(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) RIYADH, Nov 5 (KUNA) -- The command of the Saudi-led coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen said it has strong evidence that Iran provided the Yemeni Houthi militia with sophisticated weapons, including ballistic missiles.
The last night firing of a ballistic missile towards Riyadh constitutes a serious escalation of the hostility of the Houthis who receive military backing from Iran, spokesman of the command of the coalition Col. Staff Turki Al-Malki said at a press conference on Sunday evening.
Iran smuggles weapons the Houthis by air, sea and land, particularly through Al-Hudeidah seaport, west Yemen, which is under control of the rebel group, Col. Staff Al-Malki said.
Iran continues to supply the Houthis and the Lebanese Hezbollah group with highly sophisticated weapons, including ballistic ground-to-ground missiles, launch pads, and remote control drones.
The Yemeni army was not in position of such weapons, which testifies to the Iranian involvement in the plot against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he explained.
Iranian military experts assembled some of these weapons inside Yemen and trained the Houthis on how to use them.
The Iranian-backed Houthis pose a grave threat to navigation in the southern Red Sea through bomb-laden boats, he said, adding that a number of such boats were intercepted by the naval forces of the coalition.
In addition, the Houthis planted nearly 50,000 landmines along the borders between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, he went on.
Col. Staff Al-Malki announced a list of 40 names of Houthi leaders who are wanted under charges of terrorism.
Last night, the command of the coalition announced that the Royal Saudi Air Defense Force intercepted a missile, fired from Yemen into northeast Riyadh, without causing any human or material damage. (end) od.gb
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