UN Security Council slams ‘escalatory’ Houthi attacks

The UN Security Council strongly condemned escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. (EPA Images pic) UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council issued a joint statement on Thursday condemning the "escalatory" attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia, including "reckless strikes" on Riyadh's airport.

The Saudi capital's international airport has been targeted by strikes 20 times since the beginning of the month, with an attack last weekend killing 13 people and wounding more than 300.

In a joint statement shared by the Security Council's president, Greece's Evangelos Sekeris, the 15-member UN body "condemned in the strongest terms continued and escalatory Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," as well as "continued Houthi attacks and threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab (Strait)."

The statement also "affirmed the inherent right of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of self-defence in accordance with international law."

Since the airport attack, the Saudi coalition reported Thursday it had intercepted a missile in the region of Medina, one of the holiest cities in Islam. The Houthis, who have repeatedly said they would spare Islam's holy sites, denied being behind the attack.

The Houthis launched a deadly missile attack Thursday on the presidential palace in the Yemeni government's interim capital of Aden, hitting command centres located inside the compound used by government forces and the Saudi-led military coalition that supports them.

Yemeni health minister Qasim Buhaibeh said the attack left five people dead and 16 injured "among those working to guard the site and civilian employees".

Yemen's civil war – in which Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting the government since 2015 – reignited in September after the collapse of a years-long truce.