President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom on Monday condemned ballistic missiles attack on cities in Saudi Arabia late Sunday, including the capital, Riyadh.
“It was with great shock and anger that I learned of the ballistic missile attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the Houthi militia, targeting and terrorizing innocent lives and crucial infrastructure," president Yameen said in his message to Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
Condemning the act of terror, president Yameen assured the Maldives government's commitment to working closely with the Saudi government and the international community in eliminating the global threat of terrorism.
"During this time of national distress, I wish to extend our profound sympathies to Your Majesty, the Government and the brotherly people of Saudi Arabia, and reiterate our firm solidarity with Saudi Arabia in the ongoing efforts to restore regional peace and stability," the message read.
The rebel group, known as the Houthis, has fired ballistic missiles into Saudi territory repeatedly over the past three years, during a war in Yemen that has pitted the rebels and their allies against Yemeni factions aligned with a Saudi-led military coalition. Saudi and U.S. officials have accused Iran of supplying missiles and other weapons to the Houthis, a charge the government in Tehran has denied.
The multipronged attack Sunday — toward cities in southwestern Saudi Arabia, near the border with Yemen, as well as Riyadh — represented a sharp escalation of the Houthi campaign. It imperiled a fledgling effort by a new U.N. envoy to broker peace talks to end the war and seemed certain to provoke a furious Saudi response.
The attack came on the third anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen. The coalition, which includes the United Arab Emirates, has been condemned by human rights group for conducting an air campaign that has killed thousands of Yemeni civilians, and enforcing a blockade that has helped cause a vast humanitarian crisis. The United States provides military and intelligence assistance to the coalition.
