houthis.

Efforts by the United Nations to strike a peace deal have come to nothing and the country is on the brink of famine.