This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/tehran-yemen-missile-attack-rebels-saudi-arabia-iran-capital-us-officials-a8047936.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Yemen missile attack: Weapon fired by Houthi rebels at Saudi capital was Iranian, say US officials | Yemen missile attack: Weapon fired by Houthi rebels at Saudi capital was Iranian, say US officials |
(35 minutes later) | |
The ballistic missile fired by Yemeni rebels that targeted the Saudi capital was from Iran and bore “Iranian markings,” a top US Air Force official in the Middle East has said. | |
Lieutenant General Jeffrey L Harrigian, who oversees the Air Forces Central Command in Qatar, made the comments at a news conference in Dubai. | |
Mr Harrigian said authorities were investigating how the missile was smuggled into Yemen amid a Saudi-led coalition controlling the country’s airspace, ports, and borders. | |
After the strike near Riyadh on 4 November, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said investigators examining the remains of the rocket found evidence proving “the role of Iranian regime in manufacturing them.” | |
More detail was not given, though the ministry also mentioned it found similar evidence after a 22 July missile launch however a rebel spokesperson told Al Jazeera that it was a Burkan 2-H missile - a Scud-type missile with a range of more than 800km. | |
French President Emmanuel Macron also said this week that the missile was "obviously" Iranian. | |
Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said in a statement earlier in the week that the July launch involved an Iranian Qiam-1, a liquid-fueled, short-range Scud missile variant. | |
Iran used a Qiam-1 in combat for the first time in June when it targeted Isis militants in Syria in retaliation for twin militant attacks in Tehran. | |
Mr Harrigian declined to offer any specifics on what type of missile they believed was used most recently. | |
Iran has denied the allegations it provided missiles to the Houthi rebels and what the Saudi coalition called a "a clear act of aggression" on the part of Iran. | |
The 4 November attack prompted Saudi Arabia to close all ports, roads, and the air space in and out of Yemen. | |
The Saudi-led coalition also sent a slew of missiles into the Yemeni capital of Sanaa several hours after the attack on the Riyadh airport. | |
More follows… | More follows… |