Saudis Intercept Missile Fired From Yemen That Came Close to Riyadh
- 6 years ago
Saudis Intercept Missile Fired From Yemen That Came Close to Riyadh
4, 2017
SANA, Yemen — A ballistic missile fired from Yemen came close to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Saturday
and was intercepted by the Saudi military over the city’s international airport, the Saudi defense ministry said.
Yemen’s Houthi-controlled defense ministry said its forces had targeted the airport with a long-range missile called the Burqan
2H in response to an attack by the Saudi-led coalition on Wednesday that killed 26 people in a hotel and a nearby market.
Military analysts at IHS Jane’s have written that the Houthis’ emerging use of ballistic missiles offers some support for American, Saudi and Israeli allegations
that Iran is aiding them with parts or technology, but add that it would be difficult for Iran to ship whole missiles to Yemen.
The Yemeni defense ministry has claimed several times to have fired a Burqan 2
missile at Saudi Arabia, which has acknowledged at least one previous strike.
Coming on a day of increasing regional tensions, it was the first time such an attack had come so close to the center of
Riyadh in the two years since Saudi Arabia started a war against the Houthi rebel group that toppled Yemen’s government.
"This act of aggression against Riyadh proves involvement of one of the terror states supporting the
Houthis," the coalition was quoted as saying in a tweet from Al Hadath, a Saudi-run news channel.
4, 2017
SANA, Yemen — A ballistic missile fired from Yemen came close to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Saturday
and was intercepted by the Saudi military over the city’s international airport, the Saudi defense ministry said.
Yemen’s Houthi-controlled defense ministry said its forces had targeted the airport with a long-range missile called the Burqan
2H in response to an attack by the Saudi-led coalition on Wednesday that killed 26 people in a hotel and a nearby market.
Military analysts at IHS Jane’s have written that the Houthis’ emerging use of ballistic missiles offers some support for American, Saudi and Israeli allegations
that Iran is aiding them with parts or technology, but add that it would be difficult for Iran to ship whole missiles to Yemen.
The Yemeni defense ministry has claimed several times to have fired a Burqan 2
missile at Saudi Arabia, which has acknowledged at least one previous strike.
Coming on a day of increasing regional tensions, it was the first time such an attack had come so close to the center of
Riyadh in the two years since Saudi Arabia started a war against the Houthi rebel group that toppled Yemen’s government.
"This act of aggression against Riyadh proves involvement of one of the terror states supporting the
Houthis," the coalition was quoted as saying in a tweet from Al Hadath, a Saudi-run news channel.