Iran Accuses Saudi Arabia of Airstrike on Its Embassy in Yemen

On Thursday, January 7, Tehran accused Saudi Arabia of targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran's embassy in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, with its aircraft. The Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported statements from the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, stating that this attack caused damage to the embassy and injured several security personnel. Hossein Jaberi Ansari emphasized that the Saudi government carried out this action "deliberately and knowingly" and violated "all conventions and international legal rules regarding the protection and immunity of diplomatic premises." However, ISNA did not provide further details about the attack. Nevertheless, Reuters reported severe airstrikes by Saudi Arabia and its allies on Sana'a on Thursday. According to Reuters, Sana'a was targeted by dozens of airstrikes, with residents claiming it was the heaviest bombing since the war began. The report mentioned the Yemeni presidential palace and a military base in southern Sana'a as examples of places targeted by airstrikes, but there was no mention of the Iranian embassy in Sana'a in any of the reports. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which have been escalating in recent months following the execution of Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric, and Tehran's protests against this execution, have entered a new phase, leading Riyadh to sever diplomatic relations with Iran. Iran also supports the Houthi Shia rebels in Yemen, who still control the capital, while Saudi Arabia attempts to push them back from the areas under their control through airstrikes.