Hariri Strongly Condemns Huthi Attack on Riyadh, Urges 'Dialogue'

Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday strongly condemned the firing of a ballistic missile at Riyadh by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

“The repeated targeting of Saudi territory by missile attacks from Yemeni territory does not only threaten the security of the Kingdom and the safety of its people, but also exposes the region to serious dangers and exacerbates existing divisions and conflicts,” Hariri said in a statement.

He added: “We strongly condemn such attacks and stress the need to abandon these aggressive methods and refrain from policies that fuel conflict.”

Hariri also called for “resorting to the path of dialogue to solve the difficult problems.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia said it shot down a ballistic missile over Riyadh fired from Yemen by Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who announced that the target was the official residence of King Salman.

The audacious attack aimed at the heart of Saudi power follows the downing of another missile last month near Riyadh airport that triggered the tightening of a Saudi-led blockade on hunger-stricken Yemen.

For the past three years Saudi Arabia has led a military campaign involving air strikes and ground troops against the Huthis, who seized the Yemeni capital from the internationally recognized government in 2014.

The kingdom accuses the Shiite rebels of being a proxy for its arch foe Iran, which vehemently denies arming the insurgents.