President Donald Trump and Saudi King Salman in Riyadh. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Trump and the Saudi king discussed the latest missile attack on Riyadh, carried out by Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen.
By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News
President Donald Trump spoke on Wednesday with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia following the ballistic missile attack against the king’s official residence, al-Yamamah palace, on Tuesday, an attack Trump said was enabled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iran-backed rebels in Yemen fired a missile at the Saudi Arabian capital on Tuesday, which was successfully intercepted by the Saudis’ air defense.
The IRGC paramilitary force is in charge of the country’s missile program.
Trump expressed his solidarity with Saudi Arabia following the attack, while the Saudi monarch updated Trump on the situation and briefed him on Saudi Arabia’s plan to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
The White House stated that the two leaders discussed the importance of engaging with the United Nations (UN) about holding Iran accountable for “its repeated violations of international law” and that they agreed on the importance of reinvigorating a political process to end the war in Yemen.
Yemen’s war has killed more than 10,000 civilians and driven millions to the brink of famine.
This attack was the second time in as many months that a rebel projectile had reached as far inside the kingdom as Riyadh. The rebels previously targeted an international airport in Riyadh.
The Yemeni rebels, known as the Houthis, said they launched a ballistic missile to target Yamama Palace in Riyadh, where King Salman chairs weekly government meetings and receives dignitaries and heads of state from around the world.
The Saudis later said the missile launch proved the “continued involvement” of Iran in supporting the Houthis.
“The very fact of this attack is a flashing red siren” for the Security Council, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said.
Last week, Haley displayed what she said was “undeniable” evidence that Iran was supplying the Houthis with missiles.
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