Houthis target Saudi civilian facility in Najran with explosives-laden drone

An Iranian made drone used by Houthis in Yemen. (AFP/File photo)
Updated 21 May 2019
Follow

Houthis target Saudi civilian facility in Najran with explosives-laden drone

  • Houthis also fired two ballistic missiles toward the holy city of Makkah and Jeddah on Monday

RIYADH: Houthi militants had tried to hit a civilian facility in Saudi Arabia's southern border province of Najran with a drone carrying explosives, the Arab Coalition supporting Yemen's legitimate government said on Tuesday.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, the spokesman of the Saudi-led military coalition said the target was a vital facility.
"The Houthi-backed terrorist militia of Iran continues to carry out acts of terrorism that pose a real threat to regional and international security by targeting civilian objects and civilian facilities, as well as civilian citizens and residents of all nationalities," Al-Maliki said.

The statement did not mention casualties and gave no further details.

Earlier on Monday, Al-Maliki said Houthis fired two ballistic missiles toward the holy city of Makkah and Jeddah but both were shot down by Saudi air defense forces.

The Iran-backed Houthis have fired dozens of missiles at targets in Saudi Arabia, including the capital Riyadh, since the Arab Coalition intervened in 2015 to restore the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, which was ousted in a Houthi coup.

 

 


Saudi Arabia pays Yemeni government $346.6m to meet salary shortfall

Updated 6 sec ago
Follow

Saudi Arabia pays Yemeni government $346.6m to meet salary shortfall

  • The payment is part of the Kingdom’s ongoing work to promote stability and development for the Yemenis

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has provided $346.6 million to help pay Yemeni government employees the massive shortfall in their salaries.

The payment, under a ruling by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, was delivered through the Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction of Yemen (SDRPY).

The payment is part of the Kingdom’s ongoing work to promote stability and development for the Yemenis, the SDRPY said in a statement released on its X.com account.

The statement added that the initiative aimed to strengthen economic, financial and monetary stability in Yemen, enhance the capacity of government institutions, improve governance and transparency, and enable the private sector to drive sustainable economic growth.

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad Al-Alimi thanked the Saudi royals for the support, describing it as an extension of the Kingdom’s longstanding support for the Yemeni people.

And Al-Alimi said the support sent a message of confidence in Yemen’s path of recovery as well as the in the government’s ability to strengthen national institutions and reinforce security and stability.

Adding that Yemen’s ongoing partnership with Saudi Arabia represented an important choice for a more stable future.

And he called for a unified effort to support the reconstruction of the country’s instituions, as well as improve living conditions and advance economic and social development.