Washington 0
28 October 2020

The Saudi-led coalition reported that it had downed six “bomb-laden UAVs” towards Saudi Arabia and two ballistic missiles bound for Jizan and Najran all launched by the Huthis. The U.S. embassy in Riyadh issued an alert indicating that it was “tracking reports of possible missiles or drones that may be headed toward Riyadh”, which was subsequently revised to recommend “increased caution in Saudi Arabia due to terrorism and the threat of missile and drone attacks on civilian targets”. The following day, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced the attacks and argued that “this irresponsible escalation coincides with the Houthis’ declared desire to strengthen their ties with Iran… the Houthis are not serious about seeking a political solution in order to bring peace to Yemen”. Pompeo further urged “Iran to stop smuggling weapons to the Huthis in violation of UN Security Council resolutions and to stop enabling the Huthis’ aggressive acts against Yemen and towards its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia”.

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