Thankfully, all of the missiles have been intercepted by Saudi defence forces, including the latest missiles fired at Riyadh International Airport on November 4. Still, these attacks represent a serious development in the war in Yemen, with Saudi Arabia even claiming that this represents a declaration of war by the Iranian Regime.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Othaimin, a Middle East affairs specialist and security analyst, wrote on Al Arabiya: “As the backer and the guarantor of [the Houthi] militias, Iran has crossed every red line in the conflict with Saudi Arabia in particular and with the countries of the region in general… Had the Iranian regime not supported the Houthis, Saudi Arabia would never have been targeted.”
Arming a terrorist group
By supplying a terrorist group with ballistic missiles (in direct violation of UN resolutions 2216, which bans the arming of the Houthi militias, and 2231, which enshrines the 2015 nuclear deal and warns Iran against developing ballistic missiles), the Iranian Regime is putting the whole of the Middle East at risk of attack, not to mention prolonging the conflict and hindering a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Of course, maybe that is what the Regime wants.
The Houthis are funded, armed, and trained by the Iranian Regime and are very unlikely to act against the Regime’s wishes because they cannot afford to lose Iran’s support. The Regime, meanwhile, seeks to destabilise the Middle East in order to seize control via proxy groups.
ran is also supplying the Houthis with Iranian-made strategic weapons, which they could use to target commercial vessels and oil tankers in the Red Sea and the strategic Strait of Bab Al-Mandeb.
It is also worth noting that these weapons can be transferred to other terrorist groups (through Iranian ‘civilian’ aircraft, Iran-controlled docks, or via the land bridge it is establishing across the Middle East) which will only increase the frequency of terrorist attacks.
Punishment
The Iranian Regime has been violating the UN resolutions practically since they were passed and has received little meaningful condemnation for it, which is probably why they felt comfortable doing it repeatedly.
The international community must put an end to the crisis in Yemen and hold the Iranian Regime accountable for its breaking of these resolutions and its destabilising actions.
Make no mistake, if the Regime is not held to account, the situation will only get worse with more attacks which harm more people.
