Saudi Arabia on Monday accused archrival Iran of direct responsibility for a missile attack on the Saudi capital last week, issuing a stark warning that the strike may have constituted an “act of war,” according to the official Saudi press agency.
Though it caused no casualties, the missile strike was the deepest yet into Saudi territory, and it came as a regional confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran appears to be reaching a boiling point, raising concerns about a military escalation.
The Saudi statement claimed the government had “confirmed the role of Iran’s regime in manufacturing these missiles and smuggling them to the Houthi militias in Yemen.” It added that the government “reserves its right to respond to Iran in the appropriate time and manner.”
Iranian officials denied any connection to the missile strike.
“The enemy uses every opportunity to accuse Iran, and we will certainly reject it,” Iran’s defense minister, Gen. Amir Hatami, said on Sunday in comments carried by the semiofficial ISNA news agency.
(c) 2017, The Washington Post · Kareem Fahim
{Matzav.com}
