Houthis Accuse Saudi of Cover-Up After Drone Interceptions

Houthis call Saudi's drone interception "cover-up" as Arab nations condemn attacks on Kingdom's oil facilities

Sanaa, July 28

In a post on X, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Yemen's state news agency Saba Nasruddin Amer, cited a military source in the Ministry of Defense, who characterised the Saudi statements as a cover-up for air defence failures.

According to the source, the statements by the Saudi Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs were an attempt "to cover up the failure of its defensive systems in detecting and intercepting Yemeni drones that successfully achieved their targets."

The source stressed that Yemen has endured "The Saudi enemy's violations throughout the de-escalation phase" and demanded Riyadh respect Yemeni sovereignty, stating, "The Saudi enemy must end the siege on the Yemeni people by opening airports and ports, facilitating trade movement, releasing prisoners, respecting Yemen's sovereignty, and its right to benefit from oil wealth in paying salaries and providing basic services," Amer wrote in the post.

Adding to the reaction, Amer also posted Houthi Political Bureau member Dhaifallah Al-Shami's remarks, who asserted that the Saudi statements "reflect its confusion following the strikes by the Yemeni Armed Forces on Jizan and Yanbu."

According to the statements shared by Amer on X, Al-Shami accused the Saudi regime of using accusations against Iran and others as "an evasion of its responsibility for the blockade on Yemen," while dismissing the claims as "a failed attempt to pressure the Iraqi government regarding the resistance's weapons issue, in response to US directives, similar to what is happening in Lebanon."

The Houthi assertions follow statements released earlier in the day by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defence.

In a post on X, the Official spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki stated that air defences had intercepted and destroyed several drones attempting to target petroleum facilities in the Eastern Region and Riyadh.

Al-Maliki stated that "these terrorist attempts were launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by Iranian-backed terrorist militias," while affirming the Kingdom's "legitimate right to defend itself and its capabilities, and its retention of the right to respond at the appropriate time and place."

However, Iranian broadcaster IRIB reported that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said, "We reject Saudi accusations that drone attacks on its facilities came from Iraq. If Riyadh takes any action, it will receive a response that will make it regret it."

Additionally, responding to the allegations, Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered security authorities to investigate Saudi's claims that drones were launched from Iraqi soil, according to armed forces spokesman Sabah al-Numan.

In a statement as reported by Al Jazeera, the Iraqi government declared its commitment to preventing Iraqi territory from being used to attack neighbouring nations, promising legal action against those responsible while describing its ties with Saudi Arabia as "deep-rooted and fraternal."

Earlier in the day, Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed that they carried out drone strikes on what it described as "sensitive" Saudi Arabia crude oil supply and transport infrastructure, prompting a flurry of diplomatic engagements across the region.

Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah conducted a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud, expressing strong condemnation of the attacks and affirming Kuwait's "absolute solidarity" with Saudi Arabia.

Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received a phone call from Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss joint coordination and de-escalation.

During the call, Sheikh Mohammed stressed the need for all parties to commit to dialogue and implement the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, including guaranteeing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a subsequent call with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi, both Qatari and Jordanian officials renewed their support for comprehensive diplomatic efforts aimed at defusing regional tensions and maintaining regional security.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic also issued an official statement condemning the attempted targeting of Saudi petroleum facilities.

— ANI