The Shiite Houthi forces in Yemen just escalated their ongoing war with Saudi Arabia.  As you may know, the Saudis lead a military coalition of conservative Sunni states in propping up the “legitimate” Yemeni government, which has retreated to the southern Yemeni port city of Aden.  Since 2015, the Saudis and their allies have directed severe airstrikes on Houthi-controlled territory, killing many civilians.

On November 4, 2017, the Houthis took the war to Saudi Arabia, launching a ballistic missile at the King Khalid airport near Riyadh.  The Saudis intercepted the missile, claiming no damage on the ground, while the Houthis claim that their missile caused damage.

This is not the first Houthi missile attack on Saudi territory, though it is certainly the most notorious to this date. The Houthis captured many Russian and Iranian-made missiles from the Yemen government’s military when they captured the capital city of Sanaa a few years ago. Prior Houthi targets in Saudi Arabia include oil refineries and border villages.

Given the strong support of the Houthis by Shiite powerhouse Iran, this could be a serious escalation of the ongoing proxy war between the Saudis and the Iranians.

Houthi Yemeni missile attack on Riyadh…https://t.co/rdQcEsMsNa

— History Guy (@historyguycom) November 5, 2017