Saudi Arabia: We Destroyed an 'Iranian-Houthi' Ballistic Missile

Saudi Arabia announced that it has destroyed an 'Iranian-Houthi' ballistic missile over Riyadh. Mohammed Abdulsalam, the spokesman for the Houthis in Yemen, stated that a missile was fired towards the Saudi king's palace in Riyadh. The Houthi spokesman tweeted that the Burkan [Volcano] H2 missile was used in this attack. The Saudi Ministry of Information tweeted that 'the coalition forces confirm that they have intercepted an Iranian-Houthi missile.' According to reports from Saudi state television, this missile attack did not result in any casualties. The Houthis in Yemen claimed that the missile was launched towards the Yamamah Palace. King Salman of Saudi Arabia meets with senior officials of the country and foreign dignitaries at this palace. Multiple videos regarding this missile attack have been circulated on social media. The statement from the Saudi Ministry of Information was released as Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, showed a missile to reporters at the Pentagon on December 14, which she claimed had been transferred from Saudi Arabia to Washington and was the same ballistic missile that the Houthis had launched at Riyadh airport. According to this U.S. official, this missile bore the emblem of the Shahid Baghery Industrial Group and matched the specifications of Iranian missiles. In response to Ms. Haley's statements, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, announced that a complaint regarding what he called 'America's new accusation' against Iran would be submitted to the United Nations. Amir Hatami, the Iranian defense minister, also stated that Iran is seeking a piece of the missile launched at Riyadh airport by the Houthis to investigate the U.S. claim regarding the missile's Iranian origin. Yemen has become a battleground for the proxy war between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East. While the regional coalition led by Riyadh supports the government of Mansour Hadi, the UN-recognized president of Yemen, Tehran is one of the main supporters of the Houthis, who control Sana'a, the capital, and many areas of the country. In recent months, the Houthis have launched missiles into Saudi territory, which Riyadh and the U.S. claim are of Iranian manufacture, and Tehran is accused of violating UN arms embargoes by supplying these missiles to the rebel group. However, Agence France-Presse reports that UN experts are still examining the information and data received about this missile and have not yet confirmed its connection to Iran. The Yemen war, which began in April 2015 with a coalition attack led by Saudi Arabia, has resulted in thousands of deaths, and according to the UN, eight million people in the country are on the brink of famine.