Saudi Military Coalition Threatens Iran with Retaliation for Houthi Missile Attacks

The spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen accused Tehran of supporting Houthi missile attacks on Saudi territory and threatened Iran with retaliation for these attacks. Turki al-Maliki stated on Monday, April 6, "We reserve the right to respond to Iran at the appropriate time and place." Saudi Arabia claims its defense system intercepted seven ballistic missiles fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Reports indicate that debris from the missiles fell on a residential area, resulting in one death. One of the missiles reportedly targeted Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Following the interception of this missile over Riyadh, one Egyptian citizen was killed and two others were injured. Turki al-Maliki appeared alongside one of the missile remnants in front of reporters and stated that thorough investigations indicate these missiles are of "Iranian origin." He added that the Saudi-led military coalition targeted a missile storage facility at Sana'a airport. Al-Maliki claimed that the Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels used these missiles to attack Saudi positions. The Islamic Republic of Iran has denied any allegations of supplying missile weapons to the Houthis in Yemen. United Nations experts responsible for monitoring the implementation of Yemen sanctions visited Saudi Arabia twice, once in May and July 2017, and then in November and December of the same year, to investigate the remnants of ground-to-ground missiles fired by the Houthis at Saudi targets. These experts concluded that these weapons have Iranian origins and reached the Houthis after the UN Security Council sanctions began in March 2015. Houthi missile attacks on Saudi territory have occurred in the third year of the Riyadh-led coalition's operations against them. The military operations of Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen have resulted in 10,000 deaths and 53,000 injuries to date.