U.S. ‘strongly condemns’ Yemen’s Houthis missile attacks on Saudi Arabia

The U.S. condemned the ballistic missile attack by Yemen’s Houthis on several Saudi Arabian cities, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said on Monday.

“The U. S. strongly condemns the dangerous Houthi missile attacks aimed at several cities in Saudi Arabia Sunday night,” Nauert said.

State media reported that Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that its air defences shot down seven ballistic missiles fired from within Yemeni territories toward the kingdom.

Saudi Col. Turki al-Maliki said one Egyptian national was killed when shrapnel from an exploding missile fell on a residential neighbourhood.

Nauert said the U.S. supported Saudi Arabia’s right to defend itself against these missile threats.

“All parties, including the Houthis, need to resume political negotiations in order to end the conflict in Yemen,’’ Nauert added.

Yemen has since 2015 been engulfed in a violent conflict between the government headed by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah.

Since March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi’s request.