On December 19, Yemen’s Houthi forces launched a Burkan-2 ballistic missile at the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The pro-Houthi media claimed that the missile hit Al Yamama Royal Palace in Riyadh. The Saudi state-run media said that the missile was intercepted south of the capital.
#BREAKING Saudi intercepts Yemen rebel missile over Riyadh: state media
— AFP news agency (@AFP) 19 December 2017
Meanwhile, local sources reported a balst in the capital.
Happening now in #Riyadh ? pic.twitter.com/wm74RZ4Ww2
— Manal H. AlJeffrey (@taioba525) 19 December 2017
The photos below allgedly shows the interception of the missile.
S. Arabistan, balistik füzenin; #Riyad-Yamama sarayının hemen üstünde vurulduğunu duyurmuş. Halk, patlamanın etkisiyle sokaklarda… pic.twitter.com/Eag3lwnB8f
— tahtakuslar (@taylieli) 19 December 2017
Previously, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile at Riyadh International Airport on November 4. Then, Saudi Arabia also claimed that the missile was intercepted. However, details that appeared later allowed to suggest that the missile could hit a target near the runway.
Well this will give zionist crazy Nikki Haley more reason to bash Iran & say they supplied the missile.
US keep their vassals in a tough position.
US continues to supply billions (sell) of arms to SA but in addition support SA coalition air forces with Air surveillance and co-ordinates in Yemen bombing runs. There is no logic to Haley’s comments other than propaganda and the old ruse of accusing others of what you are indeed doing yourself. Who is most noted for this, SA next door neighbor of course and now open alliance. If they can wag the US surely they are wagging SA.
I for one didn’t know Houthis possess Borkan missiles. A confirmation from Yemeni army or Houthis should be announced soon if that’s true.
But if it’s true, that’s the first time the Saudi rulers taste what it’s like to be bombed from the sky. They say Karma is an unsavory woman or something like that ( Sorry, that stick doesn’t let me to loosen a bit, unsavory stick!)
Missiles could have been supplied by America or Israel to inflame tensions.
If Houthis were to fire about 10 missiles into SA, war with Iran would look very possible.
NO- they’re provided by Iran with Russia helping covertly, to keep the Yemen war HOT. The Deep State tried to end the Yemen war by turning the rebel ‘leader’, which is why he was assassinated by a VERY highly trianed sniper.
Iran calculates that if Saudi Arabia is tied up in a pathetic regional war it cannot win, it can hardly contemplate attacking a real enemy like Iran.
I wish people here would read some history and war strategy books once in a while. It is humiliating to see such naive (but well meaning) comments on this site.
It would never be expected for SA to take on Iran. That would be ridiculous.
Israel very much want America to take on Iran.
If Iran could be made to look like they are supplying lots of missiles to the Houthis by Israel supplying them, and Israel attacked Iran, America would join them.
Sorry for being so naive, what am I missing?
My interest is with political history. I have no interest with warfare at all.
You are far closer than Starlight is…as for being naive, I doubt it. With the unexploded missile recovered in UAE, the ‘Iranian’ markings would support your assumptions. As another commenter remarked, If only they had found Iranian passports(near the missile debris), it would have been a slam-dunk.
Thank you. I actually needed that reassurance.
Passports are the only thing I have ever come across to be more resilient than a black box.
I’d like to see PROOF or at least an educated guess at how the Iranians and Russians are defeating the Israeli/US/KSA embargo of Yemen. In your versionof assumptions, the Iranians and Russians are letting the Yemenis die of starvation and disease, smuggling in weapons (which you do not reveal how, only accuse, like the west does) and no food or medicine. Your fact that a rebel leader was assassinated is inaccurate as well, as he was the ex-President and leader of the Yemeni Army, NOT a rebel leader. Assuming not all media are liars, it was reported that he was killed by Houthi troops as he tried to pass a checkpoint. Then, to assume the Deep State is behind his acquiescence to KSA(hell, I’ll give you that one),but to end the Yemen war?, is senseless. It was their war in the first place. If they had a strategy at all, it was to get Saleh to align with KSA to defeat the Houthis…who BTW are NOT Shia. This also has nothing to do with keeping KSA tied up in a war, so as not to attack Iran. KSA has no intentions whatsoever of attacking Iran. They would have to be absolutely suicidal to do so. That confrontation would last hours or days and neither the US or all of NATO could stop it.
Show us proof of Iranian and Russian shipments Ms. Haley.
Would this mean that a portion of the Yemeni Royal Guard is sticking with the Houthis? I thought that they controlled a large portion of the longer range ballistic missile stockpile. I think it’s simplistic for people to assume that Saleh had 100% control over these forces.
Apparently after their break up a part of Yemeni army is with Houthis and the army used to take care of missiles.
You’re right, Saleh even didn’t have %100 control over the forces loyal to him. Part of his followers were disappointed because of his negotiations (or deal) with Saudis.
?? Yemeni rebel forces first used their locally-manufactured Burkan-1’s over a year ago against the Saudis, Garga. That one was aimed at the military part of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah (630km). They started using their newer, longer-range Burkan 2-H variant in July (Yanbu Refinery attack).
Burkan-1s are suppose to be their home-made stretched versions of Soviet Scud Bs/R-17s or their equivalent North Korean Hwasong-5 copies. It may be better to characterize them as manufactured/used by rebel forces rather than ‘possessed’ – the latter implying that they acquired them as-is from somewhere else. Jane’s (pdf).
Burkan-2H are similarly enlongated Yemeni rebel Scuds, but with longer range and baby-bottle shaped warheads (vs. Burkan-1’s conventional Scud-B shape). The warheads only generally resemble Soviet Scud-C’s and N. Korean Hwasong-6 / Iranian Shahab-3 warheads in their baby-bottle shape, but are distinct enough to suggest a home-brew Yemeni warhead, i.e, they are not N. Korean or Iranian missiles.
The real threat these missiles pose – at least in the Middle East – is to negate the billions upon billions of US-supplied Israeli tactical/offensive air capability. It’s a long-distance version of the Hezbollah retaliatory missile threat to Israel, therefore, ‘not permitted’ by US/Israel (and recent KSA lackeys). Israel must have unfettered ability to attack anyone in the entire Middle East for any reason without fear of retaliation or retribution. The ‘spread’ of Scud-C design/fabrication is reason enough for the US and UK to have the Yemeni Shia genocided.
Nice Yeah the Wahhabi Sunni mother**kers need to die we all know that 70% of Daesh came from Saudi Wahhabi Sunni Arabia to f/ck up Syria…I want them do die, I want death for those that want death for Syrians.
Do you know how BADLY ordinary people in Yemen suffer in order that pin pricks are inflicted on the wahhabi horrors. Of course, Team Saker loves methods that only ever involve the suffering of others.
Saudi Arabia is protected by the West, Russia and China- think on that fact. Yemen is used as a pawn by all sides.
Do you know how badly they have suffered, long before any missile response? How many wars on Yemen has KSA had? Do you know? Your western leaning statements are little more than western/Israeli propaganda, providing absolutely nothing in the way of evidence, yet making the same illogical and unsupported (by evidence) accusations that the west uses. Which brings me to the conclusion that you’re either very naive, mis-informed or just a player for the west. Do you even have a clue as to why Yemen is important to the west? It’s called the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa (Gulf of Aden).
Now you are getting silly. Yemeni people have right to defend their country from foreign aggression period. KSA will not be able to sustain high tech war with Yemen much longer. What has seemed to be their advantage has turned to be their greatest weakness in this war. Saudi prince has already scraped what seems to be their last money from the royal family.
Their only mistake is that they should have launched three missiles at such an important target simultaneously. They already know Saudi Arabia has been shooting them down over the last few months.
Instead of making threatening statements such as this. They need to score actual victory points against the enemies command structure.
If they keep launching 1 missile at a time, then Saudi Arabia will keep shooting them down one at a time.
Lebanese civilian militia know full well as does Hamas that you must overwhelm the anti-air defensed of these enemies.