On late Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting against the Iranian-backed Houthi group in Yemen announced that they intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles launched by the group. A ballistic missile attack targeted the settlements in Marib intensely populated by civilians, which is the last stronghold of the internationally recognized government of Yemen. The statement of the Saudi-led Arab coalition regarding the interception of the missiles was quoted by the Saudi state-run news agency, Saudi Press Agency (SPA), as well.
In the early hours of Thursday, the Iranian-backed Houthi group’s spokesperson claimed that the group carried out drone attacks targeting “sensitive and important” sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Yahya Saree stated that “Today, the air force managed to carry out an offensive operation in the capital of the Saudi enemy, Riyadh, with four drones.” However, any comments have not yet been given regarding the allegations.
In recent months, several ceasefire plans were rejected by the Houthi group. Last month, the US-led plan was rejected by the Iranian-backed group, labeling the plan as a plot that would worsen the situation in the war-torn country. On March 22, on the other hand, the Saudi Foreign Minister proposed a new initiative which is comprised of; the reopening of the Sanaa International Airport and establishing a nationwide ceasefire that would be supervised by the United Nations (UN). Houthi spokesperson Abdulsalam accused the Saudi plan of exploiting the humanitarian issue to get political and military gain. A day after, the Houthis launched a drone attack towards the Saudi territory.
