Yemenupdated 2h ago2 min read
Iran’s IRGC Aids Houthis as Saudi Arabia Faces Drone And Missile Attacks
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IRGC aided Houthis as they expanded in Yemen and struck Saudi Arabia. Saudi faces drone and missile attacks as Houthis escalate with Iranian backing.
Iran support, Saudi cities hit
Houthi militants launched their most potent and sophisticated attacks yet on Saudi Arabia, as media reports and official comments probed Iran support for Yemen’s Houthis and highlighted the alliance’s opaque nature. The Al Jazeera account said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) aided the Houthis with training, intelligence, tactical guidance and help in targeting for drone and missile attacks.
Saudi coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki confirmed the presence of an external state actor behind the Houthis’ evolving arsenal but did not mention the state in question. The Al Jazeera report tied the escalation to an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that killed 13 people, and it also described Saudi energy facilities and oil tankers as targeted by the group.
Yemen FM rejects mediation
Yemen Foreign Minister Afrah Alzouba accused Iran of prolonging the war in Yemen by arming the Houthis while attempting to position itself as a mediator in efforts to resolve the conflict. Alzouba spoke on the sidelines of the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Baghdad, and she said Tehran could not supply weapons to one side of a war while claiming a role in bringing it to an end.
Alzouba challenged Iran’s characterization of the conflict as one between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, saying that description disregarded the takeover of the Yemeni state by an armed group. Alzouba called on the international community to enforce the arms embargo established under UN Security Council Resolutions 2216 and 2624 and to hold those financing the Houthis accountable.
Egypt backs Saudi, more casualties
Egypt’s top security body pledged to back Saudi Arabia in its fight against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, as the conflict between Riyadh and Tehran intensified.
The Cadena 3 Argentina account said the Egyptian National Defense Council, chaired by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, would offer "all possible forms of support" to Saudi Arabia to ensure its security.
The AP-linked reporting said at least 19 people had died and thousands of flights had been canceled, while an airstrike in Yemen’s rebel-held northern province of Saada killed at least nine people, including five children and two women.
The AP report also said Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed 110 missiles or airstrikes were carried out against civilian sites in Sanaa and other cities, and it said the Associated Press could not independently verify the claim.