Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted on Sunday seven ballistic missiles fired by Houthi militias from within Yemeni territories towards four Saudi cities, killing one and wounding two others.
Three of the seven ballistic missiles were launched in the direction of Riyadh, one towards Khamis Mushait, one towards Najran and two towards Jazan.
After the interception, fragments of the missiles fell on residential neighborhoods in different locations and one of the shrapnel killed one expatriate and wounded two others, all Egyptians.
The new Houthi attack embarrasses UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, who is currently visiting Sana’a to revive UN-led efforts to reach a durable political settlement to the crisis in Yemen.
The launch of ballistic missiles came to assert that Houthis reject any cooperation with increasing international calls for a solution in the country.
Official spokesman of the pro-legitimacy in Yemen coalition Colonel Turki al-Maliki said the air defense forces of the coalition detected on Sunday the launch of seven ballistic missiles from within the territories of Yemen towards the territories of the kingdom.
“The missiles were launched in a random and absurd manner to target civilian, populated areas. They all were intercepted and destroyed by the Saudi Royal Air Defense forces,” the Colonel said, in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
Maliki said that this hostile and indiscriminate action by the Iranian-backed Houthis proves the Iranian regime's support for the rebel group with qualitative capabilities in a clear and explicit violation of UN Resolution 2216 and Resolution 2231.
He said those attacks aim to threaten the security of Saudi Arabia, in addition to the regional and international security.
“The firing of ballistic missiles towards populated cities and villages is contrary to international humanitarian law,” Maliki said, stressing that the actions of the Houthis is a serious development in the war on terrorist groups and the war on those state sponsoring terrorism, such as Iran's regime.
Following the aggression, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah strongly denounced the ballistic missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.
“This hostile act violates all international norms, values and principles,” the Emir said in cable sent to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
Sheikh Al-Sabah reaffirmed Kuwait's solidarity with the Kingdom and support to all measures it takes to maintain its security.
