Houthi projectile kills 3 Saudi civilians – Retaliation vowed

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AMIR CONDOLES, KUWAIT CONDEMNS ATTACK ON SAUDI CITY

RIYADH, June 10, (Agencies): Houthi rebels in Yemen fired a “projectile” at the southwestern Saudi province of Jazan killing three civilians Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the insurgents said. “The terrorist Iranian-Houthi militia has targeted civilians with a projectile” killing three civilians in Jazan, coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said.

Malki, quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency, did not identify the type of “projectile” but said it was “launched deliberately to target civilians” and warned of retaliation. “The Joint Forces Command of the coalition will strike with an iron fist all those who threaten the safety and security of Saudi nationals, residents and critical capabilities,” he said.

Meanwhile, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of condolences to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

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on Saturday over the death of the three Saudi civilians. His Highness the Amir on behalf on himself and the government and people of Kuwait strongly condemned the repeated attacks by the Yemeni Houthi militia on citizens and expatriates in Saudi Arabia, saying that such attacks run counter to all religious and moral values, and principle of the international law.

His Highness the Amir reaffirmed Kuwait’s solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in all measures it might take to protect its security and stability. He prayed to Allah the Almighty to bestow mercy on the three martyrs and lodge them in paradise, expressing condolences to their families and the Saudi people and government.

Meanwhile, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables to King Salman. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have ramped up missile attacks against neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition that has fought the insurgents since 2015.

On Tuesday, Saudi air defences intercepted a ballistic missile that targeted the western city of Yanbu after being fired from rebel-held territory in Yemen. It came as coalition-backed Yemeni forces advance on the rebel-held Red Sea port of Hodeida, the main conduit for humanitarian supplies into a country teetering on the brink of famine.

In late May, air defences intercepted Houthi missiles over the southern cities of Najran and Jizan but there were no casualties. Riyadh accuses its regional rival Tehran of supplying the Houthis with ballistic missiles, a charge Iran denies.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Arab allies intervened in Yemen in 2015 to push back the rebels and restore the internationally-recognised government to power after the Houthis ousted it from swathes of the country including the capital Sanaa.

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed since the alliance launched its intervention in Yemen in March 2015, contributing to what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Clashes between troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition and the Iranaligned Houthis intensified near Yemen’s Hodeidah over the weekend as the United Nations tries to negotiate a ceasefire to avert a possible assault on the main port city, military sources said.

A military attack or siege on the Houthi-held western city, long a target in the war, could cost up to 250,000 lives, a senior UN humanitarian official has warned. The Red Sea port is a lifeline for eight million Yemenis, handling most of the country’s commercial imports and aid supplies.

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