RIYADH: Yemen’s Houthi rebels were condemned after the Iran-align group targeted the Saudi capital Riyadh.
The coalition supporting Yemen’s government said that a ballistic missile that was targeting Riyadh had been shot down on Saturday.
The Houthis have been attacking the Kingdom with missiles and drones after the group, which is supported by Iran, vowed to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait denounced the group’s actions against Saudi Arabia’s biggest city and condemned their targeting of population centers. The attacks were a flagrant violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty, Kuwait’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Egypt likewise said the Houthi attack was a violation of international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter. In a foreign ministry statement, Cairo “strongly condemned” what happened in the Saudi capital.
Bahrain issued a similar condemnation of the escalation by the Iran-backed group's attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and labeled the acts as terror.
In condemnation, Jordan said the violation was a threat to the Kingdom’s security and stability and the safety of its territories, and a blatant breach of international law.
GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi and UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the militia’s attacks on Saudi Arabia, their targeting of civilian sites, and the threat these attacks pose to security and stability in the region.
The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants strongly condemned the missile attack as well.
In a statement issued by the MWL General Secretariat, MWL Secretary-General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa said the actions violate all religious values as well as international and humanitarian laws and norms.
Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the coalition, said the interception of Saturday’s missile was carried out in accordance with the rules of engagement, and the it was destroyed in the air without causing damage.
Al-Maliki said the coalition leadership had the right to take any measures it deemed appropriate, in accordance with international humanitarian law and customary rules, to deter further Houthi attacks.
Early on Saturday, the Saudi Civil Defense issued two alerts warning of potential danger in Riyadh and the nearby city of Al-Kharj, with an all-clear issued after each warning.
The Houthis, who control Sanaa and much of northern and western Yemen, have sharply escalated attacks against Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.
On Thursday, debris from a Houthi drone that was intercepted and destroyed fell in Taif, killing a Yemeni resident and injuring a Saudi woman and a Pakistani resident, who was critically wounded. Several buildings and vehicles were also damaged.
The incident came two days after Saudi air defenses intercepted a drone south of Makkah that authorities said was attempting to enter the holy city’s airspace. Saudi officials described the attempted attack as a major escalation.
Earlier this month, Houthi attacks on southern Saudi Arabia injured dozens of people and damaged energy-related facilities, according to Saudi authorities. The renewed fighting represents a major escalation after a UN-brokered truce in 2022 halted large-scale fighting in Yemen.
