The military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which has been involved in the war in Yemen since 2015, announced today that it had intercepted two drones launched against the capital, Riyadh, and two missiles fired against the city of Hamis Musait (south) by the Yemeni Ansar Allah rebel movement—also known by the surname of its leaders, the Houthis—which is aligned with Iran.
“Air defense systems intercepted and destroyed two drones launched by the Houthi terrorist paramilitary organization toward the Riyadh area,” said Saudi Colonel and coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki via X.
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Al-Maliki stated shortly afterward that two ballistic missiles launched against Hamis Musait, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia where a particularly large air force base of the kingdom is located. Ansar Allah confirmed that it had carried out new attacks.
“Despite the intensity, scope, and impact of the operation, our armed forces do not consider this to be anything more than a minor rehearsal in anticipation of a large-scale escalation,” warned Hizam Al-Assad, a member of the movement’s political bureau, via X.
On Friday, the UN Security Council condemned the attacks launched against Saudi Arabia by the Ansar Allah rebel movement. “The members of the Security Council condemn in the strongest terms the continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” “particularly those targeting civilian and energy infrastructure, which have resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children,” according to a press release issued this month by the Security Council President, French Ambassador Jérôme Bonafont.
The text also emphasizes that member states condemn “attacks on ships and threats against merchant vessels in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait” and “stresses the importance” of ensuring “the safety of merchant ships and their crews.”
The 15 member states of the Security Council call for “practical cooperation,” particularly with the internationally recognized “Government of Yemen,” in order to “prevent the Houthis from acquiring weapons and related materiel, technical assistance, training, and funding” that enable them to conduct military operations.
They emphasize the “inherent right of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to self-defense, in accordance with international law.”
Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif warned on Friday from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly that any “new attacks” against Mecca—considered the holiest city in Islam—in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would cross a “red line” for Islamabad.
“We condemn once again, in the strongest possible terms, the (…) recent attacks carried out by the Houthis against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“The attempted drone attack on the holy city of Mecca has caused revulsion among Muslims around the world. Any threat to its security and sanctity (…) is a red line that must never be crossed,” he added.
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Source: CNA
