Missile Attack On Riyadh 'An Act Of War' By Iran
05 November 2017By Siraj Wahab
A Houthi missile fired at Riyadh may be considered an act of war by Iran, and
Saudi Arabia will not tolerate any infringement of its national security,
senior Saudi officials said on Monday.
"The Kingdom reserves the right to respond in a timely manner to the hostile
actions of the Iranian regime," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said.
"Iranian interventions in the region are detrimental to the security of
neighboring countries and affect international peace and security. We will not
allow any infringement of our national security."
Iran supplied the ballistic missile fired into Saudi Arabia on Saturday night
by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi defense forces intercepted the missile and
shot it down over King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, and there were
no casualties.
"Iran's role and its direct command of its Houthi proxy in this matter
constitute a clear act of aggression that targets neighboring countries, and
threatens peace and security in the region and globally," the Saudi-led
coalition in Yemen said on Monday.
"Therefore, the coalition's command considers this a blatant act of military
aggression by the Iranian regime, and could rise to be considered as an act of
war against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"The coalition command also affirms that the Kingdom reserves its right to
respond to Iran at the appropriate time and in the appropriate manner."
The Coalition Forces Command ordered the temporary closure on Monday of all
air, sea and land ports in Yemen, except for aid workers and humanitarian
supplies.
Col. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the coalition, produced evidence on Sunday
that Iran supplied weapons and technology to the Houthis, including ballistic
missiles, launchers, aerial drones, land and naval mines and improvised
explosive devices.
Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa said Iran was a
danger to the region, and the Harvard scholar and Iranian affairs expert Majid
Rafizadeh said the international community should hold Tehran accountable.
"Compromises, concessions and diplomatic maneuvering don't work with the
Iranian regime," he told Arab News. "Iranian leaders view concessions as
weakness."
He called for a combination of economic sanctions, political pressure and
enhanced monitoring of Iran's illegal activities. "Tehran's exports and
imports should be closely examined and restricted. The US, EU and Arab powers
should form a military front, like NATO, as a bulwark against the Iran
regime."
Rafizadeh said Iran was the leading state sponsor of terrorism. "The UN should
invoke UN Resolution 2231 and immediately punish Tehran for violating it.
Otherwise, Tehran's belligerent behavior will continue to grow. This can turn
the regional conflict into a conflagration."
UN Security Council Resolution 2231 adopted the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, but
also imposed restrictions on Iran's use of some ballistic missiles.
Thomas Mattair, executive director of the Middle East Policy Council in
Washington, told Arab News: "Iran should not expect to be able to facilitate
attacks on Saudi Arabia without paying some consequences."
Dr. Hamdan Al-Shehri, a Saudi political analyst and international relations
scholar in Riyadh, said the international community should have prevented Iran
from creating havoc in the region.
"Things would not have reached this pass if the world community had taken
measures against Iran and its arming of militias such Hezbollah and the
Houthis," he told Arab News. "The world's inaction led Iran to believe that it
can basically get away with murder."
He condemned Iran for first attacking Makkah in July, and now Riyadh. "They
want to kill innocent people and spread terror; this is their only business."
The world community, and specifically the US and Russia, must pressurize Iran
to give up its hostility to Arab countries, Al-Shehri said. "Now is the time
to act."
Al-Shehri said the missile attack on Riyadh was a "declaration of war" on
Saudi Arabia.
"Saudi Arabia will not sit idle and will not wait for the international
community to do nothing," he said. "Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir has made
it clear that Saudi Arabia, in coordination with its Arab allies, reserves the
right to defend its sovereignty and its people."
Al-Shehri said all options were on the table and all measures were being
explored. "The Saudi leadership will decide what option and measures to go for
and when," he said. "One thing is clear, this Iranian-Hezbollah-Houthi
provocation and attack will not go unpunished."
Among the options, he said, was directly confronting Iran. "A fitting Saudi
response will come at a time and place of its choosing."
David Pollack, a scholar at the Washington Institute for Near East policy,
said Saudi Arabia "generally has a valid case. The Arab coalition and its
international partners, including the US, should intensify maritime and land
interdiction efforts, including via Oman."
Aaron David Miller, vice president for new initiatives and Middle East program
director at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, speculated
that Saudi Arabia had reached a "firm understanding" with the US that should
tensions with Iran escalate, "the US will be there to support" the Kingdom.
King Salman and President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Saturday and
discussed the Houthi missile attack and Iran's involvement in the region.
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