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Houthis fire a ‘revenge’ missile at Riyadh

February 6, 2017 at 3:55 pm

A Houthi missile struck a military base in the Saudi capital Riyadh, the group reported last night.

Yemen’s official news group Saba News Agency which has been taken over by the Houthis released a statement by the rebel forces saying the attack was orchestrated “in retaliation to the enemy American puppet that is Saudi Arabia’s continuous bloodshed and besiegement of the Yemeni people”.

It added that the move came as a way to emphasise that Riyadh is within reach of the Houthi missiles.

Read: US stipulated its military aid not be used against Houthis

The missile they used was a Yemeni made Borkan-1 ballistic missile, which is a local variation of a missile previously used by the Soviet Union. It has a range of over 800 kilometres and is designed to hit large military bases.

The missile did not have a war-head and the Houthis said this attack was merely a test, and a show of their capabilities.

Riyadh’s silence

While Riyadh has yet to comment on this issue and it is unknown whether the rocket firing has cause any damage or injuries. Cross border attacks increased after the Saudi-led coalition began its operation nearly two years ago.

Saudi is usually quick to comment when a missile has been intercepted, but its silence could mean that it did not anticipate, nor intercept this attack or the attack did not take place.

Locals in Riyadh did report hearing a “bang” and feeling a tremor, but these were dismissed as earthquakes.