File photo: Houthi supporters rally to mark the anniversary of launching their motto (Sarkha)
Yemeni Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile at Saudi Arabia's Najran region near the border between the two countries, the Houthi-controlled Masirah TV said on Wednesday.
The Badr-1 missile targeted "a new military camp," it said, without indicating when the missile was launched.
Saudi Arabia's military said on Tuesday its air defences intercepted a missile fired towards the southern city of Najran but there were no casualties.
Saudi Arabia is leading a Western-backed alliance of Sunni Muslim Arab states trying to restore the internationally recognized government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, ousted from the capital Sanaa by the Houthis in 2015.
The Iran-aligned Houthis control most of the west of Yemen, including its Red Sea coast.
U.N. human rights experts said in a report on Tuesday that both the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi militia may be guilty of war crimes in the conflict, which has raged for more than three years.
The experts' panel said air strikes by the coalition in Yemen have caused heavy civilian casualties, raising concerns about its targeting process.
The panel also accused Houthi fighters of restricting access on humanitarian aid and conscripting child soldiers. The Houthis regularly fire missiles on southern Saudi Arabia and occasionally aim for higher-value targets, such as the capital Riyadh or facilities of state oil company Aramco.
The United Nations has convened talks in Geneva on Sept 6, the first effort to negotiate the war in more than two years.
The Saudi-led coalition said Tuesday it will respond to a UN report that suggested war crimes may have been committed in war-torn Yemen.The coalition “will take an appropriate stance on the report after a legal review of it,” the coalition said in a statement.UN experts earlier Tuesday said that individuals in the Yemeni government and coalition forces conducted attacks in Yemen that may amount to war crimes.Saudi Arabia says ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Houthis intercepted“The Group of Experts have reasonable grounds to believe that individuals in the Government of Yemen and the coalition may have conducted attacks in violation of the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution that may amount to war crimes,” said the 41-page report issued by the UN experts, which was mandated by UN Human Rights Council.Yemen has been wracked by conflict since 2014 when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country.The conflict escalated one year later when Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a wide-ranging military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen.Riyadh accuses the rebel group of serving as a proxy force for Shia Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-foe in the region.Saudi-led coalition air strikes in Yemen may amount to war crimes: UNThe coalition airstrikes, according to the report, caused “most direct civilian casualties after hitting residential areas, markets, funerals, weddings, detention facilities, civilian boats, and medical facilities.”Some 6,660 civilians were killed and 10,563 injured in the Yemeni conflict since March 2015, the UN Human Rights Office said and warned that the real figures are likely to be “significantly higher."The report also highlighted the crimes of Houthi forces, including killing of civilians and child recruitment.
Saudi-led coalition to respond to UN Yemen report
Saudi Arabian air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired in the direction of the city of Najran by Yemen's Houthi group, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday citing a military spokesman."There were no casualties as a result of the interception," said the spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, Colonel Turki al-Maliki.
Saudi Arabia says ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Houthis intercepted
Air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen's war have caused heavy civilian casualties at marketplaces, weddings and on fishing boats, some of which may amount to war crimes, United Nations human rights experts said on Tuesday.Saudi Arabia is leading a Western-backed alliance of Arab states trying to restore the internationally recognized government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, ousted from the capital Sanaa by the Iran-aligned Houthis in 2015.Fighters of the Houthi movement have fired missiles into Saudi Arabia, blocked delivery of supplies to Taiz and shelled the strategic city from the highlands, the panel said. They have also committed torture, a war crime, it said.Video: Saudi-led coalition air strikes in Yemen may amount to war crimes: UNSaudi Arabia intercepts Houthi missile from YemenCoalition forces have imposed severe restrictions on Red Sea ports and Sanaa airport, depriving Yemenis of vital supplies which may also constitute international crimes, the independent experts said in their first report to the Human Rights Council.The coalition's additional inspection procedures at Hodeidah port have had a "chilling effect on commercial shipping", although no U.N. or coalition searches had discovered weapons being smuggled into Yemen where 8.4 million people are on the brink of famine, it said."Coalition air strikes have caused most of the documented civilian casualties. In the past three years, such air strikes have hit residential areas, markets, funerals, weddings, detention facilities, civilian boats and even medical facilities," the panel said.Saudi-led coalition to respond to UN Yemen reportIts investigation of 11 incidents raised "serious concerns about the targeting process applied by the coalition". Strikes that fail to spare people or structures protected by international humanitarian law would be unlawful violations."Individuals in the (Yemeni) government and the coalition, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, may have conducted attacks in violation of the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution that may amount to war crimes," the experts said, adding that they had compiled a confidential list of suspects.There was no immediate reaction from those governments, which received an advance copy of the report from the United Nations.Yemeni government, Houthi movement invited to Sept 6 peace talksAll sides have conscripted children between 11 and 17 years and used them to participate in the hostilities, also war crimes, the 41-page report said.It was released ahead of U.N. peace talks between the government and Houthis on Sept. 6 in Geneva.The panel, headed by Tunisian expert Kamel Jendoubi, neither specifically referred to the United States and Britain, which provide arms and intelligence to the Saudi-led alliance, nor did it point a finger at Iranian support to the Houthis.Yemen army establishes foothold in Houthi strongholdYemeni president leaves Egypt for Saudi capital
Saudi-led coalition air strikes in Yemen may amount to war crimes: UN
Saudi Arabia has detained Sheikh Saleh al-Talib, a prominent imam at the Grand Mosque of Mecca, after he delivered a sermon saying that it was a duty in Islam to speak out against evils in public.Al-Talib, who additionally serves as a judge in Mecca, also criticized gender mixing, particularly at concerts.He was arrested despite not criticizing the royal family directly as Saudi Arabia has eased laws on female attendance at public events after Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman said he will lead his country back to “moderate Islam.”Saudi Arabia has eased laws on female attendance at public events after Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman said he will lead his country back to “moderate Islam.”Bin Salman additionally carried out a purge targeting businessmen in Saudi Arabia on “corruption charges” and never shied away from taking radical decisions.He has also detained dozens of imams, women’s right activists and members of the ruling royal family. Both of al-Talib’s English and Arabic Twitter accounts were deleted just hours after he was arrested, and the Kingdom is yet to make a statement on his detention.Saudi’s diplomatic row with CanadaTies between Saudi Arabia and Canada have soured after Ottawa criticized the arrest of human-right activists, Samar Badawi and her brother Raif Badawi.Mecca emir hails success of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage'Trump could seize Arab funds at any moment'Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi missile from YemenIn a statement released through the Saudi Press Agency in early August, Saudi Arabia gave the Canadian ambassador 24 hours to leave the kingdom, declaring him as a “persona non grata,” and froze all new trade deals with Ottawa. Saudi authorities also recalled its own ambassador to Canada, Nayif bin Bender es-Sedir, on the same day.These statements came after Canada's Foreign Ministry criticized human rights violations in Saudi Arabia and urged Riyadh to “immediately release” detained activists.
Saudi detains Mecca
imam for criticizing mixed gatherings
Saudi air defenses on Thursday intercepted a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group into the kingdomn, according to a Saudi media reports.The missile was fired toward Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Jizan province, the Saudi television news channel Al-Ekhbariya reported.The broadcaster did not provide further details.It was the second Houthi missile to be intercepted over the last week.Yemen has been wracked by conflict since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country.The conflict escalated one year later when Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a wide-ranging military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen.Riyadh accuses the rebel group of serving as a proxy force for Shia Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-foe in the region.Qatar accuses Saudis of barring hajj pilgrims, Riyadh says untrueYemeni government, Houthi movement invited to Sept 6 peace talks
Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi missile from Yemen