Title : Saudi Arabia moves a step closer to war with Iran
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Saudi Arabia moves a step closer to war with Iran
- Saudi Arabia intercepted missile near Riyadh's international airport on Saturday
- Missile launched at heart of the city from conflict-torn Yemen by Shiite rebels
- Saudi-led military coalition said it reserved the 'right to respond' to attack
- This 'could be considered an act of war,' Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed said
- Iran-backed Huthi rebels retaliated saying UAE and Saudi Arabia were its targets
Saudi Arabia has moved a step closer to a war with Iran by accusing the country again of 'direct military aggression' by supplying militias with rockets.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made the accusation today, referring to Iran handing ballistic missiles to Yemen's Huthi rebels, state media reported.
But Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels hit back with threats of retaliation against the ports and airports of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which this week closed the Yemeni land, sea and air borders.
All airports, ports, border crossings and areas of any importance to Saudi Arabia and the UAE will be a direct target of our weapons, which is a legitimate right,' read a statement released by the rebels' political office.
Tensions have been rising between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and predominantly Shiite Iran, which are locked in conflicts across the Middle East, from Yemen and Syria to Qatar and Lebanon.
The crisis escalated on Saturday when the kingdom intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile near Riyadh's international airport.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, on October 24, 2017
Saudi border guards keep watch along the border with Yemen in the al-Khubah area in the southern Jizan province
The Huthi's statement comes the day after the coalition announced it had closed all of Yemen's borders, after the missile attach which the Huthis have claimed.
The United Nations on Monday reported the Saudi-led coalition had prevented two humanitarian aid flights from flying to the war-torn country.
Prince Mohammed said: 'The involvement of Iran in supplying missiles to the Huthis is a direct military aggression by the Iranian regime,' the Saudi Press Agency quoted the crown prince as saying during a telephone conversation with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
This 'could be considered as an act of war,' Prince Mohammed said.
Saudi forces on Saturday intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile near Riyadh international airport, reportedly fired from Yemen by the Huthi rebels.
It was the first reported Huthi missile launch to reach Riyadh and threaten air traffic, underscoring the growing threat posed by the conflict on Saudi Arabia's southern border.
Riyadh accused Tehran of supplying ballistic missiles to the Huthi rebels, but Iran denied the allegation.
Yesterday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir also warned Tehran: 'Iranian interventions in the region are detrimental to the security of neighbouring countries and affect international peace and security.
'We will not allow any infringement on our national security.'
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif issued dismissive tweets over the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in response.
He wrote: 'KSA bombs Yemen to smithereens, killing 1000s of innocents including babies, spreads cholera and famine, but of course blames Iran.
Yesterday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (pictured) also warned Tehran will 'not allow any infringement on national security'
'KSA is engaged in wars of aggression, regional bullying, destabilising behaviour & risky provocations. It blames Iran for the consequences.'
Saudi forces on Saturday intercepted and destroyed the ballistic missile near Riyadh's international airport after it was reportedly fired by Shiite Huthi rebels from Yemen.
It was the first attempted missile strike by the rebels to reach Riyadh and threaten air traffic, underscoring the growing threat posed by the conflict on Saudi Arabia's southern border.
The coalition sealed off air, sea and land borders in Yemen where it has been battling rebels in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's internationally recognised government since 2015.
An Iranian foreign ministry statement quoted spokesman Bahram Ghassemi as saying the accusations by the coalition were 'unjust, irresponsible, destructive and provocative'.
Ghassemi said the missile was fired by the Huthis in response 'to war crimes and several years of aggression by the Saudis'.
The crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran escalated on Saturday when the kingdom intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile near Riyadh's international airport (pictured)
The Saudi royal family arrests: Those detained Saudi's anti-corruption purge include Prince Miteb, Prince Turki and Prince Alwaleed (circled in red)
The missile attack, he said, was 'an independent action in response to this aggression,' and Iran had nothing to do with it.
Critics have accused the coalition of not doing enough to prevent civilian deaths in its air war in Yemen, where more than 8,650 people have been killed since the intervention began.
Repeated attempts to bring about a negotiated settlement to the conflict have failed, including a series of UN-backed peace talks.
Saudi Arabia has blamed the Huthis for the failed efforts, and on Monday offered rewards totalling $440 million for information on 40 senior officials among the rebels.
Topping the list, with a $30-million reward for tips leading to his capture, was the group's leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi.
The Huthis, allied with Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh in the conflict, have captured the capital Sanaa, forcing Hadi's government to operate from the southern city of Aden.
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