Saudi Arabia Confirms Fresh M!ssile, Drone Att∆cks After D£adly Str!kes On Airports
Saudi Arabia Confirms Fresh Missile, Drone Attacks After Deadly Strikes On Airports
The Saudi-led coalition backing government forces in Yemen reported incoming drones and missiles on Monday, though there was no immediate word on whether they were intercepted, Reuters reports.
Saudi Arabia has said it is facing a new barrage of incoming fire, and that Riyadh airport will remain shut for now, days after a deadly missile strike on a departure terminal claimed by Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthis.
The Saudi-led coalition backing government forces in Yemen reported incoming drones and missiles on Monday, though there was no immediate word on whether they were intercepted, Reuters reports.
The Houthis have been attacking Saudi airports and oil facilities since last week as part of a rapidly escalating conflict that has spilled over from the wider regional war between the United States and Iran.
The attacks have shut down parts of Saudi airspace and suspended operations at Riyadh airport, largely emptying the skies over the capital even as the city hosts a major energy conference.
Saudi Arabia is now facing a difficult predicament, having re-entered Yemen’s civil war to push the Houthis from the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait oil route and stop the group from making further gains after its sudden advances in September.
Yemeni military sources said the forces backed by Riyadh have made some gains against the Houthis around Bab el-Mandeb but remain on the back foot on other fronts, adding that any pressure on the Houthis could take time to pay off.
Iran, Saudi Arabia’s long-time regional rival, has offered to mediate between its Houthi allies and the kingdom.
“We have repeatedly expressed our readiness to help facilitate dialogue between the parties,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday.
Despite intensified Saudi airstrikes against the group, including what Yemeni television said were hits on al-Jawf province on Monday, the Houthis show no sign of letting up their attacks on Saudi infrastructure.
The group has repeatedly threatened to target airports and airspace, as well as Saudi oil installations that power the kingdom’s economy and its ambitious development plans.
Saudi Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said at the conference on Monday that the kingdom would stay focused on bringing in investment as part of its wider economic development goals.
“The development of our energy system and industrial capability continues,” he said.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates on Monday called for a revival of joint Gulf action on security and defence in response to the attacks.
UAE presidential adviser, Anwar Gargash, said the targeting of Saudi Arabia undermined the security of all Gulf states, adding that the neglect of collective Gulf security had “emboldened others” to overreach against regional states.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE had been partners in the Yemen conflict for years, but they backed different forces within the Yemeni military coalition supporting the government and fell out last winter.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington was considering joining Saudi Arabia in strikes on the Houthis, but there has been no sign yet of any US action.
