On Tuesday, Pakistan denounced the launch of ballistic missile by Yemen’s Huthis towards Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh targeting civilian population and infrastructure, Daily Times reported.
However, the successful interception of the ballistic missile by the Royal Saudi Air Defense saved loss of innocent lives, the Foreign Office said in a statement released in Islamabad.
“Such attacks not only violate international law, but also threaten peace and security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region. Pakistan calls for the immediate cessation of these attacks,” it said.
The FO maintained Pakistan assures its full support and solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity.
Saudi Arabia said early Tuesday it had launched overnight air raids against targets in Yemen in retaliation for a ballistic missile fired by Huthi rebels, destroying the launch site in Sanaa.
“We have destroyed sites in Sanaa linked to ballistic missiles and drones,” the official Saudi news agency SPA tweeted.
It earlier said the Saudi army had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired at the kingdom by Huthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen.
Iran-backed Huthi rebels control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, which they seized in 2014.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen a year later to prop up the government in a conflict that has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced.
The SPA said the target of the retaliatory strike included an area of “caves and secret ballistic missile warehouses on the outskirts of Sanaa”.
The Saudi defence ministry, cited by the news agency, denounced the Huthi missile-firing and the rebels’ “vicious and irresponsible behaviour of targeting civilians”.
“The ministry of defence will take all necessary and deterrent measures to protect civilians and its territory,” the SPA said.
