Report: Saudi Arabia Shoots Down Explosives-laden Houthi Drone

Saudi Arabia’s air force reportedly shot down an explosives-laden drone deployed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen to attack an airport near the shared border. It was the third time in as many days that the Houthis targeted Najran airport, which allegedly houses weapons-storage facilities as well as a US-made Patriot anti-missile defense battery. The foiled plot follows two Iranian-inspired attacks earlier this month on Saudi oil and shipping assets, and the recent firing of a missile into Baghdad’s Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located. The latest flare-up comes as Yemen’s internationally recognized president, Abed Rabbou Mansour Hadi, accused the United Nations of siding with the rebels, who retain control of key cities, including the capital Sanaa. Yemen has become a major focal point amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US, which announced the deployment of 1,500 additional troops to the region. While on a state visit to Japan, US President Donald Trump struck a conciliatory tone – this, after threatening to annihilate the Islamic Republic if it harmed American interests – by calling on the mullahs to return to the negotiating table. “I do believe that Iran would like to talk, and if they’d like to talk, we’d like to talk also,” Trump said, adding that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe might act as an interlocutor between the rival nations. Concurrently, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was meeting his counterpart in Iraq, where he reiterated that Tehran would “defend against any war efforts” with strength. Iraq also risks being caught up in the geopolitical battle as both American and Iranian-allied forces remain stationed throughout the country, with many of the latter having been formally incorporated into the Iraqi security apparatus. Meanwhile, US economic sanctions continue to decimate Iran’s economy, with Turkey and India having confirmed they were no longer importing Iranian crude. The Islamic Republic’s oil exports have decreased by half – to about 500,000 barrels per day – since the White House only weeks ago ended a waiver program granting certain nations permission to continue purchasing the Iranian product.