Arab Coalition: We Destroyed Houthi Missile Near Mecca

The Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia announced on Friday, July 27, that it had destroyed a ballistic missile "fired by Houthi rebels" from Yemen near Mecca. According to a Reuters report on the statement released by the Arab coalition, which was published by the official Saudi news agency, the missile was destroyed in the Wasiliah region of Taif province, 69 kilometers from Mecca, and it was specified that the destruction of this missile caused no damage. The statement described the missile launch as an "act of desperation" aimed at "disrupting this year's Hajj ceremonies, which will begin in a few weeks." Reuters reports that the Houthis confirmed the launch of the missile, known as "Burkan 1," towards Saudi Arabia but claimed that the missile targeted King Fahd Air Base in Taif. The Burkan 1 missile is a modified version of Russian Scud missiles, which is also known in Iran as Shahab 2. Iran has repeatedly been accused by Arab and Western countries of arming the Houthi rebels, and in November of last year, the commander of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet reported the seizure of four ships carrying weapons that were "on their way from Iran to Yemen." Although Iranian officials do not hide their support for the Houthi rebels, they have consistently denied reports related to arming them. The Arab coalition, which has intervened in Yemen since early spring 2015 in favor of the legitimate president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, has assessed the lack of control over the strategic port of Hodeidah and the misuse of permits issued for aid ships as factors contributing to the "continuation of missile smuggling" to Yemen. Reuters notes that since the diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and several other members of the Arab coalition with Qatar emerged in mid-June, the intensity of the coalition's attacks to regain control of the Hodeidah port has decreased. The Yemeni government's efforts to retake this strategic port began in mid-April of this year, although at that time, Al Arabiya television quoted Reuters as saying that the UN and humanitarian groups had warned that such operations could endanger the lives of millions of civilians. The report reminded that Hodeidah is the entry point for 70 percent of food supplies and humanitarian aid for Yemenis. More than two years of civil war in Yemen have turned this impoverished country in the southern Arabian Peninsula into a famine-stricken nation, and according to UN reports, more than three million residents of this country suffer from malnutrition, including two million children. In this context, the entry of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation into the issue of accusations of "bombing Mecca" by the Houthis, "four ships carrying Iranian weapons destined for Yemen" have been seized in the past 18 months. Reuters: Increased Iranian actions in sending weapons to the Houthis via Oman. The Houthis denied attacking American destroyers. "Missile launch from Houthi-controlled area" towards American destroyers. The Houthis: We launched the "Zelzal 3" missile towards Saudi Arabia.