Riyadh accuses Tehran of fuelling Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
A Saudi deputy minister blames Iran for the latest Houthi escalation. For more than a week the militia has been striking the airport, oil facilities and military targets in the kingdom.
Symbolic image · Photo: Kharbaan Ghaltaan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of being behind the latest wave of attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia. "We think the escalation by the Houthis at this later stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran," Rayed Krimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy at the Saudi foreign ministry, told journalists on Thursday. He said Iran continues to arm, train and support the militia in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Tehran, he added, is not ready to make the necessary concessions in the wider war with the United States. According to AP, Iranian officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For more than a week, the Houthis have been attacking Riyadh's international airport, the headquarters of oil giant Aramco and other aviation, oil and military sites. According to Krimly, at least 19 people have been killed, including foreigners; he called the attacks war crimes. A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said King Khalid International Airport had been targeted 20 times this month. AP says the attacks expose Saudi Arabia's difficulties with interception, and Riyadh is seeking more military help from allies including the US.
Krimly said Saudi Arabia had proposed a meeting with the Houthis in Oman in July. The militia then seized territory on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait; in early October the coalition launched an offensive to retake it. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday called the Saudi blockade of the Houthis unjust and illegal. Qatar and Pakistan are currently mediating between Washington and Tehran, including on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.