Yemen’s Houthis Claim Missile Attack on Power Station in Saudi Arabia

Iranian-supported Shi’ite Houthis in Yemen have claimed responsibility for firing a cruise missile at a power station in Saudi Arabia’s al-Shuqaiq city, the latest in a string of attacks by the rebels targeting assets in the Sunni Muslim kingdom. While no immediate comment was forthcoming from Riyadh, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders confirmed that President Donald Trump had been “briefed on the reports of a missile strike in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We are closely monitoring the situation,” she added, “and continuing to consult with our partners and allies.” Notably, the apparent missile attack came just hours after top U.S. officials reiterated their opposition to going to war with Iran and called on the mullahs to renegotiate a 2015 nuclear deal, from which Washington withdrew last year. For his part, President Trump raised eyebrows by intimating that he would not act militarily to protect freedom of navigation in Middle Eastern waterways, something vital to the ongoing stability of global oil markets. A Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis overran the capital Sanaa and deposed the internationally recognized government. According to a report this week by a watchdog group, more than 91,000 people have been killed in the fighting in Yemen over the past four-plus years.