Saudi Arabia Claims to Have Intercepted Another Houthi Missile Attack

The Saudi-led coalition engaged in conflict with Yemeni rebels announced that Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed another missile launched by Houthi rebels towards the city of Najran in southern Saudi Arabia. Turki al-Maliki, the coalition spokesman, stated on Saturday, April 1, to the official Saudi news agency that the missile was fired without a specific target towards residential areas in Najran, and after its destruction, the debris fell in residential areas, injuring an Indian migrant residing in Najran. The Saba news agency, affiliated with the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, reported on Saturday that the target of this missile was the Saudi National Guard base in Najran. The Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia also reported on Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed another missile launched by the Houthis towards the city of Jazan in southern Saudi Arabia. These missile attacks have been ongoing for some time and have drawn widespread condemnation from various countries. The coalition spokesman again accused Iran on Saturday of jeopardizing the security of Saudi Arabia, the region, and the entire world by supporting these missile attacks. The United Nations Security Council also condemned the multiple missile attacks by the Houthis on Saudi territory 'in the strongest possible terms' and stated that these actions pose 'a threat to the security of the entire region.' In one of the largest recent attacks, Saudi forces reported last week that they intercepted and destroyed seven missiles fired by the Houthis towards various cities, including Riyadh, but one person was killed in these attacks. The Saudi coalition has intervened militarily to push back the Houthis and restore the Yemeni government to power, but the Houthis continue to control most of the western regions of the country, including the Yemeni capital. Previously, the Saudi foreign minister stated that since the spring of 2015, when Riyadh formed a military coalition to defend the legitimate Yemeni government, the country has been targeted by 80 missiles fired by Houthi rebels. Riyadh accuses Tehran of supplying weapons and missiles to the Shiite Houthis and has threatened Iran with retaliatory actions for this reason. Iran, which has never concealed its support for the Houthi rebels, describes this support as moral and has denied reports regarding the arming and missile equipping of this group. However, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, recently acknowledged that the Islamic Republic has also provided 'advisory assistance' to the Houthis. The Yemeni conflict has resulted in nearly 10,000 deaths; more than two million people have been displaced due to the civil war in the country, and a significant portion of the population is struggling with hunger and diseases such as cholera. The Saudi coalition's bombings in Yemen have caused significant civilian casualties, leading to criticism from human rights groups. In October, the United Nations placed this coalition on its blacklist for killing children.