By: MnM | 12-21-2017 | News
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Iran Denies Connection to Missile Attack in Riyadh

Maliki said the attack was proof of "Iran's continued support of Houthi militants, with qualitative capabilities, in clear defiance of two UN Security Council resolutions aimed at threatening regional and international security."

The Houthis fired a volcano 2 at King Khalid International Airport on 4 November. The Saudi authorities also said that Patriot batteries intercepted the missile in the air. But experts said the missile's head fell near the airport.

The United States, which backs the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, has offered what it says is "irrefutable evidence" that Iran made the missile. "It is similar in its technical characteristics to the ballistic missile that Iran makes," said Haley, standing in front of the missile's remains.

Saudi Arabia justifies its intervention in the war in Yemen, saying it aims to counter Iran's influence and support for the Houthis.

Iran denies backing the Houthis militarily, saying the rocket fire was "independent action" in response to the attacks by the Saudi-led coalition. The spokesman for the Iranian mission at the United Nations, Ali Reza Mir Yousfi, dismissed the claims of Healy, describing it as "baseless, irresponsible, and provocative."

Saudi Arabia tightened its blockade of Yemen in response to the rocket launch in November, saying it was seeking to prevent arms smuggling. But the United Nations warned that such restrictions could lead to "the world's greatest famine in decades."

The Saudi-led coalition eased its restrictions and allowed humanitarian access to areas controlled by Houthis through airports and ports. But commercial shipments are still banned, leading to a severe scarcity of food and fuel. The Saudi-led coalition continues its air raids on Huthi areas, killing 136 civilians since December 6, according to an official with the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

More than 8,670 people have been killed and more than 49,960 injured since the start of the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, according to the United Nations.

The fighting and the siege of the coalition made more than 20 million Yemenis in need of humanitarian aid, causing severe food shortages and a cholera outbreak, which is believed to have killed 2,219 people since April.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/arabic/middleeast-42421149

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