The report was a summary of the information presented at the March 26 press conference that took place after the latest Houthi missile attack on Saudi Arabia that killed one and injured two. It provided photographic evidence that Iran had supplied the Houthis with the missiles fired on Saudi Arabia; a charge made by the Kingdom in the wake of the attack and seemingly supported by UN findings on previous missile attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia.
The missile in question is the Sayyad-2C surface-to-air missile, which was first produced in Iran in 2013. Reportedly, it has a range of 80-150 kilometres and can reach altitudes of 20,000-30,000 meters whilst carrying a high-explosive warhead.
It is based on the American SM-1 (RIM-66), which Iran received from the US prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and Iran have now integrated it with a ground-based domestic air-defence system.
In the report, Saudi Arabia writes that the Houthis are using Sana’a airport to train their militias and launch Iranian-made missiles. It also states that the Saudi-led Arab Coalition to reinstate the legitimate government in Yemen have, in the past, intercepted the smuggling of these missiles from Iran to the Houthis.
We don’t know if this was the missile fired at Saudi Arabia or if there is a stockpile of these missiles in Sana’a airport or where else Iran may have smuggled these missiles too. All we do know is that this is worrying.
The Iranian Regime has given the Houthis a lot of help in addition to providing them with ballistic missiles – in violation of two UN resolutions – including political support, various light-arms like AK-47s, sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), anti-tank weapons, suicide boats, drones, and roadside bombs.
What can the rest of the world do?
They should start by condemning the attacks by the Houthis and look at evidence to prove Iran’s involvement. Then they must condemn Iran and reimpose sanctions on the country.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a Research Fellow focusing on Iran at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote: “With the conflict in the Arabian Peninsula having entered its fourth year, Iran appears more intent than ever to continue backing the Houthi rebels. In fact, Iranian material support for the Houthi insurgency in Yemen has evolved over time. The effect of this diverse weaponry has been to dampen the prospects for fruitful negotiations and incentivize the Houthis to continue fighting. While a diplomatic solution remains ideal, Iran’s provision of missiles to the Houthis underscores the need for a military predicate to achieve any diplomatic solution.”
